Part 21

This handsome bird measures about 16 inches in length, is iridescent with purplish and greenish, and has a very long, graduated and hollowed tail. These Grackles are very abundant residents along the Gulf, breeding in large colonies in swamps, placing their nests of weeds, moss, grasses, etc., in bushes, trees, canes or rushes, but a few inches above the water, while those in trees are sometimes 50 feet above the ground. The eggs are laid in March, April or May, are from three to five in number, and are a dull bluish or grayish white, streaked, lined, clouded and blotched with brown, black and gray; size 1.25 × .95.

[Illustration 325: Dull greenish white.] [Illustration: Purple Grackle. Bronzed Grackle.] [Illustration: Grayish white.] [Illustration: Grayish white.] [Illustration right hand margin.]

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513a. GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE. _Megaquiscalus major macrourus._

Range.--Mexico to southern and eastern Texas.

This variety is larger than the last (length 18 inches) and the tail is very broad and flat. Like the former, they nest in bushes, rushes or trees at any elevation from the ground. The nests are built of the same materials and the eggs are similar to those of the Boat-tailed Grackle, but larger; size 1.28 × .88.

FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. Family FRINGILLDÆ

514. EVENING GROSBEAK. _Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina._

Range.--Western United States in the Rocky Mountain region; north to Saskatchewan; south in winter to Mississippi Valley and casually east to New England and the intermediate states.

These are dull and yellowish birds, shading to brownish on the head; with a bright yellow forehead and susperciliary line, black wings and tail, and white inner secondaries and greater coverts. They breed in the mountainous portions of their range, placing their flat nests of sticks and rootlets in low trees or bushes. The eggs are laid in May or June and are greenish white spotted and blotched with brown; size .90 × .65.

514a. WESTERN EVENING GROSBEAK. _Hesperiphona vespertina montana._

Range.--Western United States, breeding in the mountains from New Mexico to British Columbia.

The nesting habits and eggs of this variety are the same as those of the preceding, and the birds can rarely be separated.

515. PINE GROSBEAK. _Pinicola enucleator leucura._

Range.--Eastern North America, breeding from northern New England northward, and wintering to southern New England and Ohio and casually farther. They build in conifers

[Illustration 326: Grayish white.] [Illustration: Evening Grosbeak.] [Illustration: Greenish white.] [Illustration: Pine Grosbeak.] [Illustration left hand margin.]

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making their nests of small twigs and rootlets, lined with fine grasses and lichens. During the latter part of May or June they lay three or four eggs, which have a ground color of light greenish blue, spotted and splashed with dark brown, and with fainter markings of lilac. Size 1.00 × .70. Pine Grosbeaks have been separated into the following sub-species, the chief distinction between them being in their ranges. The nesting habits and eggs of all are alike.

515a. ROCKY MOUNTAIN PINE GROSBEAK. _Pinicola enucleator montana._

Range.--Rocky Mountain region from New Mexico to Montana.

515b. CALIFORNIA PINE GROSBEAK. _Pinicola enucleator californica._

Range.--Higher parts of the Sierra Nevadas in California.

515c. ALASKA PINE GROSBEAK. _Pinicola enucleator alascensis._

Range.--Interior of Northwest America from Alaska south to British Columbia.

515d. KADIAK PINE GROSBEAK. _Pinicola enucleator flammula._

Range.--Kadiak Island and the southern coast of Alaska.

516. CASSIN'S BULLFINCH. _Pyrrhula cassini._

Range.--Northern Asia; accidental in Alaska.

517. PURPLE FINCH. _Carpodacus purpureus purpureus._

Range.--North America east of the plains, breeding from the Middle States north to Labrador and Hudson Bay; winters in the United States.

These sweet songsters are quite abundant in New England in the summer, but more so north of our borders. While they breed sometimes in trees, in orchards, I have nearly always found their nests in evergreens, usually about three-fourths of the way up. The nests are made of fine weeds and grasses and lined with horse hair. The eggs, which are usually laid in June, are greenish blue, spotted with dark brownish; size .85 × .65.

