unsatisfactory subdivisions of this genus. The nesting habits and eggs
of all the varieties are like those of the common eastern form.
585b. THICK-BILLED SPARROW. _Passerella iliaca megarhyncha._
Range.--Mountains of eastern California and western Nevada; locally
confined.
Entire upper parts and breast spots gray; wings and tail brown. It nests
in the heaviest underbrush of the mountain sides, building on or close
to the ground.
585c. SLATE-COLORED SPARROW. _Passerella iliaca schistacea._
Range.--Rocky Mountain region, breeding from Colorado to British
Columbia.
This variety which is similar to, but smaller than the last, nests in
thickets along the mountain streams. The eggs are like those of iliaca,
but average smaller.
585d. STEPHEN'S SPARROW. _Passerella iliaca stephensi._
Range.--Breeds in the San Bernadino and San Jacinto Mts. in southern
California.
Like the Thick-billed Sparrow, but bill still larger and bird slightly
so.
585e. SOOTY FOX SPARROW. _Passerella iliaca fuliginosa._
Range.--Coast of Washington and British Columbia; south to California in
winter.
585f. KADIAK FOX SPARROW. _Passerella iliaca insularis._
Range.--Breeding on Kadiak Island; winters south to California.
Like the last but browner above and below.
585g. TOWNSEND'S FOX SPARROW. _Passerella iliaca townsendi._
Range.--Southern coast of Alaska; winters south to California. Like the
last but more rufous above.
Upperparts and tail uniform brownish umber, below heavily spotted.
586. TEXAS SPARROW. _Arremonops rufivirgatus._
Range.--Eastern Mexico and southern Texas.
This odd species has a brownish crown, olive greenish upperparts, wings
and tail, and grayish white underparts. They are common resident birds
along the Lower Rio Grande, being found in tangled thickets, where they
nest at low elevations, making their quite bulky nests of coarse weeds
and grass and sometimes twigs, lined with finer grass and hair; they are
often partially domed with an entrance on the side. Their eggs are plain
white, without markings; often several broods are raised in a season and
eggs may be found from May until August.
[Illustration 359: Fox Sparrow.]
[Illustration: White.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 358
587. TOWHEE. _Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus._
Range.--North America east of the Plains, breeding from the Gulf to
Manitoba.
The well known Towhee, Ground Robin or Chewink is a bird commonly met
with in eastern United States; it frequents thickets, swamps and open
woods where they nest generally upon the ground and sometimes in bushes
near the ground. The nests are well made of grasses, lined with fine
grasses and rootlets, and the eggs, which are laid in May or June, are
pinkish white, generally finely sprinkled but sometimes with bold
markings of light reddish brown, with great variations. Size .90 × .70.
Towhees are noisy birds and at frequent intervals, while they are
scratching among the leaves for their food they will stop and utter
their familiar "tow-hee" or "che-wink" and then again will mount to the
summit of a tree or bush and sing their sweet refrain for a long time.
587a. WHITE-EYED TOWHEE. _Pipilo erythrophthalmus alleni._
Range.--Florida and the Atlantic coast to South Carolina.
This variety is like the preceding except that the eyes are white
instead of red. There is no difference between their nesting habits and
eggs, except that they much more frequently, and in some localities,
almost always, nest in trees.
588. ARCTIC TOWHEE. _Pipilo maculatus arcticus._
Range.--Great Plains, breeding from northern United States to the
Saskatchewan.
This species is similar to the eastern Towhee but has the scapulars and
coverts tipped with white. They nest abundantly in suitable localities
in Montana and North Dakota and more commonly north of our borders. Like
the eastern Towhee, they nest on the ground under the protection of
overhanging bushes, the nests being made of strips of bark and grasses
and lined with fine rootlets. Their three or four eggs, which are laid
during May, June or July, are pinkish white, profusely speckled with
reddish brown; very similar to those of the eastern Towhee. Size .92 ×
.70.
588a. SPURRED TOWHEE. _Pipilo maculatus montanus._
Range.--Breeds from Mexico to British Columbia, west of the Rockies.
Similar to the last but with less white on the back. The nesting habits
and eggs are like those of the Towhee, but in some localities the nests
are most often found in bushes above the ground.
[Illustration 360: Towhee or Chewink.]
[Illustration: Purplish white.]
[Illustration: Pinkish white.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 359
[Illustration 361: C. A. Reed.
NEST AND EGGS OF TOWHEE.]
