May, 1884.] 
AND OOLOGIST. 
59 
The Lark Finch ( Chondestes grammica, 
Bonap.) A very common species on the 
West Yegua is the Lark Finch, and I ob- 
served it to be in this neighborhood even 
more numerous than the Song Sparrow in 
Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. It 
seems to me that these birds are for this 
locality in every respect the representa- 
tives of the familiar Song Sparrow of the 
Northern States. Near houses, in gar- 
dens and fields, on the edges of woods, in 
thickets, on the prairies and along rail 
fences and other similar situations this is 
an abundant bird. It arrives from the 
South early in April and departs in large 
numbers for its winter quartersin the last 
part of September. Nestbuilding takes 
place from the beginning of May and con- 
tinues to the middle and latter part of 
June. Two broods are raised every year. 
The nest is built on trees, in the corners 
of rail fences, on the ground and some- 
times in bushes. One nest I found in the 
cavity of an old tree. The Lark Finch, 
like Melospiza meloda, Baird , prefers to 
nest in close proximity to human dwell- 
ings and especially they like to construct 
their nests on a horizontal branch of a 
mulberry tree. The nests I found on trees 
and in the corners of fences were built 
exteriorly of the sticks of the downy 
Gossypianthus tomentosus, some other 
plant stems and dry grasses, and are lined 
with horsehairs. All these nests have the 
appearance of Song Sparrow nests. The 
nests built on the gound are very different 
from those just described. They are built 
in a slight depression of the ground from 
grasses and a few slender weed-stalks, and 
are lined with fine rootlets and a few 
horsehairs. If the nest is on the ground, 
cotton or cornfields are commonly chosen 
for the site of the same. The latter nests 
have very thin walls, whilst those in trees, 
etc., are very strong and bulky. The 
eggs, usually five in number, have a beau- 
tiful crystalline white ground color and 
are curiously streaked with zigzag lines 
and some blotches and sqtots of dark 
brown on the larger end. Some spots are 
to be found on the entire egg. These 
heavy brown markings are easily to be 
rubbed off with water, so that only a light 
reddish-brown color remains. The song 
of this bird is varied, continuous and very 
sweet, yet not clear and thoroughly fine as 
the shorter song of the Song Sparrow or 
the very sweet song of the White-throated 
Sparrow ( Zonotrichia albicollis, Bonap.) 
and the Fox-colored Sparrow ( Passer ella 
iliaca.) — II. Nehrling, Fedor, Jjee Go., 
Texas. 0.&O.T3C. May. 1884, p jy 
