BIRDS —FRINGILLIDAE—MELOSPIZA PALUSTRIS. 
483 
MELOSPIZA PALUSTRIS, Baird. 
.Swamp Sparrow. 
Fringillapaluslris, Wilson, Am. Orn. Ill, 1811, 49; pi. xxii, f. 1.— Audubon, Orn. Biog. I, 1831,331: V, 508; 
pi. 64. 
Fringilla {Spiza) palustris, Bonap. Obs. Wilson, 1825, No. 105. 
Passerculus palustris, Bonap. List, 1838.— Ib. Conspectus, 1850, 481. 
Ammodromus palustris, Aud. Syn. 1839.— Ib. Birds Amer. Ill, 1841, 110 ; pi. 175. 
? Fringilla georgiana, Lath. Index Orn. I, 1790, 460. (May Peucxa aestivalis.) — Licht. Verz. 1823, No. 251. 
Fringilla ( Ammodromus) georgiana, Nutt. Man. I, 2d ed. 1840, 588. 
Sp. Ch. —Middle of the crown uniform chestnut ; forehead black ; superciliary streak, sides of head and back and sides of 
neck, ash. A brown stripe behind the eye. Back broadly streaked with black. Beneath whitish, tinged with ashy anteriorly, 
especially across the breast, and washed with yellowish brown on the sides. A few obsolete streaks across the breast, which 
become distinct on its sides. Wings and tail strongly tinged with rufous ; the tertials black, the rufous edgings changing 
abruptly to white towards the end. Length, 5.75; wing, 2.40 inches. 
Female with the crown scarcely reddish streaked with black, and divided by a light line. 
Hah .—Eastern United States from the Atlantic to the Missouri. 
In autumn the male of this species has the feathers of the crown each with a black streak ; 
and the centre of the crown with an indistinct light stripe, materially changing its appearance. 
The forehead is usually more or less streaked with black. 
A supposed young of this species from the Missouri plains has the head above nearly uniform 
blackish ; the back pale yellowish brown streaked conspicuously with black, the under parts 
dirty white, the breast and sides distinctly streaked with black. 
In the uncertainty whether the Fringilla georgiana of Latham he not rather the Peucaea 
aestivalis than the swamp sparrow, I think it best to retain Wilson’s name. It certainly 
applies as well to the latter, which has the black sub-maxillary streak, and the chin and 
throat more mouse colored than in palustris. 
List of specimens. 
fatal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
809 
Carlisle, Pa_ 
Oct. 17, 1842 
S. F. Baird, l. 
5. 25 
7. 75 
2. 33 
375 
Q 
May 13, 1841 
_do_ 
5. 50 
7. 50 
810 
Oct. 17, 1842 
_do_ 
6 00 
8. 00 
2. 42 
776 
_do__ 
Oct. 3, 1842 
_-do...._ 
5. 58 
8. 00 
2. 42 
934 
May 2, 1843 
_do_ 
5. 67 
8.83 
2. 42 
10277 
Union county, Ill.... 
April 20,1857 
N. W. University.. 
R. Kennicott_ 
4806 
o 
Vermilion river, Neb.. 
Lt. G. K. Warren .. 
Dr. Hayden.. 
5. 62 
7. 75 
2. 50 