Page 360
588b. OREGON TOWHEE. _Pipilo maculatus oregonus._
Range.--Pacific coast from California to British Columbia; winters to
Mexico. Similar to the last but with still fewer white markings on the
back and the chestnut flanks brighter. The nesting habits and eggs of
this variety differ in no essential particular from those of the
preceding Towhees.
588c. SAN CLEMENTE TOWHEE. _Pipilo maculatus clementæ._
Range.--San Clemente Is. and other of the Santa Barbara group.
Black of male said to be duller. Probably no difference between the eggs
and others.
588d. SAN DIEGO TOWHEE. _Pipilo maculatus megalonyx._
Range.--Coast of southern California and Lower California. Said to be
darker than _megalonyx._
588e. LARGE-BILLED TOWHEE. _Pipilo maculatus magnirostris._
Range.--Southern Lower California. Similar to _arcticus_; bill said to
be larger.
589. GUADALUPE TOWHEE. _Pipilo consobrinus._
Range.--Guadalupe Island, Lower California.
Similar to _oregonus_ but smaller and with a relatively shorter tail.
The nesting habits and eggs of this species will not likely be found to
differ essentially from those of others of the genus.
591. CANON TOWHEE. _Pipilo fuscus mesoleucus._
Range.--Mexico and north to Arizona and New Mexico and casually farther
to Colorado.
A common species in the valleys and on the side hills, nesting in bushes
near the ground, and sometimes on the ground; the nests are made of
grasses, weeds and twigs lined with rootlets, and the three or four eggs
are greenish blue sparingly spotted or scrawled with blackish brown, the
markings being similar to those on many Red-winged Blackbirds' eggs.
Size 1.00 × .70.
591a. SAN LUCAS TOWHEE. _Pipilo fuscus albigula._
Range.--Southern Lower California.
This variety is like the last but is usually paler below. It is abundant
in the region about the cape where they nest in thickets, either in the
bushes or on the ground. The eggs cannot be distinguished from those of
the Canon Towhee.
591b. CALIFORNIA TOWHEE. _Pipilo crissalis crissalis._
Range.--Pacific coast of California.
This variety is similar to the Canon Towhee but is browner, both above
and below. They are one of the most common of California birds,
frequenting scrubby thickets, both on mountain sides and in valleys and
canons, from which their harsh scolding voice always greets intruders.
They place their nests in bushes at low elevations from the ground and
sometimes on the ground;
[Illustration 362: 588b--591.]
[Illustration: Greenish blue.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 361
they are made of twigs, strips of bark, weeds and coarse grasses, lined
with fine rootlets. Their three or four eggs are laid in April or May;
they are light bluish green marked like the others with purplish or
brownish black. Size .95 × .72.
591.1a. ANTHONY'S TOWHEE. _Pipilo crissalis senicula._
Range.--Southern California and south through Lower California.
A very similar bird to the last but sightly smaller and lighter below.
The habits and nesting habits of these birds are in every way identical
with those of the California Towhee and the eggs cannot be distinguished
from those of that variety. They are fully as abundant in the southern
parts of California as the others are in the northern.
592. ABERT'S TOWHEE. _Pipilo aberti._
Range.--Arizona and New Mexico north to Colorado and Nevada and east to
southeastern California.
This bird is wholly brownish gray both above and below shading into
reddish brown on the under tail coverts; the face is black. They are
abundant in the valleys of Arizona and New Mexico, but unlike the
preceding species, they are generally wild and shy. They nest in
chaparral thickets along streams, the nests being constructed similarly
to those of the California Towhee, and the eggs are not easily
distinguishable from those of that species, but they are usually more
sparsely specked and the markings more distinct. Size 1.00 × .75.
592.1. GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. _Oreospiza chlorura._
Range.--Western United States, chiefly west of the Rockies from Montana
and Washington south to Mexico; wintering in southwestern United States.
This handsome and entirely different plumaged species from any of the
preceding would, from appearance, be better placed in the group with the
White-throated Sparrow than its present position. It has a reddish brown
crown, the remainder of the upper parts, wings and tail being greenish
yellow; the throat is white, bordered abruptly with gray on the breast
and sides of head. These birds place their nests on the ground. The
nests are built similarly to those of the eastern Towhee, and the eggs,
too, are similar, being whitish, finely dotted and specked with reddish
brown, the markings being most numerous around the larger end. Size .85
× .65.
