Brown, Olive or Grayish Brown, and Brown and Gray Sparrowy Birds 
Range — North America generally. Most common in north lati- 
tudes. Winters south to the Gulf of Mexico. 
Migrations — Erratic winter visitor from October to April. Un- 
common in summer. 
A small grayish-brown brindle bird, relieved with touches 
of yellow on its back, wings, and tail, may be seen some winter 
morning roving on the lawn from one evergreen tree to another, 
clinging to the pine cones and peering attentively between the 
scales before extracting the kernels. It utters a call-note so like 
the English sparrow’s that you are surprised when you look up 
into the tree to find it comes from a stranger. The pine siskin 
is an erratic visitor, and there is always the charm of the unex- 
pected about its coming near our houses that heightens our 
enjoyment of its brief stay. 
As it flies downward from the top of the spruce tree to feed 
upon the brown seeds still clinging to the pigweed and golden- 
rod stalks sticking out above the snow by the roadside, it dips 
and floats through the air like its charming little cousin, the gold- 
finch. They have several characteristics in common besides 
their flight and their fondness for thistles. Far at the north, 
where the pine siskin nests in the top of the evergreens, his 
sweet-warbled love-song is said to be like that of our “wild 
canary’s,” only with a suggestion of fretfulness in the tone. 
Occasionally some one living in an Adirondack or other 
mountain camp reports finding the nest and hearing the siskin 
sing even in midsummer; but it is, nevertheless, considered a 
northern species, however its erratic habits may sometimes break 
through the ornithologist’s traditions. 
Smith’s Painted Longspur 
(Calcar ius pictus) Finch family 
Length — 6.5 inches. About the size of a large English sparrow. 
Male and Fe7naie — Upper parts marked with black, brown, and 
white, like a sparrow; brown predominant. Male bird with 
more black about head, shoulders, and tail feathers, and a 
whitish patch, edged with black, under the eye. Under- 
neath pale brown, shading to buff. Hind claw or spur con- 
spicuous. 
147 
