222 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 



portant differences are to be found in the slenderer, much more acutely 

 pointed bill, with its decidedly concave lateral outlines, and the different cha- 

 racter of the nasal plumuli. The toes are much shorter, the lateral unequal, 

 and the tail feathers broader and more rounded. 



Aegiothus of Cabanis (Mus. Hein. 1851, 161,) is based upon the Fringilla 

 Hnaria of Linnaeus ; and supersedes Acanthis of Bonaparte (Consp. Av. 150,) 

 which though i;sed in connection with the present genus, is pre-occupied for 

 another group. 



Aegiothus fuscescens Coues, Nov. sp. Dusky Red Poll. 



A. Aegiotho linario paululum minor, rostro fusco mag no, robusto plumuls brevibus 

 sparsisque ; superoribus partibus fuscis, vix luteo stiiatis ; alls cauddque vix 

 albido marginatis, later ibus distincte nee confluente fusco-striatis. Mas nupt. 

 temp, uropygio rosaceo, pectore carmesino. Long. 5.25 pollices ; ala 2.90 poll. 

 Sp. Ck. Bill large, very stout, the culmen and gonys slightly convex- 

 Nasal plumuli very short and scant, barely covering the nostrils. Wings very 

 long, pointed ; first primary usually longest, second nearly, sometimes quite 

 equal to it, third and fourth successively a little shorter. Tarsus about equal 

 to middle toe and claw. Inner lateral toe but very little longer than the 

 outer, its claw reaching scarcely beyond the basal third of the middle claw. 

 Tail of moderate length, deeply forked. Male, adult. Bill dusky except at 

 base below. Frontlet, space between eye and bill, and gular patch, dull sooty 

 brownish black. Entire upper parts deep dusky or chocolate brown, the edges 

 of the feathers scarcely lighter. Rump whitish, tinged with rosy, thickly 

 streaked with dusky. Wings, wing-coverts, and tail, deep dusky, very nar- 

 rowly margined and tipped with dull whitish. Throat, breast and sides for 

 some distance bright rosy, or carmine. Sides thickly marked with narrow, 

 sharply defined streaks of chocolate brown. Rest of under parts white. 

 Female adult. Rather smaller than the male ; rump but slightly tinged with 

 rosy, and few or no traces of the carmine on the breast, which is dull white 

 streaked with dusky. Other parts as in the male. 



Length 5.25 inches, extent 9.00, wing 2.90, tail 2.30. Bill above .35. 

 Tarsus .55 ; middle toe with claw .55 ; inner lateral .38. 



Habitat. Northern and Eastern North America. Fort Resolution, (Kenni- 

 cott.) Labrador, (Coues.) 



The essential features in which this species differs from the A. Hnaria, are 

 those given in the diagnosis. The most striking peculiarity of form, as there 

 stated, lies in the bill, which in size and proportions more resembles that of 

 Leucosticte than Aegiothus. The nasal plumuli are much shorter and more 

 sparse. The other proportions are as in A. Hnaria, but the size is somewhat 

 less. The colors are very different ; the upper parts of A. fuscescens being so 

 dark and so obsoletely streaked as to seem almost uniform, which appearance 

 is further heightened by the very narrow light edging to the wings and tail, 

 which is reduced to a minimum. The sides are very thickly, but at the same 

 time very distinctly, streaked with narrow sharply defined lines of deep choco- 

 late brown. These streaks in A. Hnaria are less numerous, illy defined and 

 more or less confluent. The carmine on the breast of full plumaged males 

 appears to be deeper than is usual in A. Hnaria, while at the same time the 

 rump is les^ rosy. 



This interesting bird, though by no means so common as the Tit-lark or 

 White-crowned Sparrow, is yet abundant along the coast of Labrador, where 

 apparently it replaces the allied Chrysomitris tristis, its southern representative. 

 It is a remarkably unsuspicious and familiar species, showing no signs of fear 

 even when very closely approached. It frequents almost exclusively the 

 scrubby juniper which grows every where in open places, in thick, almost im- 

 penetrable patches. I do not think that I ever observed it in more densely 



[Aug- 



