102 BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON, 



Habitat. — Chiefly the western mountain regions of the United 

 States, from Colorado to Oregon and California; in winter, not 

 uncommon in Eastern United States (Massachusetts, Maryland, 

 etc). 



SuBSPECiFic Characters. — Differing from L. ciirvirostra ameri- 

 cana in decidedly larger size. $ : wing, 3.55-3.80 (average, 3.68) ; 

 tail, 2.20-2.45(2.34); culmen, .65-. 78 (.71) ; depth of bill, .40-. 45 

 (.42); gonys, .42-50 (.47); tarsus, .62-.72 (.67); middle toe, 

 .50-.60 (.57). 9: wing, 3.40-3.60(3.50); tail, 2.20-2.30(2.23); 

 culmen, .65- 70 (.67; ; depth of bill, .35-40 ( .39); gonys, .40-.55 

 (.46); tarsus, .60-. 69 (.66); middle toe, .55-.58 (.56). 



This race is about as much smaller than Z. cm'virostra mexicana 

 as it is larger than americana. In fiict, it may be considered as 

 being about intermediate, so far as size is concerned. Compared 

 with the L. ciirvirostra, it is found to differ in the following re- 

 spects : (i) much brighter coloration ; (2) shorter wing and tail; 

 (3) shorter culmen combined with longer gonys, the mandible 

 being proportionally stronger ; and (4) more slender bill. Z. ciir- 

 virostra mexicana has the mandible still stouter, compared with the 

 maxilla, and is, besides, much larger in all its measurements. 



There is so little uniformity in coloration in the various races of 

 this species that color alone is of little value as a race character. In 

 the series of the present form, upon which these remarks are based, 

 there are specimens which agree minutely in colors with examples of 

 both mexicana and americana. In foct, it seems that fiill-phnnaged 

 specimens of the three American races are constantly much brighter 

 than the two European forms (Z. ciirvirostra and Z. curvirostra pityo- 

 psittacus), although it should be stated that, with one exception, the 

 males of the latter which have been examined are mounted mu- 

 seum specimens, and possibly much faded. However this may be, 

 they certainly do not approach in richness of plumage American 

 specimens of average intensity of coloration. There are two speci- 

 mens, however, in the series before me which differ considerably 

 from others in the tint of the red, which, on the lower parts, is of a 