517a. CALIFORNIA PURPLE FINCH. _Carpodacus purpureus californicus._

Range.--Pacific coast, breeding from central California to British Columbia and wintering throughout California.

The nesting habits and eggs of this darker colored variety are just like those of the last.

[Illustration 327: Greenish blue.] [Illustration: Purple Finch.] [Illustration: Greenish blue.] [Illustration: 515b--517a.] [Illustration right hand margin.]

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518. CASSIN'S PURPLE FINCH. _Carpodacus cassini._

Range.--North America west of the Rockies, breeding from British Columbia south to New Mexico.

This species is similar to the last but the back, wings and tail are darker and the purplish color of the preceding species is replaced by a more pinkish shade. The nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the eastern Purple Finch; size of eggs .85 × .60. Data.--Willis, New Mexico, June 23, 1901. Nest made of twigs and rootlets and lined with horse hair. Collector, F. J. Birtwell.

519. HOUSE FINCH. _Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis._

Range.--United States west of the Plains and from Oregon and Wyoming to Mexico.

This is one of the best known of western birds, and nests commonly in all situations from trees and bushes to vines growing on porches. Their nests are made of rootlets and grasses and are lined with horse hair. Their nesting season includes all the summer months, they raising two and sometimes three broods a season. The three to five eggs are pale greenish blue with a few sharp blackish brown specks about the large end. Size .80 × .55.

519b. SAN LUCAS HOUSE FINCH. _Carpodacus mexicanus ruberrimus._

Range.--Southern Lower California. A slightly smaller variety of the preceding.

519c. SAN CLEMENTE HOUSE FINCH. _Carpodacus mexicanus clematis._

Range.--San Clemente and Santa Barbara Islands. Somewhat darker than the last.

520. GUADALUPE FINCH. _Carpodacus amplus._

Range.--Guadalupe Island, Lower California.

Similar to the House Finch, but deeper red and slightly larger. Their nesting habits and eggs are precisely like those of the House Finch but the eggs average larger; size .85 × .60.

520.1. MCGREGOR'S HOUSE FINCH. _Carpodacus mcgregori._

Range.--San Benito Island, Lower California.

A newly made species, hardly to be distinguished from the last. Eggs probably the same.

[Illustration 328: Greenish blue.] [Illustration: Greenish blue.] [Illustration: 518--519.] [Illustration: deco.] [Illustration: left hand margin.]

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521. CROSSBILL. _Loxia curvirostra minor._

Range.--Northern North America, breeding in the Alleghanies and from northern New England northward; winters south to the middle portions of the United States and casually farther.

The birds are very curious both in appearance and actions, being very "flighty" and restless, and apt to remain to breed on any of the mountains. They build during March or April, making their nests of twigs, rootlets, moss, feathers, etc., and placing them in forks or on branches of trees (usually conifers) at any height from the ground. The eggs are greenish white, spotted with brown and with lavender shell markings; size .75 × .55.

521a. MEXICAN CROSSBILL. _Loxia curvirostra stricklandi._

Range.--Mountain ranges from central Mexico north to Wyoming.

A larger variety of the preceding. The eggs will not differ except perhaps a trifle in size.

522. WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. _Loxia leucoptera._

Range.--Northern North America, breeding in the Alleghanies and from northern Maine northward; winters to middle portions of the United States.

This species is rosy red with two white wing bars. Like the last, they are of a roving disposition and are apt to be found in any unexpected locality. Their nesting habits are the same as those of the American Crossbill, but the eggs average larger and the markings are more blotchy; size .80 × .55.

523. ALEUTIAN ROSY FINCH. _Leucosticte griseonucha._

Range.--Aleutian and Pribilof Islands; south to Kadiak.

