BLACK-THROATED BUNTING. 343 
The nest is built either on the ground or in trees. It is constructed 
of grass, moss, and fibrous roots, with hair and feathers. The eggs are 
light bluish-white, thickly spotted with rusty-brown. They measure ~ 
-92 by .70. 
GENUS EUSPIZA. Bonaparte. 
Bill large and strong, swollen; the lower mandible nearly as high as, and considerably 
broader than, the upper, the edges much inflected and shutting within the upper. Tarsus 
barely equal to middle toe; lateral toes equal, not reaching base of middle claw. Wings 
long, sharp -pointed, longer than the emarginate tail, and reaching nearly to its middle. 
inner secondaries lengthened, but much shorter than primaries. : 
EUSPIZA AMERICANA (Gm.) Bp. 
Wlack-throated Wuntine. 
Fringitla americana, KIRTLAND, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 164, 183. 
mberiza americana, AUDUBON, Orn. Biog., iv, 1838, 579; B. Am., iii, 1841, 60. 
Huspiza americana, WHEATON, Chio Agric. Rep. for 1860, 366, 376; Reprint, 1861, 8, 18; 
Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 566; Reprint, 1675, 6—Cougs, Birds 
of N. W., 1874, 166.—Barrp, BREWER and RipGway, li, 1874, 67.—LANGDON, Cat. 
Birds of Cin., 1877, 95 Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1878, 114; Reprint, 5; Revised 
List, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 1765; Reprint, 10.—BREWSTER, Bull. Nutt. 
Orn. Club, iit, 1878, 1223 iv, 1879, 41. 
Hmberiza americana, GMELIN, Syst. Nat, 1, 1788, 872. 
Mringilla americana, BONAPARTE, Syn., 1828, 107. 
Huspiza americana, BONAPARTE, List, 1838, 32. 
Male: above grayish-brown, the middle of the back streaked with black, the hing 
meck ashy, becoming on the crown yellowish-olive, with black touches; a yellow super- 
viliary line, and maxillary touch of the same; eyelid white gpear-coverts ashy; chin 
white; throat with a large jet-black patch; under parts in ‘general white, shaded on 
the sides, extensively tinged with yellew on the breast and belly; edge of wing yellow; 
fesser and middle coveris rich chestnut, the other coverts and inner secondaries edged 
with paler; bill dark horn-blue; feet brown. Female: smaller; above like the male, but 
head and neck plainer; below less tinged with yellow, the black throat patch wanting, 
and replaced by sparse sharp maxillary and pectoral streaks. MLength, 63-7; wing, 24; 
tail, 22. 
“Autumnal plumage: young. Crown, shoulder, and rump, with sides of head and neck, 
light olive-brown, the centres of the feathers slightly darker; a little concealed chestnut 
on the shoulders. Feathers of the interscapular region with dull black centres and 
brownish-fulvous edges. Wing-bands, with outer margins of wing-coverts and second- 
aries, dull %rownish-fulvous. Superciliary line brownish-yellow, fading anteriorly to 
brownish-white. Throat, central area of the abdomen, and the crissum, pale brownish- 
white. Sides of breast and body brownish-olive, with dark brown streaking on the 
flanks. Breast dull reddish-erange, streaked with dark brown, and washed with ob- 
secure ashy-white. From a specimen in the collection of Dr. J. M. Wheaton, obtained at 
Circleville, O., August, 1878.” (Brewster, \. c., 1879.) 
“Kirst plumage. Above pale fulvous, with broad markings of dark brown upon the 
feathers of the interscapular region, and narrower fainter ones of lighter brown upon 
