chestnut, not grayish anteriorly. Body, behind dusky; the feathers of abdomen and flanks washed, 

 and of crissum, rump, and upper tail-coverts tipped with rose-red ; wing-coverts, and to some extent 

 quills, edged with the same; otherwise with white. Bill, yellowish, with dusky tip; feet, black. 

 Length, 6.50 inches; wing, 4.30; tail, 3.00 inches. 



Brown-capped Leucosticte, Leucosticte austrahs Ridgw., inhabits the high 

 mountains of Colorado in summer, 10,000 feet and upwards. In winter it is found in 

 the lower districts, south to northern Mexico. 



ALEUTIAN LEUCOSTICTE. 



Leucosticte griseonucba Bonaparte. 



According to Mr. Dall this species abounds on the Prybilof and Aleutian Islands. 

 In August he observed it on St. George's; at this time it was moulting. "This 

 beautiful bird had no song at that season except a clear chirp, sounding like w6et-a- 

 weet-a-wee-weet. It was on the wing a great part of the time, avoiding alighting on 

 the ground, but darting rapidly in a series of ascending and descending curves, nov^r 

 swinging on the broad top of an umbelliferous plant, and now alighting on some ledge 

 of the perpendicular bluff, jumping from point to point, and seemingly delighting in test- 

 ing its own agility. Their nest is a simple hollow on one of these ledges, provided w^ith a 

 few straws or bits of moss. They lay four white eggs in May (0.97X0.67). In August 

 the young were fully fledged." In "Contributions to the Natural History of Alaska,"* 

 Mr. L. M. Turner has given a good description of the habits of the bird, and Prof. R. 

 Ridgway has figured it (on Plate VIII) in his admirable style. According to Mr. 

 Turner, this Rosy Finch is common on all the Aleutian Islands, including the Pribylof 

 group, Sannahk, mainland of Belhovsky, Unga Island, and was also observed on 

 Kadiak Island. At Unalashka the bird is often seen. At the villages of St. Paul's Island 

 and that of St. George's Island the bird is abundant in the so-called streets. Mr. Turner 

 counted as many as twenty individuals around one building at St. George's Island; 

 and some of them w^ithin few feet of several persons. They seemed regardless of the pre- 

 sence of man; vphile at other places they were seldom seen and were then shy, taking 

 long flights when approached. This bird prefers the bold, ragged cliffs along the sea- 

 shore. They are constantly in motion, either on the wing, flying in sweeping, long 

 curves, sometimes near the earth, to mo^nt thirty or forty feet at a single effort, 

 alighting on some projecting ledge of a bluff to search for food, and away again to alight 

 for a moment on a weed stalk. Their nest is built in a small projected ledge of a bluff, 

 or else in a small crevice. 



A nest was found by Mr. Turner in a small cleft of a rock on the side of a high 

 bluff. It was composed of small pieces of wild parsnip stalks, coarse grass stems, and 

 finer blades of grass to form the lining. The nest is not elaborate, the material being 

 somewhat carelessly arranged. Four, sometimes five white eggs are laid in the early 

 part of June. The young are able to fly by the first of August. 



DESCRIPTION: Adult: Forehead and forepart of crown, black; throat, dusky; rest of head, uniform ash- 

 gray ; general color of plumage, dark chocolate-brown, with a chestnut cast on the breast, the feathers 

 of posterior region tipped with pink. — Length, 8.00 inches; wing, 4.49; tail, 3.49 inches. 



* "Contributions to the Natural History of Alaska." Prepared under the direction of L. M. Turner. No. II. Wash- 

 ington : Government Printing Office, 



