THE FINCHES. 253 



By coloration, they may be distinguished as follows : 



COMMON CHAEACTEBS. Crown and back streaked with black upon an ashy, olive, or 

 chestnut ground; beneath whitish, tinged across the breast with ochraceous or ashy, 

 plain, or with blackish streaks on the breast. A light superciliary stripe. 



A. A dusky streak on each side of the light malar stripe. 



1. C. henslowi. Bill very robust, .28-.S2 from nostril and .25-.2S deep at base. Adult: 

 Head grayish ochraceous, lighter beneath; a stripe of Mark streaks un each side 

 of the crown: also a post-auricular black streak, and a less distinct black streak 

 on each side of the lighter malar stripe; breast streaked with black. 



B. No dusky streak on either side of light malar stripe. 



2. C. lecontei. Bill very narrow (much as in A mm otlramus cauflacutus), .25-.30 fmm 

 nostril and .20 deep at base. Adult: Head fine buff, the auriculars, lores, and pos- 

 terior two thirds of the middle stripe on the crown, grayish white; a black stripe 

 on each side of crown; sides (but not breast) streaked with black. Young: above 

 ochraceous, with broad streaks of Mack on the back; medial stripe of crown en- 

 tirely buff; beneath white, the juguhmi buffy, narrowly streaked Avith dusky. 



3. C. passerinus. Bill robust, .28-.32 from nostril, and .25-.30 deep. Adult: Head, 

 throat, jugulum, and sides oehraeeous buff; edge of wing gamboge-yellow; a yel- 

 low spot above the lore; no streaks on jugulum on sides. Crown chestnut-brown 

 or black, divided by a medial, narrower stripe nf huff or pale gray. Young: Super- 

 ciliary and middle crown stripes pale grayish; beneath pale buffy; the jugulum 

 streaked with dusky; no distinct yellow on lore or edge of wing. 



Ammodramus savannarum passerinus (Wils.) 



GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. 



Popular synonyms. Yellow- winged Sparrow; Grass-bird; Ground-bird; Grasshopper- 

 bird. 



Fri/igilla passerina WILS. Am. Orn. iii, 1811,76, pi. 26, flg. 5. AUD. Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 180; 



V, 1839, 497, pi. 130. 



F.mherizapasserina AUD. Synop. 1839,103; B. Am. iii, 1842, 73, pi. 1C2. 

 Coturniculus passerinus BONAP. 1838. BATED, B. N. Am. 1858, 450; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, 

 No. 338. COUES, Key, 1872, 137; Check List, 1873, No. 162; 2d ed. 1882, No. 234; B. N. 

 W. 1874, 131. B. B. & l\. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 553, pi. 25, flg. 4. RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. 

 B. 1881, No. 198. 

 F i- ing ilia savannarum GMEL. NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 494; 2d ed. i, 1840,570. 



HAB. Eastern United States, breeding throughout, but wintering in Southern States, 

 Cuba. Porto Eico. eastern Mexico, and scmth to Costa Rica. 



"Sp. CHAK. Feathers of the upper parts brownish rufous or chestnut-brown, mar- 

 gined narrowly and abruptly with ash-color; reddest on the lower part of the back and 

 rump; the feathers all abruptly black in the central portion; this color visible on the. 

 interscapular region, where the rufous is more restricted. Crown blackish, with a cen- 

 tral and superciliary stripe of yellowish tinged with brown, brightest in front of the eye. 

 Bend of the wing bright yellow, lesser coverts tinged with greenish yellow. Quills and 

 tail-feathers edged with whitish; tertiaries much variegated. Lower parts brownish 

 yellow or buff, nearly white on the middle of the belly, darkest on the jugulum. The 

 feathers of the upper breast and sides of the body with obsoletely darker centres, these 

 sometimes wanting. Sides of breast ag.iinst bend of wing with a few black streaks, 

 usually concealed. Length about 5 inches; wing. 2.40: tail, 2.00. 



"The young of this species has the jugulum and sides of the 

 breast streaked with black, much more distinct than in the adult, 



