CHECK LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 51 



217. Astragalinus psaltria mexicanus (Sw.) Coues. B 315. c 151&. R 1826. 



Mexican Goldfinch. 



218. Astragalinus notatus (Du Bus) Coues. B sio. c . R 184. (!M.) 



Black-headed Goldfinch. 



219. Plectrophanes nivalis (L.) Meyer. B325. c 152. R 186. 



Snow Bunting ; Snowflake. 



220. Centrophaiies lapponicus (L.) Kaup. B 326. c 153. R 187. 



Lapland Longspur. 



221. Centrophanes pictus (Sw.) Cab. B 327. c 154. R 188. 



Painted Longspur. 



222. Centrophanes ornatus (Towns.) Cab. B 328, 329. c 155. R 189. 



Chestnut-collared Longspur. 



223. Rhynchophanes maccowni (Lawr.) Bd. B 330. c 156. R 190. 



Maccown's Longspur. 



224. Passerculus bairdi (Aud.) Coues. B ssi. c 157, i57&is. R 101. 



Baird's Savanna Sparrow. 



217. A. p. mex-I-ca'-na. Lat. mexicanus, of Mexico. See Sialia, No. 28. 



218. A. not-a'-tus. Lat. notatus, noted, marked ; noto, I make note of. In allusion to the dis- 



tinction between tin's species and C. mayellanicus. 



Not in the orig. ed. of the Check List. Said by Audubon to have been actually 

 taken in Kentucky. (?) 



219. Plec-tro'-pha-nes niv-a'-lis. The Gr. ir\i]Krpov, or Lat. plectrum, was an instrument foi' 



striking the lyre, from ir\-fi<rffw, I strike ; also used for a quill, a spur, &c. ; the meaning 

 in this case is the hind claw of the bird, which is remarkably long and straight. The 

 rest of the word is from <pa.ivu, to appear, to seem, &c., the claw in mention being likened 

 to the instrument spoken of. Obs. There is continual difference in opinion respecting 

 the pronunciation of this and similar words, according to whether we consider them as 

 Greek or as Latin. The rule in Greek would retain the accent upon the root of each word 

 entering into the composition, giving Plec'-tro-pha"-nes. But in Latinizing it is allowable, 

 and indeed preferable, to accent as above ; as we have also done in the cases of Helmin- 

 tho'phaga, Lopho'phanes, &c. The gender of the many coined words ending in -phones is 

 practically in question among ornithologists ; we make them masculine. 



220. Cen-tro'-pha-nes lap-pon'-I-cus. Gr. Kevrpov, a prick, nail, claw, &c., from Kfvrfai, I 



prick or goad. The reference, as in the case of Plectrophanes, is to the long hind claw. 

 See Plectrophanes. Lat. lapponicus, pertaining to Lapland, formerly Lapponia. 



221. C. pic'-tus. Lat. pictus, painted, from pingo, I paint or ornament; in allusion to th" 



variegated colors. 



222. C. 6r-na'-tus. Lat. ornatus, adorned, decorated, from orno, I ornament. 



223. Rhyn-ch6'-pha-nes mac-cown'-I. Gr. pvyxos, snout, muzzle, beak, and tpaivu ; in allu- 



sion to the large bill. See Plectrophanes. To Capt. J. P. McCown, then of the U. S. 

 Army. 



224. Pas-ser'-cu-lus baird'-I. Lat. passcradus, a little sparrow; diminutive of passer. To 



Spencer F. Baird, long time the leader in North American ornithology. 



Centronyx ochrocephalus, No. 157 bis of the first ed., is this species in fall plumage. 



