SPARROWS 249 



piles, where it scratches vigorouly among the dead leaves. 

 Active, nervous, and rather shy, it flies when disturbed from 

 bush to bush with a whirring of its short, rounded wings and 

 a flashing of its white tail-feathers. Its alarm note is a 

 sharp, ringing che-vnnk or jo-ree. In the nesting season the 

 male bird mounts to a moderately high perch in a tree or bush 

 and delivers its simple melody many times without moving. 

 The song is melodious, but musically of no very striking char- 

 acter; it begins usually with two short, whistled notes, fol- 

 lowed by a rather prolonged trill on a higher pitch. 



Food habits, — The animal food of the towhee consists of 

 beetle larvae, ants, moths, caterpillars, cockroaches, grasshop- 

 pers, flies, and earthworms. Its vegetable food consists large- 

 ly of wild fruits and berries and weed seed. It has been ac- 

 cused of pulling up newly planted com, but it is doubtful if 

 any serious damage is done in this respect. 



ALABAMA TOWHEE: PipUo erythrophthalmus canaster 



HowelLt 



State records. — The Alabama race of the towhee, only re- 

 cently distinguished as a subspecies, occurs nearly throughout 

 the State, both summer and winter, breeding locally in mod- 

 erate numbers. Specimens have been examined from Orange 

 Beach, Spring Hill, Dauphin Island, Castleberry, Seale, Wil- 

 sonville^ Tuscaloosa, Jasper, Ardell, Anniston, Woodville, 

 Leighton, and Elkmont. Those from the most northern coun- 

 ties are intermediate between canaster and erythrophthalrnus, 

 but rather nearer the former. Eggs have been taken at Au- 

 taugaville, May 7 and June 23 ; and at Florence, April 27 and 

 May 12. 



General habits. — The resident form of the towhee has red 

 eyes, like the northern bird, but differs from it in having less 

 white on the tail feathers and (in the females) grayer colors 

 on the back. The songs and call notes are noticeably dif- 

 ferent from those of the northern race and the call note — 

 jo-ree — is rendered practically as one syllable. Like the north- 

 ern subspecies, this bird lives in brushy thickets, but in the 



fPipilo erythrophthalmns canaster Howell, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 26, p. 

 202, 1913; type from Spring Hill, Alabama. 