[Illustration 363: Greenish blue.]
[Illustration: 591.1--592--592.1.]
[Illustration: Greenish blue.]
[Illustration: Whitish.]
[Illustration: Green-tailed Towhee.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 362
[Illustration 364: CARDINAL.]
Page 363
593. CARDINAL. _Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis._
Range.--Eastern United States, north to New York and Illinois, west to
the Plains and Texas. Resident in most of its range.
These beautiful fiery red and crested songsters are one of the most
attractive of our birds, and in their range, nest about habitations as
freely as among the thickets and scrubby brush of wood or hillside.
Their nests are rarely placed higher than ten feet from the ground in
bushes, branches, vines, brush piles or trees; they are loosely made of
twigs, coarse grasses and weeds, shreds of bark, leaves, etc., and lined
with fine grass or hair. They frequently lay two or three sets of eggs a
season, the first being completed usually early in May; three or four,
and sometimes five, white or pale bluish white eggs are laid; they are
very varied in markings but usually profusely spotted, more heavily at
the large end, with reddish brown and lavender. Size 1.00 × .70.
593a. ARIZONA CARDINAL. _Cardinalis cardinalis superbus._
Range.--Northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona.
A larger and more rosy form of the Cardinal. Its eggs cannot be
distinguished from those of the eastern Redbird.
593b. SAN LUCAS CARDINAL. _Cardinalis cardinalis igneus._
Range.--Southern Lower California.
Like the last but smaller and with less black on the forehead; eggs the
same.
[Illustration 365: Bluish white.]
[Illustration: NEST OF CARDINAL.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 364
593c. GRAY-TAILED CARDINAL. _Cardinalis cardinalis canicaudus._
Range.--Northeastern Mexico and southern Texas.
The male of this species is like the eastern Cardinal but the female is
said to be grayer. The nesting habits are the same and the eggs
identical with those of the latter.
593d. FLORIDA CARDINAL. _Cardinalis cardinalis floridanus._
Range.--Southern Florida.
Supposed to be a deeper and richer shade of red. Eggs like those of
cardinalis.
594. ARIZONA PYRRHULOXIA. _Pyrrhuloxia sinuata sinuata._
Range.--Northwestern Mexico and the southern border of New Mexico,
Arizona and western Texas.
This species is of similar form and crested like a Cardinal, but the
bill is very short and hooked like that of a Parrot; the plumage is
grayish, with wings and tail dull reddish; face and throat, and middle
of belly rosy red. Their habits are the same as those of the Cardinal,
but their nests are said to be slighter; they are placed in similar
locations to those of the latter, the two species often nesting together
in the same thicket. Their eggs are like those of the Cardinal but
average smaller, although the ranges overlap so that the eggs cannot be
distinguished. Size .90 x .70. Data.--San Antonio, Texas, May 16, 1889.
Nest of fine grasses, lined with rootlets; 4 feet from ground in a
mesquite tree.
594a. TEXAS PYRRHULOXIA. _Pyrrhuloxia sinuata texana._
Range.--Northeastern Mexico and southern Texas.
Said to be grayer and the bill to average larger than that of the last.
There are no differences in the nesting habits or eggs between the two
varieties.
594b. SAN LUCAS PYRRHULOXIA. _Pyrrhuloxia sinuata peninsulæ._
Range.--Southern Lower California.
Smaller than the Arizona Cardinal but with a larger bill. The eggs are
like those of the others but may average a trifle smaller.
[Illustration 366: Cardinal.]
[Illustration: Bluish white.]
[Illustration: Texas Pyrrhuloxia.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 365
595. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. _Zamelodia ludoviciana._
Range.--United States, east of the Plains, breeding from the Middle
States and Ohio north to Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
This beautiful black and white bird with rosy red breast and under wing
coverts, is one of the most pleasing of our songsters. They nest either
in bushes or trees, generally between six and twenty feet from the
ground and usually in thick clumps of trees or scrubby apple trees. The
three or four eggs, which are laid in June, are greenish blue, spotted,
most heavily about the larger end, with reddish brown. Size 1.00 × .75.
Data.--Worcester, Mass., June 5, 1899. Nest of twigs and rootlets in
small apple tree in woods; nest very frail, eggs showing through the
bottom.
596. BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. _Zamelodia melanocephala._
Range.--United States, west of the Plains, breeding from Mexico north to
British Columbia; winters south of the United States.
