Fnixcii.i.Tn.i-: - Till': KiNcrrKs. 585 



Bannistf.r, Tr. Ch. Ac. 1, 1801), 2Si. — CuorEii, Oni. Cal. 1, 19'J. Fringilla haiLsunia, 

 Liciir. Beit. Faun. Cal. in Abh. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, for 183S, 1839, 424 (not F. 

 htidsonia, Fokstek). "Frinyilla (tlrata, Bi!.\nut, Icon. Rosso-As. tali, ii, f. 8" 

 (C.A.B.). 



Sr. Char. Head ami neck all roinid sooty-black; tliis color extending to the uiipcr 

 part of the breast, but not along the sides under the wings, and with convex outline 

 behind. Interscapular region of the back and exposed surface of the wing-coverts and 

 secondaries dark rufous-brown, forming a square patch. A lighter, more pinkish tint of 

 the same on the sides of breast and belly. Rest of under parts clear white. Rump 

 brownii;h-ash. Upper tail-coverts dusky. Outer two tail-feathers white ; the third with 

 only an obscure streak of white. Bill flesh-color, dusky at tip. Legs flesh-color. Length 

 about 6..50 inches ; wing, 3.00. 



Hab. Pacific coast of the United States to the eastern side of the Rocky Moiuitains, 

 and north to Alaska. Stragglers as far east as Foi-t Leavenwoi-th in winter and Great 

 Bend of ilLssouri. 



Sitka and Oregon specimen.s have the back of a darker rufous than those 

 from California and the Middle Province, in which this portion of the body, 

 as well as the sides, is paler, and in more abrupt contrast with the head. 



Immature and the majority of winter specimens do not have the black 

 of tlie head and neck so well defined, Ijut edged above more or less with the 

 color of the back, below witli light ashy. 



The Oregon Snowliird in full plumage is readily di.stingnishable from the 

 eastern species by the purer white of the belly ; the more sharjily defined 

 outline of the black of the liead passes directly across the u]i[ier jjart of the 

 breast, and is even convex in its posterior outline, without extending down 

 the side of the breast, witli its posterior outline strongly concave, as in hyc- 

 malis. The absence of black or ashy-brown under the wings, w-ith the rufous 

 tinge, are highly characteristic of oTer/onus. The head and neck are consid- 

 erably blacker ; the rufous of the hack and wings ddes not exist in the other. 

 The wings and (piills are more pointed ; the second quill usually longest, in- 

 stead of the third, etc. The dusky of the throat reaches in J. orcffuuat; only 

 to the upper part of the breast; to its middle region in h/emalis. 



Sometimes, in adult males, the middle and greater wing-coverts are faintly 

 tipped with wliite, indicating two inconspicuous Ijands. 



In a large series of Ji'iiros collected at Fort Whipple, Arizona, by Dr. 

 Coues, are several specimens so decidedly intermediate Ijetween J. oirtjunus 

 and J. caniceps as to suggest the probability of their l.ieing hybrids ; others, 

 from Fort Burgwyn and Fort Bridger, are exactly like them. With the ashy 

 head and jugulum, and black lores, as well as bright rufous back, of the latter, 

 the sides are pinkisli as in the former ; while, as in this too, the posterior out- 

 line of the ash on jugulum is convex, not concax^e, and the rufous of the back 

 has a tendency to tinge the wings, instead of being confined to the interscap- 

 ulars. (See foot-note to synoptical table, p. 579.) 



Habits. Dr. Snckley found this bird extremely abundant in Oregon and 

 Wasliington Territory, where it liold.s about the same ])osition that tlie hyc- 

 " 74 



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