This is the largest of the genus, and can be distinguished from the others by its very dark chestnut coloration and the gray hindneck and cheeks. Like the other Leucostictes, they are found in flocks and frequent rocky or mountainous country, where they are nearly always found on the ground. They build in crevices among the rocks or under ledges or embankments, making the nest of weeds and grasses. Their four or five pure white eggs are laid during June. Size .97 × .67. Data.--St. George Islands of the

[Illustration 329: Crossbill.] [Illustration: Greenish white.] [Illustration: Greenish white.] [Illustration: White-winged Crossbill.] [Illustration: White.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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524. GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH. _Leucosticte tephrocotis tephrocotis._

Range.--Rocky Mountain region from Saskatchewan south to northern United States and also breeding in the Sierra Nevadas; winters on the lowlands of northwestern United States and east to Manitoba.

The habits and breeding habits of this species are like those of the last. The bird is paler colored and the gray is restricted to the hind part of the head. They nest on the ground in June, laying four or five white eggs.

524a. HEPBURN ROSY FINCH. _Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis._

Range.--Higher ranges from Washington and British Columbia to Alaska.

This variety is like the Aleutian Leucosticte but the brown is a great deal paler. The nesting habits and eggs are, in all probability, like those of the last.

525. BLACK ROSY FINCH. _Leucosticte atrata._

Range.--Rocky Mountain region of northern United States; known to breed in Idaho.

This species is black in place of the brown of the others; the gray is restricted to the hind part of the head and the rosy is rather more extensive on the wings. Their eggs probably cannot be distinguished from those of the Gray-crowned variety.

526. BROWN-CAPPED ROSY FINCH. _Leucosticte australis_.

Range.--Breeds at high altitudes in the Rockies in Colorado; south to New Mexico in winter.

A similar bird to the Gray-crowned Leucosticte but with no gray on the head. They nest on the ground above timber line on the higher ranges of the Rockies.

527. GREENLAND REDPOLL. _Acanthis hornemanni hornemanni._

Range.--Greenland and northern Europe; south in winter to Labrador.

This large Redpoll nests at low elevations in trees and bushes, its habits and eggs being similar to the more common American species.

527a. HOARY REDPOLL. _Acanthis hornemanni exilipes._

Range.--Breeds in the Arctic regions and winters south to the northern parts of the United States.

This variety is smaller than the last and is considerably darker but still retains the white rump of the Greenland Redpoll. Its nesting habits are the same as those of the next.

[Illustration 330: White.] [Illustration: 523--524--524a.] [Illustration: 525--526.] [Illustration: left hand margin.]

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528. REDPOLL. _Acanthis linaria linaria._

Range.--Breeds within the Arctic Circle; winters south to New York, Kansas and northern California and casually farther.

This species is similar to the last but much darker, and the rump is also streaked with blackish. These handsome birds are often met with in winter, feeding on seeds of the weed stems that project above the snow. Their flight and song is similar to that of the Goldfinch or Pine Siskin. They nest at low elevations, either in trees or bushes. The eggs number from three to six and are pale bluish, sparingly specked with reddish brown. Size .65 × .50. Data.--Mouth of Great Whale River, Hudson Bay, May 16, 1899. Nest in a willow 4 feet from the ground; made of fine rootlets and grass, lined with feathers. Collector, A. P. Lowe.

528a. HOLBOLL'S REDPOLL. _Acanthis linaria holbœlli._

Range.--Arctic regions; south casually to the border of the United States.

A slightly larger variety of the common Redpoll. Eggs probably not distinguished.

528b. GREATER REDPOLL. _Acanthis linaria rostrata._

Range.--Breeds in southern Greenland; in winter south through Labrador to the northern border of the United States.

This variety is larger and darker than the common Redpoll. It has been found breeding abundantly in southern Greenland, where its nesting habits are the same as those of the Redpoll and the eggs similar but averaging a trifle larger.

529. GOLDFINCH. _Astragalinus tristis tristis_.

Range.--North America east of the Rockies, and from Labrador and Manitoba southward.

