178 TOWHEES. 



It is quite probable that the females sit closely, as they are very tamej; which would 

 also render the nests difficult to find. The first week in April, however, I was fortunate 

 enough to capture a newly fledged young in the bushes, near our camp on Indian River. 

 There were quite a number of the little Jo-rees, as the boys call them, about and their 

 parents were extremely annoyed at my presence, scolding me vehemently while they 

 hopped briskly about, jerking their tails over their backs, thus evincing as much anger 

 as is possible for a bird to exhibit." 



It is said that the Florida Towhees usually breed in young pines from three to 

 ten and even twenty feet from the ground and that the nest resembles that of the 

 Yellow-breasted Chat. In Florida I have been informed that they sometimes build in the 

 dense clumps of saw-palmettos, but that they usually construct their nest on the ground. 

 The nest consists of coarse weeds, pine needles, and grass, and is lined with finer grasses. 

 Sometimes the eggs, which have a white ground-color, are densely speckled and spotted, 

 sometimes they are almost unmarked. 



The Arctic Towhee or Saskatchewan Chewink, Pipilo maculatus arcticus 

 CouES, is distributed in summer over the region of the Platte River, the upper Missouri, 

 the Yellowstone and Saskatchewan Rivers, north to Great Slave Lake. It winters from 

 Colorado and Kansas to Texas. In its habits and appearance it is quite similar to the 

 eastern species, but it seems to be much shyer, being easily frightened when it hides in the 

 bushes until all danger is over. According to Dr. J. C. Merrill it is abundant in all parts 

 of Montana wherever a stream with bordering underbrush affords the needed shelter. 

 The nests are placed on the ground under some brush, a favorite place being small isolated 

 cherry bushes so often seen near streams flowing down many of the mountains ; lower, on 

 the plains, any growth of bushes or shrubbery appear to answer well. The rim of the nest 

 is flush with the surface of the ground, the birds scratching a hollow large enough to con- 

 tain the nest. This is well and strongly built ; externally are placed dead leaves and broad 

 strips of bark ; then a wall of finer strips of bark and blades of dry grass, lined usually 

 with yellow straws. The eggs, four or five, have a white ground-color, slightly tinged 

 with greenish and covered with dots and small spots of reddish-brown and lavender, 

 most numerous on the larger end, where a more or less distinct wreath is formed. In 

 some sets the ground-color is scarcely distinguishable on account of the very numerous 

 markings which cover the entire surface. 



Spurred Towhee, Pipilo maculatus megalonyx CouES. This variety inhabits 

 especially the Rocky Mountain region, and is found west to southern California and 

 north to eastern Washington, wintering in Mexico and Lower California. This Towhee 

 seems to be especially common in New Mexico and Arizona. According to Prof. R. 

 Ridgway it is common near Salt Lake City. When he first met with the bird he was 

 surprised about its call-note which is very similar to that of the Catbird. The nest he 

 found on the ground, among the scryb-oaks of the hill-sides; In Riverside, Cal., nests 

 were found in low bushes by Mr. S. C. Evans, and Mr. O. Emerson, of Hay wards, Cal., 

 also found the nests in his locality in bushes, the lowest about ten inches from the ground. 



Oregon Towhee, Pipilo maculatus oregonus Coues. This local form, which is 

 also known as the Oregon Ground Robin, is a resident of the western parts of northern 



