412 
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 
of the harmonious strains which nearly always greeted our ears when 
we were in the vicinity of their homes” ( f Birds of Eastern North 
America”). 
“Their notes very much resemble those of the Indigo-bird, but 
lack their energy and are more feeble and concise” (B., B., and R.). 
The Grassquit {603. Tiaris bicolor ) of the Bahamas has been once 
recorded from Miami, Florida. 
The Melodious Grassquit {603.1. Tiaris canora ) of Cuba, has been 
once recorded from Sombrero Key, Florida. 
604. Spiza americana {Gmel.). Dickcissel. Ad. <? in summer. — Head 
and sides of the neck ashy gray; forehead tinged with yellow; a yellow line 
over the eye and one on the side of the throat ; a black patch on the throat ; 
chin white; breast yellow, spreading down on to the white belly;- back 
streaked with black and pale grayish brown; rump brownish ash; lesser wing- 
coverts rufous; wings and tail fuscous. Ad. <? in winter. — Has less yellow 
and a more or less concealed throat-patch. Im. — Resembles $ . Ad. 9 . — ■ 
Similar, but the head grayish brown, streaked with blackish, and with no 
black patch on the throat and less yellow on the breast, which is sometimes 
lightly streaked with black. L., 6'00; W., 3*20; T., 2*35; B., *55. 
Range. — E. N. Am., and n. S. 
Am. Breeds chiefly in Austral zones 
from ne. Wyo., nw. N. D., nw. 
Minn., s. Mich., and s. Ont., s. to s. 
Tex., and s. Miss.; formerly bred on 
the Atlantic coastal plain from 
Mass, (casually wandering to Maine) , 
to S. C., but now extremely rare e. 
of the Alleghanies; winters in n. S.' 
A.; accidental in L. Calif., Ariz., 
Man., N. S., and Jamaica. 
Washington, formerly “very 
abundant,” now seen only occasion- 
ally, May- Aug. Cambridge, casual, 
found nesting at Medford, June 9, 
1877, where several birds were observed; not uncommon in 1833-34 (see 
Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club , III, 1878, 45, 190). N. Ohio, rare S. R., May 1. 
Glen Ellyn, rather rare and local S. R., formerly common, May 3-Sept. 5. 
SE. Minn., common S. R., May 11-Aug. 20. 
Nest , bulky, of coarse grasses and leaves, lined with finer grasses and 
sometimes long hairs, on the ground or in low trees or bushes. Eggs, 4-5, 
pale blue, *80 x *60. Date , St. Louis, Mo., May 23; Avondale, Ohio, May 
14; Powesheik Co., Iowa, May 28. 
Prior to 1880 these birds were more or less common in the middle 
Atlantic States, but they are now of rare occurrence east of the Alle- 
ghanies. In Texas I have seen them migrating in closely massed flocks 
of several hundred individuals, all silent, except for an occasional 
each. They alight on the prairie to feed; birds in the rear are constantly 
arising and passing to the front; there is ceaseless motion. 
In the summer Dickcissel makes his home in grassy fields and 
pastures, and from a weed stalk or bordering fence, with uplifted head, 
he announces his presence as though life itself depended on his vocal 
exertions. It is a poor song from a musical standpoint, but pleasing 
because of the singer’s earnestness. 
Fig. 109. Dickcissel. (Natural size.) 
