NOTES ON THE FRINGILLINE GENUS PASSERHERBULUS 

 AND ITS NEAREST ALLIES. 



By Harry C. Oberholser. 



A careful examination and comparison of the species of 

 Passerherbidus at once discloses the fact that this genus as at 

 present constituted is a composite group. The structural 

 discrepancies between several of its species are such that it 

 seems necessary to place them in different genera. The only 

 other consistent course seems to be to merge Passerherbulus 

 with Ammodramiis and Centronyx, for the differences that 

 separate these genera from Passerherbulus are no more important 

 than the structural differences between the species of Passer- 

 herbulus itself. There seem to be four well-marked groups 

 in Passerherbulus which are thus in need of generic definition, 

 and this is the purpose of the present discussion. 



The generic name Passerherbulus was first proposed by Mr. 

 C. J. Maynard in 1895/ but from that date it is merely a nomen 

 nudum, since the only indication of type is the citation of the 

 name "LeConte's Bunting" without authority or other state- 

 ment of origin; furthermore, this name does not occur elsewhere 

 in Maynard's book, for on a previous page where the bird is 

 described it is called LeConte's Sparrow. Therefore, according 

 to the International Code of Nomenclature, the name Passer- 

 herbulus can not be cited as valid from this publication. Its 

 earliest proper use seems to be by Stone in 1907,- when the 

 type was given as Ammodramiis lecontei; and thus, if only a 

 single generic term be employed for this group, it must be 

 Am?nospiza Oberholser, 1905.''* However, as above indicated, 

 this group should be separated into four, which are defined 

 below. 



Thryospiza, gen. nov.^ 



Chars, gen. — -Similar to Passerherbulus Stone (type, Emberiza 

 leconteii Audubon), but tail shorter than the wing — about nine-tenths 

 of wing or somewhat more ; first primary (counting from the outennost) 

 shorter than the seventh; bill much lengthened, the wing only four to 



iBirds Eastern North Amer., ed. 2, pt. 40, 1895, p. 707. 

 2Auk, XXIV, April, 1907, p. 193. 

 ^Smiths. Misc. Coll., Vol. 48, May 13, 1905, p. 68. 

 ^From 6pvov, juncus; and o-T-i^a, fringilla. 



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