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Length:

6-6.50 inches.

Male and Female:

Dark bluish slate all over, except lower breast and

belly, which are grayish white and form a vest. Several outer tail feathers white, conspicuous in flying. Female, with a more rusty cast and vest less distinct. Bill flesh-white, dusky at tip.

Song:

A crisp call note, a simple trill, and a faint whispering warble, usually much broken, but not without sweetness. (Bicknell.) Song sometimes heard before it leaves in spring.

Season:

Common winter resident; late September to April.

Breeds:

From the higher parts of the Alleghanies and northern New York and northern New England, northward.

Nest:

On ground, Sparrow-like.

Eggs:

4—6, White, peppered with reddish brown.

Range:

North America at large, but chiefly east of the Rocky Mountains; south in winter to the Gulf States.