388 FRINGILLID. 
bearing this name from Wyoming. Mr. Henshaw compares his bird with M. fallaz, 
itself a race of MM. fasciata, according to the recent views of American authors ; from 
this it differs in being umber-brown instead of bright reddish brown, giving a greyish 
aspect to the plumage, the back is streaked with blackish brown instead of a dark 
shade of red-brown, the streaks below are of the same colour as those of the back, those 
of M. fallax being reddish and not black. 
The true WV. fallax is found near Tucson in Arizona, where also WM. montana occurs, 
but a point connected with their presence there seems well worthy of note. Mr. Nelson 
says that on March 18th WM. fallax was in full song and preparing to breed, whereas 
M. montana had left without singing for more northern regions ?. 
In the case of this bird we do not feel ina position to decide whether it is most 
likely to prove inseparable from Jf. fasciata owing to complete intergradation, in which 
case we should include it under that name, or whether it is definitely separable even by 
very slight characters, for then we should call it If. montana. 
3. Melospiza heermanni. 
Melospiza heermanni, Baird, Birds N. Am. p. 478, t. 70. f. 1*. 
Melospiza melodia var. heermanni, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 24°. 
Melospiza fasciata heermanni, Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 872°. 
Melospiza gouldi, Scl. P. Z.S. 1862, p. 869 * (nec Baird). 
Melospiza fallax, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 174°. 
Melospiza pectoralis, v. Mill. Syst. Verz. Wirb. Mex. p. 49°? 
Melospiza melodia var. mexicana, Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 187? 
Supra fusco-brunnea, dorso medio nigro late striato, capite summo quoque striato rufo intermixto, fascia verti- 
. cali indistincte cinerea ; alis et cauda fusco-nigris, rufo limbatis, superciliis griseo-albidis, ad naribus pure 
albis, loris et stria postoculari nigris, regione parotica fusco induta; subtus alba, stria utrinque lata rictali 
ad pectus conjunctis nigris, pectore dense, hypochondriis sparse, nigro maculatis, his cum crisso cervino 
lavatis; rostro nigricante corneo, mandibula ad basin pallida, pedibus pallide corylinis. Long. tota 6-2, 
alee 28, caude 2°8, rostri a rictu 0-55, tarsi 0°85. (Descr. maris ex Puebla, Mexico (January). Mus. 
nostr. ) 
Hab. Nort America, California 1, Nevada ?.—Mexico 4, valley of Mexico (White 5), 
Puebla’ (Boucard). 
We have Mexican specimens of this Melospiza, agreeing accurately with others from 
California, purporting to be the true I. heermanni of Baird, and with the same bird 
we associate the Mexican specimens called M. gouldi and M. fallax by Mr. Sclater. 
Regarding M. pectoralis of Miiller we are in some doubt, as the description does not 
quite agree ; but Mf. melodia mexicana of Ridgway ® we place here with more confidence, 
as the description suits a specimen from Southern Mexico in our collection very accu- 
rately. Making some allowance for seasonal and abraded plumage, we cannot see 
our way to admitting more than one Melospiza of this form in Southern Mexico, viz. 
M. heermanni. 
