B ya te: BIRDS—FRINGILLIDA. 
Adults of both sexes with the crown pure white, enclosing on either side a broad black 
stripe that meets its fellow on the forehead and descends the lores to the level of the 
eyes, aud bounded by another black stripe that starts behind the eye and curves around 
the side of the hind head, nearly meeting its fellow on the nape; edge of under eyelid 
white. Or, we may say, crown black, enclosing a median white stripe and two lateral 
white stripes, ail confluent on the hind head. General color a fine dark ash, paler below, 
whitening insensibly on the chin and belly, more brownish on the rnmp, changing to dull 
brownish on the flanks and crissum, the middle of the back streaked with dark purplish- 
bay and ashy-white. No bright tay, like that of albicollis, anywhere, except some edging 
on the wing-coverts and inner secondaries; middie and greater coverts tipped with white, 
forming two bars; no yellow anywhere; bill and feet reddish. Young birds have the 
black of the head replaced by a very rich warm brown, the white of the head by pale 
brownish, and the general ash has a brownish suffusion, and the back is more like 
albicollis. 
Habitat, Eastern North America north to the Aretic region; in the Rocky Mountain 
region replaced by var. intermedia, and on the Pacific slope by var. gambeli. Greenland. 
Cape St. Lueas. 
Very common spring and fall migrant, but less uniform in numbers 
toan the preceding species. Arrives a little later in spring and departs 
earlier in the fall. Dr. Kirtland mentions their remaining until July 
in the vicinity of Cleveland, in 1850. Mr. Langdon states, on the au- 
thority of Mr. Dury, that they were abundant during Christmas week, 
1877, in the vicinity of Cincinnati. It is found in the same localities 
as the White-throated Sparrow, though oftener seen along the borders of 
fields than in woodland. In the fall it is less common, and irregular, 
frequenting high weeds on the banks of streams Usually its song is 
not heard, but in seasons when they appear in very considerable num- 
bers, and remain late, as in the spring of 1575, it 1s a constant singer. 
Like the preceding. its notes are very soft and sweet, a rather slow and 
mournful rendering of the syllables and melody of the old song, Oh, 
de dr, de-dr, what can the matter be? Sometimes a dozen may be heard sing- 
ing on the borders of a single field. 
The large size, contrasted colors of its head, with plain body colors, 
neat, trim form, with a martial aspect which it sometimes wears, render 
it an attractive and rather imposing bird. 
The White-crowned Sparrow seems to be rather more northern in its 
summer distribution than the White-throated. In but two instances, at 
Rutland, Vermont, and Potsdam, New York, do I find it recorded as 
breeding in the United States east of the mountains of Colorado. 
The nest is placed upon the ground, built of weeds and grass, with a 
lining of fine grass. The eggs are usually four, pale bluish-green, thickly 
spotted, especially about the larger end, with reddish-brown. They meas- 
ure about .92 by .70. 
