YELLOW-WINGED SPARROW. 
259 
the head, neck, and upper parts of the breast, body, and 
wings, are of a deep slate colour ; the plumage some- 
times skirted with brown, which is the colour of the 
young birds ; the lower parts of the breast, the whole 
belly and vent, are pure white ; the three secondary 
quill feathers next the body, are edged with brown, the 
primaries with white ; the tail is dusky slate, a little 
forked, the two exterior feathers wholly white, which 
are flirted out as it flies, and appear then very promi- 
nent ; the bill and legs are of a reddish flesh colour ; 
the eye, bluish black. The female differs from the 
male, in being considerably more brown. In the depth 
of winter, the slate colour of the male becomes more 
deep, and much purer, the brown disappearing nearly 
altogether. 
172 . FRINGILLA FASSERINA, WILSON. 
YELLOW -WINGED SPARROW. 
WILSON, PLATE XXIV. FIG. V. 
This small species is now for the first time intro- 
duced to the notice of the public. I can, however, say 
little towards illustrating its history, which, like that 
of many individuals of the human race, would be but 
a dull detail of humble obscurity. It inhabits the lower 
parts of New York and Pennsylvania ; is very numerous 
on Staten Island, where I first observed it ; and occurs 
also along the sea coast of New Jersey. But, though 
it breeds in each of these places, it does not remain in 
any of them during the winter. It has a short, weak, 
interrupted chirrup, which it occasionally utters from 
the fences and tops of low bushes. Its nest is fixed 
on the ground among the grass ; is formed of loose dry 
grass, and lined with hair and fibrous roots of plants. 
The eggs are five, of a grayish white sprinkled with 
brown. On the 1st of August I found the female 
sitting. 
I cannot say what extent of range this species has, 
having never met with it in the southern States ; though 
