912 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



ever to be seen, but in the evening after a shower they seem to spring up 

 everywhere, all singing vigorously. The song slightly resembles that of 

 the Grasshopper Sparrow, but is much louder, clearer, and easier to locate, 

 as the bird hangs on a swaying grass-stalk or sits on the top of a weed. 

 The nest is placed on the ground at the foot of a small weed or tussock 

 of grass. It is built of blades of grass, strengthened with a few roots 

 and lined with grass. One nest observed at Paso Real contained two 

 half-fledged young, but all the others seen were old and abandoned. 



750. Spiza americana (Gmelin). 



Euspiza americana Lawrence, Ann. Lye. N. Y., IX, 1868, 104 (Tabacales 

 [Frantzius], San Jose, and Dota [J. Carmiol]). — Boucard, Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 Lond., 1878, 58 (San Jose and Volcan de Irazu, March). — Zeledon, Cat. 

 Aves de C. R., 1882, 9. 



Spiza americana Nutting, Proe. U. S. Nat. Mus., V, 1882, 391 (La Palma de 

 Nicoya, May 1, abundant). — Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. de C. R., I, 1887, in 

 (Cartago, Alajuela, Jimenez). — Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XII, 1888, 773 

 (Angostura [J. Carmiol], Nicoya, March [E. Arce]). — Cherrie, Auk, VII, 

 1890, 334 (San Jose, Sept. 29); IX, 1892, 248 (San Jose, Sept. 27 to Apr. 20); 

 Expl. Zool. en C. R., 1893, 29 (Lagarto de Terraba, Feb.). — Salvin and God- 

 man, Biol. Centr.-Am., Aves, I, 416 (Nicoya [Arce]). — Underwood, Ibis, 

 1896, 437 (Miravalles). — Ridgway, Birds of North and Mid. Am., I, 1901, 

 1 73. — Bangs, Auk, 1907, 309 (El Pozo de Terraba, April 3 to 12 [Underwood]). 



U. S. Nat. Museum: Bonilla, March, 1908 (Basulto). 



Bangs Collection: Bolson, Dec. 13; Bebedero, June (?); San Jose and 



Cartago, March (Underwood). 

 Carnegie Museum: Bebedero, Apr. 27; El Hogar, March 25; Buenos 



Aires de Terraba, Sept. 4 (Carriker) ; San Jose, March 27 and Sept. 



12; La Estrella, April (Underwood). Six skins. 



"The Buenos Aires bird is a female in first winter plumage. All the 

 spring birds have apparently completed the prenuptial moult." (W. E. 

 C. Todd.) 



An abundant winter visitor throughout almost the whole of Costa Rica 

 wherever cultivated or grass-lands are to be found. They usually, 

 arrive about the first week in September and some linger on till late in 

 April before leaving. They prefer the plateau region to the lower and 

 hotter coastal plains, where food is also less plentiful. During their 

 entire stay in the south they always remain in flocks of from five or six 

 up to as many as fifty at times. The rice-fields in the region west of San 

 Jose (from Turrucares to San Mateo) are favorite localities for them. 



