FRIXGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 49 



Genus FASSERELLA, Swaixson. 

 Passerclla, Swainson, Class. Birds, II, 1837, 2S8. (Tyijo, Friiujilla iliam, Merrem.) 



Gen. Char. Body stout. Bill conical, not notched, the outline.s .straight; the two 

 jaws of equal depth; roof of upper mandible deeply excavated, and vaulted; not knobbed. 

 Tarsus scarcely longer than the middle toe ; outer toe little longer than the inner, its 

 claw reaching to the middle of the central one. Hind toe about equal to the inner 

 lateral ; the claws all long, and moderately curved only ; the posterior rather longer than 

 the middle, and equal to its toe. Wings long, pointed, reaching to the middle of the 

 tail ; the tertials scarcely longer than secondaries ; second and third quills longest ; first 

 equal to the fifth. Tail very nearly even, scarcely longer than the wing. Inner claw 

 contained scarcely one and a half times in its toe proper. 



Color. Rufous or slaty; obsoletely streaked or uniform above; thickly spotted with 

 triangular blotches beneath. 



Species and Varieties. 



Common Characters. Ground-color above, slaty-asli, or sepia; wings, upper 

 tail-coverts, and tail more rufescent. Beneath, pure white, with numerous 

 triangular spots over breast and throat, streaks along sides, and a triangular 

 blotch on side of throat, of the same color as the wings. The pectoral spots 

 aggregated on the middle of the breast. 



A. Hind claw not longer than its digit. Back with broad streaks of dark 

 rufous. 



1. P. iliaca. Ground-color above ash (more or less overlaid in winter 

 with a rufous wash) ; wings, dorsal spots, upper tail-coverts, tail, auricu- 

 lars, and markings of lower parts, bright reddish-rufous. Wing, 3.50 ; 

 tail, 2.90 ; tarsus, .87 ; middle toe, without claw, .67 ; hind claw, .35. 

 Hah. Eastern Province of North America. 



B. Hind claw much longer than its digit. Back without streaks. 



2. P. tOTvnsendi. 



Head and neck above with back, scapulars, and rump, rich sepia- 

 brown, almost uniform with wings and tail. Belly thickly spotted; 

 tibire deep brown ; supraloral space not wjiitish. Wing, 3.05 ; tail, 

 2.85 ; tarsus, .80 ; middle toe, .G2 ; hind claw, .43. Hab. Pacific 

 Province of North America, from Kodiak south to Fort Tejon, Cal. 



(in winter) var. tow nsendi. 



Head and neck above, with back, scapulars, and rump, slaty-ash, 

 in strong contrast with the rufesoent-brown of wings and tail. 

 Belly with only minute specks, or immaculate ; tibias grayish ; 

 supraloral space distinctly white. Spots beneath clove-brown. 

 Bill, .34 from nostril, by .25 deep at base ; wing, 3.30 ; tail, 

 3.50 ; tarsus, .85 ; middle toe, .60 ; hind claw, .45. Hah. Mid- 

 dle Province of United States . . . var. schistacea. 

 Bill, .35 from nostril and .47 deep; wing, 3.30; tail, 3..50; 

 tar.<!us, .83 ; middle toe, .63 ; hind claw, .50. ffab. Sierra Ne- 

 vada, from Fort Tejon, north to Carson City, Nev. 



var. m egarliynclius. 



No great violence would he done by considering all the above fonus as 

 races of one species, the characters separating iliaca from the rest l>eing of 



VOL. II. 7 