This species is of the size of the last (8 inches long), and is a bright
cinnamon brown color with black head, and black and white wings and
tail. The habits of this bird are the same as those of the Rose-breasted
Grosbeak and its song is very similar but more lengthy. Their nests,
like those of the last, are very flimsy structures placed in bushes or
trees, usually below twenty feet from the ground; they are open
frameworks of twigs, rootlets and weed stalks, through which the eggs
can be plainly seen. The eggs are similar to those of the preceding but
are usually of a paler color, the markings, therefore showing with
greater distinctness. Size 1.00 × .70.
[Illustration 367: Greenish blue.]
[Illustration: Rose-breasted Grosbeak.]
[Illustration: Pale greenish white.]
[Illustration: J. B. Pardoe. NEST OF ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 366
597. BLUE GROSBEAK. _Guiraca cærulea._
Range.--Southeastern United States, breeding from the Gulf north to
Pennsylvania and Illinois, and casually to New England.
Smaller than the last two species and deep blue, with wings and tail
blackish, and the lesser coverts and tips of greater, chestnut. It is a
fairly common species in the southerly parts of its range, nesting most
frequently in low bushes or vines in thickets; the nest is made of
rootlets, weed stalks and grasses and sometimes leaves. The three or
four eggs are bluish white, unmarked. Size .85 × .65. Data.--Chatham
Co., Ga., June 10, 1898. 3 eggs. Nest of roots, leaves and snake skin,
lined with fine rootlets, 3 feet from the ground in a small oak bush.
597a. WESTERN BLUE GROSBEAK. _Guiraca cærulea lazula._
Range.--Western United States north to Kansas, Colorado and northern
California.
Slightly larger than the last and lighter blue; nests the same and egg
not distinctive.
598. INDIGO BUNTING. _Passerina cyanea._
Range.--United States, east of the Plains, breeding north to Manitoba
and Nova Scotia; winters south of the United States.
This handsome species is rich indigo on the head and neck, shading into
blue or greenish blue on the upper and under parts. They are very
abundant in some localities along roadsides, in thickets and open woods,
where their song is frequently heard, it being a very sweet refrain
resembling, somewhat, certain passages from that of the Goldfinch. They
nest at low elevations in thickets or vines, building their home of
grass and weeds, lined with fine grass or hair, it being quite a
substantial structure. The eggs, which are laid in June or July, are
pale bluish white. Size .75 × .52.
599. LAZULI BUNTING. _Passerina amœna._
Range.--Western United States, breeding from Mexico to northern United
States and the interior of British Columbia; east to Kansas.
This handsome bird is of the size of _cyanea_, but is azure blue above
and on the throat, the
[Illustration 368: Blue Grosbeak.]
[Illustration: Bluish white.]
[Illustration: Pale bluish white.]
[Illustration: Indigo Bunting.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 367
breast being brownish and the rest of the underparts, white. It is the
western representative of the Indigo Bunting, and its habits and nesting
habits are in all respects the same as those of that species, the nests
being made of twigs, grasses, strips of bark, weeds, leaves, etc. The
eggs are like those of the last, pale bluish white. Size .75 × .55.
600. VARIED BUNTING. _Passerina versicolor_.
Range.--Mexico and north to southern Texas.
The general color of this odd bird is purplish, changing to bright blue
on the crown and rump, and with a reddish nape. They are quite abundant
in some localities along the Lower Rio Grande, where they nest in bushes
and tangled under brush, the nests being like those of the last species,
and rarely above five feet from the ground. The eggs are pale bluish
white, three or four in number, and laid during May or June. Size .75 ×
.55.
600a. BEAUTIFUL BUNTING. _Passerina versicolor pulchra._
Range.--Southern Lower California.
Slightly smaller but very similar to the last; eggs will not differ.
601. PAINTED BUNTING. _Passerina ciris._
Range.--South Atlantic and Gulf States; north to Illinois in the
interior.
Without exception, this is the most gaudily attired of North American
birds, the whole underparts being red, the head and neck deep blue, the
back yellowish green, and the rump purple, the line of demarcation
between the colors being sharp. They are frequently kept as cage birds
but more for their bright colors than any musical ability, their song
being of the character of the Indigo Bunting, but weaker and less
musical. They are very abundant in the South Atlantic and Gulf States,
where they nest usually in bushes or hedges at low elevations, but
occasionally on branches of tall trees. Their nests are made of weeds,
shreds of bark, grasses, etc., lined with fine grass, very much
resembling that of the Indigo. Their eggs are laid in May, June or July,
they frequently raising two broods; they are white or pale bluish white,
speckled with reddish brown. Size .75 × .55.
