Black-chinned Sparrow, Black-chinned Chippy, Spizella atrigularis Baird. This 



Chippy is an inhabitant of the south-western border of the United States, from Texas 



to California, south into Mexico. But little is known of its history. Probably it has a 



very restricted area of distribution. Dr. Elliott Coues met with it at Fort Whipple, 



Ariz., where it arrives in April and leaves in October. In the spring it has a very sweet 



and melodious song, far surpassing in power and melody the notes of any other of this 



genus that the Doctor has ever heard. 



DESCRIPTION : Tail, deeply forked. General color, bluish-ash, paler beneath, and turning to white on the 

 middle of the belly. Interscapular region, yellowish-rusty, streaked with black. Forehead, loral region, 

 and sides of head as far as eyes, chin, and upper part of throat, black. Quills and tail-feathers very 

 dark brown, edged with ashy. Bill, red ; feet, dusky. 



Length, 5.50 inches; wing, 2.50; tail, long, 3.00 inches. 



Worthen's Sparrow, Worthen's Chippy, Spizella wortbeni Ridgw., is an inhabitant 

 of New Mexico. "Regarding this new species," writes Mr. Chas. K. Worthen in a letter 

 to the author, "I cannot give you a great deal of information, as up to the present 

 time it seems to be a very rare bird and but little known. The type specimen I dis- 

 covered among a lot of skins sent me by one of my collectors, Mr. Chas. Marsh, from 

 Silver City, New Mexico, it having been taken in that locality June 16, 1884. I sent 

 the specimen to my fi-iend Mr. R. Ridgway, who named it to my surprise after me and 

 described it in the Proceedings of the United States National Museum (Vol. VII, Aug. 

 22, 1884)." 



SLATE-COLORED JUNCO. 



Junco hyemalis Sclater. 



Plate XXIII. Fig. 1. 



Autumn's earliest frost had g^ven 



To the woods below 

 Hues of beauty, such as heaven 



Lendeth to its bow; 

 And the soft breeze from the West 

 Scarcely broke their dreamy rest. 



Whittier. 



WHE bright golden and crimson autumn landscape, embellished by a wealth of 

 asters, golden-rods, and heavenly blue gentians, is enlivened by a great number 

 of cheerful birds, many of them being more conspicuous now than during the exceedingly 

 changeable spring time. They return from the North with their families, having reared 

 from one to three broods. Instead of the one pair, that moved northward in spring, we 

 now notice six or seven and even more individuals. Woodlands and thickets, the orna- 

 mental shrubbery of the garden, orchards, meadows, bushy road-sides, stubble fields, and 

 pastures swarm now with birds, contributing much towards beautifying and making 

 attractive every locality where they occur. The skies are bright and the sun still power- 

 ful ; and there is an almost imperceptible haze that seems to soften the landscape and 

 keep every object in true perspective. 



