114 
WHITE-EYED TOWIIEE. 
with ijie lower sidfe of the anterior portion narrowly edged with black. Under wing coverts, under tail coverts, and crissum, 
pale-chestnut. Feet, brown. Bill, blue-black. Iris, white. 
Adult female. With the black replaced by reddish-brown which has a slaty under tint. White as in the males. 
The chestnut is much paler being fully as light as that on the under tail coverts. The feathers of the back and top of 
head show darker centers. 
Young male. In this stage the white of the tail only extends over two pairs of feathers. The white markings of the 
secondaries are scarcely perceptible. There is no black margin to the chestnut of the sides. The feathers of the wings and 
rump are narrowly edged with rufous. 
Young female. Strongly overwashed with yellowish-rufous above, the white markings being more or less obscured by 
it. The white below is tinged with yellow. 
Nestlings. Similar to the young female but streaked above and below with dusky. The iris in this stage is light- 
brown, quite different from that of the adult. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
There is a concealed spot of slaty-white on the throat, indeed all of the under tint is slaty. This species differs from 
erythrophtlialmus, its nearest ally, in being smaller and in having less white on the tail. This never extends over more 
than three pairs of the tail feathers and does not occupy the entire width of the outer web, but has a narrow line of black 
next the shaft. The white of the wings is also less extended. The chestnut is much paler but the most noticeable differ¬ 
ence in the living specimen is the white eye. The females may be distinguished at once by the slaty tint of the portions 
which are black in the males. This is quite different from that of any other species which I have ever examined. Constant 
resident in the scrub lands of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of twenty-seven specimens. Length, 7*70; stretch, 10*24; wing, 3*01; tail, 3*40; bill, *56; tar¬ 
sus, ‘95. Longest specimen, 8*25; greatest extent of wing, 10*50; longest wing, 2*80; tail, 3*70; bill, *50; tarsus, 1.C0. 
Shortest specimen, 7 50; smallest extent of wing, 9*47; shortest wing, 3*25; tail, 3*05; bill, *65; tarsus, *90. 
DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 
Nests, placed on the ground. I have never seen a specimen but, judging from the description given to me by Mr. J. L. 
Burton who found one, think that it closely resembles that of the preceding species. 
Eggs, four in number, elliptical in form, creamy-white in color, spotted and dotted with reddish-brown, a little more 
thickly on the larger end. Dimensions from *95 x *70 to POO x *75. 
HABITS. 
On February 4, 1868, I launched my boat for the first time on the Indian River 
which runs along the coast of Florida for some hundred and fifty miles, parallel to the sea 
and but a short distance from it. We were bound for the canal which connects the body 
of water, spoken of above, with Mosquito Lagoon. After many adventures and defays we 
at last succeeded in finding the place and camped on the north side of Haulover Canal. 
Our tents stood in a little grove and a series of hummocks extended up and down the river, 
but the remainder of the country was covered with scrub composed of dwarf oaks, gall 
berries, and other bushes. These .grew so thickly together that it was exceedingly difficult 
to make our way through it, but a narrow path extended from our camp to the orange 
grove of Capt. Dummett who lived about a mile and a half south of us. I was walking along 
this path one day when my attention was attracted by seeing what appeared, at first, to 
be a common Towhee gazing at me from the foliage; but on examination I saw that it had 
white eyes. This was my first acquaintance with the White-eyed Towhee but since then I 
have found them very abundant in every favorable locality from Southern Florida to the 
Carolinas. 
This species frequents the scrub, never being found elsewhere. Like the Red-eye 
they spend the greater portion of their time on the ground, and on still mornings may be 
heard, scratching among the leaves in all directions, for they are very numerous wherever 
