298 
SINGING BIRDS. 
DICKCISSEL. 
BLACK-THROATED BUNTING. 
SPIZA AMERICANA. 
Char. Male: above, gray brown, middle of back streaked with 
black ; nape and side of head ash , crown olive streaked with dusky ; line 
over the eyes yellow ; chin \yhite ; large patch of black on throat ; two 
wing-bars chestnut ; edge of wing yellow ; below, white tinged with yel- 
low ; sides shaded with brown. Female ; similar, somewhat smaller ; 
throat without patch, but with black spots ; less tinge of yellow on lower 
parts. Length 6 to 7 inches. 
Nest. On the prairie or in a field or pasture or open scrubby woods ; 
placed upon the ground or in a bush or low tree, sometimes to to 20 
feet from ground ; made of grass, weed-stalks, leaves, and roots, lined 
with fine grass or hair. 
Eggs. 4-5 ; pale greenish blue, unspotted ; 0.80 X 0.60. 
These birds arrive in Pennsylvania and New England from 
the South about the middle of May, and abound in the vicinity 
of Philadelphia, where they seem to prefer level fields, building 
their nests on the ground, chiefly of fine withered grass. They 
also inhabit the prairies of Missouri, the State of New York, 
the remote northern regions of Hudson’s Bay, and are not un- 
common in this part of New England, dwelling here, however, 
almost exclusively in the high, fresh meadows near the salt- 
marshes. Their song, simple and monotonous, according to 
Wilson consists only of five notes, or rather two, the first 
being repeated twice and slowly, the second thrice and rapidly, 
resembling tsh.ff (ship, tshe tshe ishe. With us their call is 'tic 
'tic — tshe tshe tshe tship, and tship tship, tshe tshe tshe tship. 
From their arrival nearly to their departure, or for two or three 
months, this note is perpetually heard from every level field of 
grain or grass ; both sexes also often mount to the top of some 
low tree of the orchard or meadow', and there continue to 
chirp forth in unison their simple ditty for an hour at a time. 
While thus engaged they may be nearly approached without 
exhibiting any appearance of alarm or suspicion ; and though 
the species appears to be numerous, they live in harmony, and 
