326 BIRDS-——FRINGILLID.Z. 
feathers. The eggs are from four to six in number, greenish- or grayish- 
white, more or less thickly blotched with different shades of brown. 
GENUS POOECETES., | Baird. 
Bill rather large; upper outline slightly decurved towards the end, lower straight. 
Wings unusually long and pointed, reaching to the middle of the tail, second and third 
quills longest, the first a little shorter. Inner secondaries lengtheued. Tail feathers 
broad nearly to the end, where they are obliquely truneate. Tarsus about equal to 
middle toe; outer toe a little longer than inner, hind toe reaching to base of middle 
claw. 
POOECETES GRAMINEUS (Gm.) Baird. 
Bay-winged Bunting; Grass Finch. 
Fringilla graminea, KirTLAND, Obio Geolog. Surv., 1¢33, 164.—Reap, Phila. Acad. Nat. 
Sci., vi, 1853, 395. , 
Poocetes gramineus, WHEATON, Ohio Agric. Rep, for 1860, 1261, 366; Reprint, 8.—LanG- 
DON, Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., 1, 1879, 175; Reprint, 9. 
Pooecetes gramineus, WHEATON, Food of Birds, ete., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 1875, 566; 
Reprint, 6. 
Poocetes (error) gramineus, LANGDON, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 8. 
Fringilla graminea, GMELIN, Syst. Nat., i, 1738, 922. 
Poocetes gramineus, BAIRD, Birds N. A., 1858, 449. 
Pocecetes gramineus, Cu. UES, Key, 1872, 136. 
Thickly streaked everywhere above, on sides and across breast; no yellow any where; 
lesser wing-coverts chestnut, and one to three outer pairs of tail feathers party or wholly 
white. Above, grayish-brown, the streaking dusky and brown, with grayish. white; 
below, white, usually buffy-tinged, the streaks very numerous on the fore part and 
sides; wing-coverts and inner quills much edged and tipped with bay; crown like back, 
without median stripe, line over, and ring round eye, whitish; feet pale. Length, 53-64; 
wing, 24-34: tail, 24-22 
Habitat, United States from Atlantic to Pacific; north to the Saskatchewan. 
Abundant summer resident, from latter part of March to November. 
Breeds. The Grass Finch frequents commons, roadsides, fallow and 
weedy fields, seldom in woodland or well cultivated places. Itis noted 
for its clear, sweet, and finely modulated song, which is heard through- 
out the day, but especially in the evening after most birds are silent, 
and in cloudy weather. The song lacks the vivacity and emphasis of 
that of the Song Sparrow, but excels it in sweetness. From the habit 
of singing in the evening it is often called the Vesper Bird. 
This species varies considerably in its general coloration, and appar- 
ently in size. Individuals in March, in worn piumage, being lighter 
and apparently smaller than October birds in their new, long feathers. 
In the fall they migrate in companies, and sometimes are found in grassy 
woodland. 
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