[Illustration 369: Pale bluish white.]
[Illustration: Lazuli Bunting.]
[Illustration: Pale bluish white.]
[Illustration: White.]
[Illustration: Varied Bunting.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 368
602. SHARPE'S SEED-EATER. _Sporophila morelleti morelleti_.
Range.--Eastern Mexico, breeding north to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in
Texas.
This peculiar, diminutive Finch is but 4.5 inches in length, and in
plumage is black, white and gray. In restricted localities in southern
Texas, they are not uncommon during the summer months. They build in
bushes or young trees at low elevations making their nests of fine
grasses or fibres, firmly woven together and usually placed in an
upright crotch. The eggs are pale greenish blue, plentifully speckled
with reddish and umber brown, and some markings of lilac. Size .65 ×
.45. Data.--Brownsville, Texas, May 7, 1892. Nest of fine fibre-like
material lined with horse hairs, on limb of small tree in open woods
near a lake of fresh water; 6 feet above ground. Collector, Frank B.
Armstrong. This set is in the collection of Mr. C. W. Crandall.
603. GRASSQUIT. _Tiaris bicolor._
Range.--This small Finch is a Cuban species which casually strays to
southern Florida.
They are abundant on the island, building large arched nests of grass,
with a small entrance on the side. They lay from three to six white
eggs, specked with brown. Size .65 × .50.
603.1 MELODIOUS GRASSQUIT. _Tiaris canora._
Another Cuban Finch which has been taken in the Florida Keys. Eggs like
the last.
604. DICKCISSEL. _Spiza americana._
Range.--Interior of the United States, breeding from the Gulf to
northern United States, west to the Rockies, east to the Alleghanies.
A sparrow-like Bunting with a yellow breast patch, line over eye and on
side of throat; throat black, chin white and wing coverts chestnut.
These sleek-coated, harmoniously colored birds are very common in dry
bush-grown pastures and on the prairies. They are very persistent
singers, and their song, while very simple, is welcome on hot days when
other birds are quiet. They nest anywhere, as suits their fancy, on the
ground, in clumps of grass, in clover fields, bushes, low trees, or in
thistles. The nests are made of weeds, grasses, leaves and rootlets,
lined with fine grass, and the three to five eggs are bluish white. Size
.80 × .60.
[Illustration 370: Painted Bunting.]
[Illustration: Greenish blue.]
[Illustration: Bluish white.]
[Illustration: Sharpe's Seed-eater.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 369
605. LARK BUNTING. _Calamospiza melanocorys._.
Range.--A bird of the Plains, abundant from western Kansas to eastern
Colorado and north to the Canadian border; winters in Mexico.
These black and white birds have a sweet song which they often utter
while on the wing after the manner of the Bobolink, all their habits
being similar to those of this bird, except that this species likes the
broad dry prairies where it nests on the ground under the protection of
a tuft of grass or a low bush. Their four or five eggs are like those of
the last but slightly larger. Size .85 × .65. Data.--Franklin Co.,
Kansas. 4 eggs. Nest in cornfield in a hollow on the ground at the base
of a stalk; made of straw and weeds.
TANAGERS. Family TANAGRIDÆ
607. WESTERN TANAGER. _Piranga ludoviciana._
Range.--United States, west of the Plains and north to British Columbia.
This handsome species is black and yellow, with an orange or reddish
head. They are common and breed in suitable localities through their
range, nesting as do the eastern Tanagers in trees usually at a low
elevation, the nests being saddled on the forks of horizontal branches;
they are made of rootlets, strips of bark, and weed stalks, and are
usually frail like those of the Grosbeaks. Their eggs, which are laid in
May or June, are bluish green, specked with brown of varying shades.
Size .95 × .65.
608. SCARLET TANAGER. _Piranga erythromelas._
These beautiful scarlet and black birds frequent, chiefly, woodlands,
although they are very often found breeding in orchards and small pine
groves. They are quiet birds, in actions, but their loud warbling song
is heard at a great distance, and is readily recognized by its
peculiarity. They nest upon horizontal
[Illustration 371: Bluish white.]
[Illustration: Dickcissel.]
[Illustration: Bluish green.]
[Illustration: Greenish blue.]
[Illustration: Lark Bunting.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 370