These beautiful birds are among our sweetest songsters from May until September. They are resident throughout their United States range, where they breed in August or early in September, being one of the latest nesting birds that we have. Their nests are located in bushes, at a height of generally below fifteen feet above the ground, being placed in upright forks, and made of plant fibres and thistle down, firmly woven together. They lay from three to six plain bluish white eggs. Size .65 × .50. The majority of nests that I have found have been in alders over small streams.

[Illustration 331: Bluish green.] [Illustration: Redpoll.] [Illustration: Bluish white.] [Illustration: Goldfinch.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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[Illustration 332: AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.]

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529a. PALE GOLDFINCH. _Astragalinus tristis pallidus._

Range.--Rocky Mountains from Mexico to British Columbia.

This variety is slightly larger and (in winter) paler than the last.

529b. WILLOW GOLDFINCH. _Astragalinus tristis salicamans._

Range.--Pacific coast from Washington to Lower California.

Similar to the eastern Goldfinch but back said to be slightly greenish yellow.

530. ARKANSAS GOLDFINCH. _Astragalinus psaltria psaltria._

Range.--United States, west of the Plains and from Oregon to Mexico.

This species has greenish upper parts and yellow below; the crown, wings and tail are black, the bases of the lateral tail feathers and primaries being whitish. They are common in portions of their range, nesting in similar locations to those chosen by the common Goldfinch and laying from three to five eggs which are similar but slightly smaller. Size .60 × .45. Data.--Riverside, California, May 20, 1891. 5 eggs. Nest made of fine grasses lined with cotton; 5 feet from the ground in a small tree.

530a. GREEN-BACKED GOLDFINCH. _Astragalinus hesperophilus._

Range.--Mexico north to the Lower Rio Grande in southern Texas.

A similar bird to the last but with the entire upper parts and cheeks, black. The habits, nests and eggs are identical with those of the Arkansas Goldfinch.

531. LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH. _Astragalinus lawrencei._

Range.--Pacific coast of California, wintering along the Mexican border.

This grayish colored Goldfinch has a black face and yellow breast, rump, wing coverts and edges of the primaries. They are quite common in their restricted range, nesting either in upright crotches or in the forks of horizontal limbs. The four or five eggs which they lay are pure white; size .60 × .45. Data.--Santa Monica Canyon, Cal., April 26, 1903. Nest in a cypress tree 12 feet up; composed of grasses, feathers, etc. Collector, W. Lee Chambers.

532. BLACK-HEADED GOLDFINCH. _Spinus notatus._

Range.--Mountainous regions of Central America and southern Mexico; accidental in the United States.

[Illustration 333: 529a--529b--530.] [Illustration: Bluish white.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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533. PINE SISKIN. _Spinus pinus._

Range.--Breeds from northern United States northward, in the Alleghanies and in the Rockies south to New Mexico. Winters throughout the United States.

Siskins are of the size of the Goldfinch (5 inches long), and their calls, songs and habits are similar to those of this bird. Their plumage is grayish brown, streaked with dusky and the bases of the wings and tail feathers are yellow. Like the Crossbills, they frequently feed along our northern borders, but very sporadically. Their nests are built on horizontal branches of pines or cedars at any elevation from the ground, being made of grasses and rootlets lined with hair or pine needles, and of rather frail and flat construction. Their eggs are laid during May or June and are greenish white, specked with reddish brown; size .68 × .48. Data.--Hamilton Inlet, Labrador, June 17, 1898. Nest on branch of a spruce, 10 feet from the ground; made of grass, lined with moss and feathers. Collector, L. Dicks.

534. Snow Bunting. _Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis._

Range.--Breeds in the Arctic regions, and winters irregularly in large flocks through the United States to Oregon, Kansas and Georgia.

