226 SHARPENS SEED-EATER. 



preserve the bright colors of old birds for a great length of time in confinement. To 

 retain its beauty the Nonpareil requires, more than any other cage bird, sunshine, pure 

 water, shady growing bushes where to seek repose at pleasure, and suitable food, con- 

 sisting of millet, Canary seed, small mealworms, grated hard-boiled egg, dried larvas 

 of ants, etc. 



NAMES: Painted Bunting, Painted Pinch, Nonpareil, Paradise Finch, Red Pop, Pop, Mariposa, "Mexicp.n 

 Canary," "Texan Canary."— Papstfink (German). 



SCIENTIFIC NAMES: Emberiza ciris Linn. (1758). Fringilla ciris Wilson (1811). PASSERINA CIRIS 



ViEiLLOT (1824). Cyanospiza. ciris Baird (1859). 

 DESCRIPTION: "Male: Head and neck all round ultramarine-blue, excepting a narrow stripe from, the chin 

 to the breast, which, with the under-parts generally, the eyelids, and the rump (which is tinged with 

 purplish)., are vermillion-red. Edges of chin, loral region, greater wing-coverts, inner tertiary, and 

 . interscapular region, green ; the middle of the latter glossed with yellow. Tail-feathers, lesser wing- 

 coverts, and outer webs of quills, purplish-blue.. Female: Clear dark green above; yellowish beneath. 

 Young: Like female." (B. B. & R. II, pp. 87, 88.) 



Length, about 5.00 inches ; wing, 2.70 ; tail, 2.52 inches. 



Varied Bunting, Passerina versicolor Gray. According to Dr. J. C. Merrill, this 

 beautiful bird seems to be rather abundant in the vicinity of Brownsville, Texas, fre- 

 quenting mesquite chaparral. Its song has some resemblance to that of the Indigo 

 Bunting, and is constantly uttered. This is a common species of northern Mexico and 

 near Vera Cruz is known as the Prusiano. 



DESCRIPTION: Back and breast, dark wine-purple; occiput and throat, claret-red; forehead and rump, 

 purplish-blue. Eyelids, purplish-red. Female: Fulvous-gray above, uniform pale fulvous below. 



SHARPE'S SEED-EATER. 



Sporophila moreletti sbarpei Lawrence. 



The Seed-eaters are mostly small, thick-billed, plainly colored birds, w^hich are found 

 from the lower Rio Grande south to Brazil. Though lacking in brilliancy of plumage, 

 they are always gay and smooth, cheery and full of life, and have a pleasant song. 

 Many of them are especially valuable for the reason that they select for their haunts 

 localities near the habitations of man. In gardens they please by their lovely manners 

 and tameness as well as by their melodious ditty. In Europe many of them are highly 

 prized cage birds. Dr. J. C. Merrill, who observed Sharpe's Seed-eater near Browns- 

 ville, Texas, writes as follows: 



"This curious little Sparrow is not uncommon during the summer months, and I 

 am inclined to think that a few may pass the winter. During the breeding season the 

 male has a very sprightly song, much resembling that of the Indigo-bird, but sweeter; 

 this it frequently utters while perched on the topmost twig of a bush. They are usually 

 seen in patches, of briers and low bushes, at no great distance from water; they are very 

 tame, and will permit a person to approach very closely. At least two pairs built 

 within Fort Brown during the season of 1 877. One of these nests, found nearly finished 

 early in May, was in a bush about three feet from the ground : it was not pensile, but 

 was placed on a small branch between three or four upright twigs, and was entirely 

 composed of a peculiar yellow rootlet. It was destroyed by a violent storm before eggs 