These birds are only seen in the United States in large roving flocks, during the winter when they feed on weed seeds on side hills. Their nests are built on the ground, being sunk into the sphagnum moss, and made of grasses lined with feathers. Their four or five eggs are a light greenish white, spotted and splashed with yellowish brown and lilac. Size .90 × .65.

534a. PRIBILOF SNOW BUNTING. _Plectrophenax nivalis townsendi._

Range.--Pribilof and Aleutian Islands, Alaska.

A slightly larger variety which is resident on the islands in its range. Eggs like those of the preceding; laid from May to July.

[Illustration 334: Pine Siskin.] [Illustration: Greenish white.] [Illustration: Greenish white.] [Illustration: Snowflake.] [Illustration: left hand border.]

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535. MCKAY'S SNOW BUNTING. _Pletrophenax hyperboreus._

Range.--Western Alaska; known to breed on Hall's Island.

This beautiful species is, in summer, entirely white except for the tips of the primaries and a black spot on end of central tail feathers, thus being very distinct from the preceding, which has the back and the wings to a greater extent black, at this season. Their eggs probably very closely resemble those of the last species.

536. LAPLAND LONGSPUR. _Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus._

Range.--Breeds in northern North America; winters south casually to New York, Ohio and Oregon and occasionally farther.

These sparrow-like birds are 6.5 inches long and have a black crown, cheeks and throat, and chestnut band on nape. Like the Snowflakes they nest on the ground in moss, but the four to six eggs that they lay are grayish, heavily mottled and blotched with chocolate brown; size .80 × .60.

536a. ALASKA LONGSPUR. _Calcarius lapponicus alascensis._

Range.--Northwest North America, breeding in Alaska; winter south to Oregon. This sub-species is like the last but slightly paler. Eggs indistinguishable.

[Illustration 335: Grayish.] [Illustration: Norman W. Swayns. NEST AND EGGS OF GOLDFINCH.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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537. SMITH'S LONGSPUR. _Calcarius pictus._

Range.--Breeds in Hudson Bay and Mackenzie River districts and winters south to Texas chiefly on the Plains.

This species is of the size of the last but is a rich buff color below, and the other markings are very different. These birds together with the next species are very common on the prairies in central United States in winter. They nest on the ground like the preceding species but the nests are scantily made of grasses and not warmly lined like those of the last. The eggs are similar but paler; size .80 × .60. Data.--Herschell Island, Arctic Ocean, June 10, 1901. Nest built in a tuft of grass; made of fine roots and grass, lined with feathers.

538. CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR. _Calcarius ornatus._

Range.--Plains in the interior of North America, breeding from Kansas north to Saskatchewan; very abundant in the Dakotas and Montana.

This handsome species in the breeding plumage has the throat white, breast and belly black, and a chestnut collar on the nape. They are one of the most abundant breeding birds on the prairies, nesting in hollows on the ground either in the open or protected by a tuft of grass. The nests are made of grasses and sometimes moss; three or four eggs laid in June or July; white, blotched, lined and obscurely marked with brown and purplish; size .75 x .55.

539. MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR. _Rhynchophanes mccowni._

Range.--Great Plains, breeding from Kansas to the Saskatchewan.

This Longspur which breeds in company with the preceding, throughout its range, can be distinguished from it by the small black patch on the breast, the black crown, and chestnut wing coverts. Their nesting habits are the same, and at this season all the Longspurs have a sweet song often uttered during flight, like that of the Bobolink. Their eggs are of the same size and similarly marked as the last, but the ground color is more gray or olive.

[Illustration: Smith's Longspur.] [Illustration 336: Grayish.] [Illustration: Chestnut-collared Longspur.] [Illustration: Dull white.] [Illustration: Grayish white.] [Illustration: left hand margin.]

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540. VESPER SPARROW. _Poœcetes gramineus gramineus._

Range.--Eastern United States, breeding from Virginia and Missouri north to Manitoba and New Brunswick; winters in the southern half of the United States.

A streaked grayish, buffy and white bird distinguished by its chestnut shoulders and white outer tail feathers. They are abundant birds in eastern fields where their loud piping whistle is known to many frequenters of weedy pastures. They build on the ground, either in grassy or cultivated fields, lining the hollow scantily with grasses. Their four or five eggs are usually laid in May or June; they are dull whitish, blotched and splashed with light brown and lavender tints; size .80 × .60.

540a. WESTERN VESPER SPARROW. _Poœcetes gramineus confinis._

Range.--This paler variety is found in North America west of the Plains and south of Saskatchewan.

Its nesting habits are like those of the preceding and the eggs are indistinguishable.

540b. OREGON VESPER SPARROW. _Poœcetes gramineus affinis._

A browner variety found on the coast of Oregon and northern California.

Its nesting habits are like those of the eastern bird and the eggs similar but averaging a trifle smaller.

* * * ENGLISH SPARROW. _Passer domesticus._

These birds, which were imported from Europe, have increased so rapidly that they have overrun the cities and villages of the country and are doing inestimable damage both by driving out native insect eating birds and by their own destructiveness. They nest in all sorts of places but preferably behind blinds, where their unsightly masses of straw protrude from between the slats, and their droppings besmirch the buildings below; they breed at all seasons of the year, eggs having often been found in January, with several feet of snow on the ground and the mercury below zero. The eggs number from four to eight in a set and from four to eight sets a season; the eggs are whitish, spotted and blotched with shades of gray and black. Size .88 × .60.

[Illustration 337: Whitish.] [Illustration: McCown's Longspur.] [Illustration: White.] [Illustration: Vesper Sparrow.] [Illustration: right hand margin.]

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[Illustration 338: A. R. Spaid. NEST AND EGGS OF VESPER SPARROW.]

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541. IPSWICH SPARROW. _Passerculus princeps._

Range.--Breeds on Sable Island, off Nova Scotia; winters on coast of South Atlantic States. This a large and pale colored form of the common Savannah Sparrow. Its nesting habits are similar to those of the latter and the eggs are marked the same but average larger. Size .80 × .60.

542. ALEUTIAN SAVANNAH SPARROW. _Passerculus sandwichensis sandwichensis._

Range.--Breeds on the Alaskan coast; winters south to northern California.

A streaked Sparrow like the next but with the yellow superciliary line brighter and more extended. Its nesting habits are precisely like those of the next variety which is common and well known; the eggs are indistinguishable.

542a. SAVANNAH SPARROW. _Passerculus sandwichensis savanna._

Range.--North America east of the Plains, breeding from the Middle States north to Labrador and the Hudson Bay region.

Similar to the last but with the superciliary line paler and the yellow reduced to a spot on the lores. Their nests are hollows in the ground, lined with grasses and generally concealed by tufts of grass or weeds. Their three to five eggs vary greatly in markings from finely and evenly dotted all over to very heavily blotched, the ground color being grayish white. Size .75 × .55

542b. WESTERN SAVANNAH SPARROW. _Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus._

Range.--Western North America from Alaska to Mexico.

A slightly paler form whose nesting habits and eggs do not differ from those of the last.

542c. BRYANT'S SPARROW. _Passerculus sandwichensis bryanti._

Range.--Salt marshes of California from San Francisco Bay south to Mexico.

Slightly darker and brighter than the eastern Savannah Sparrow and with a more slender bill. The eggs are not different from many specimens of savanna; they are light greenish white heavily blotched with various shades of brown and lavender. Size .75 × .55.

543. Belding's Sparrow. _Passerculus beldingi._

Range.--Pacific coast marshes of southern California and southward.

This species is similar to the last but darker and more heavily streaked below. They breed abundantly in salt marshes, building their nests in the grass or patches of seaweed barely above the water, and making them of grass and weeds, lined with hair; the eggs are dull grayish white, boldly splashed, spotted and clouded with brown and lavender. Size .78 × .55.