96 



NORTH AMERICAN liUiDS. 



Pyrrhuloxia sintiata. 



Female similar, with the undtT part brownish-yellow ; middle of belly and throat only 

 tinged with red. 



Hab. Valley of the Kio Grande of Texas and westward; Cape St. Lucas; Mazatlan, 

 Mexico. 



The wing is considerably rounded, the foiirtli and fifth quills longest ; 



the first as long as the secondaries, the 

 second longer than the seventh. The 

 tail is long, graduated on the sides, the 

 outer about half an inch shorter than 

 the middle. The feathers are very 

 broad to the end and ol:ilii|uely trun- 

 cate. They are rather broader than in 

 Cardinalis virginianus. The crest is 

 narrower and longer, and confined to 

 the middle of the crown ; it extends 

 back about 1.80 inches from the base 

 of tlie bill. 



The carmine of the breast is some- 

 what hidden by grayish tips to the 

 leathers ; that of the throat is streaked a little with darker. The e.xposed 

 surfaces of the wing-coverts and of secondaries and tertials are like tlie back. 

 The tail-fen tilers are tipiied with brownish. 



Specimens from Cape St. Lucas are very much smaller than any others, 

 measuring only, wing, 3.30 ; tail, 3.80. The crest is dull carmine, instead 

 of dark wine-purple ; the red tinge on wing and tail much fainter, and the 

 sides, as well as the gray tints everywhere, more brownish ; there is none of 

 that dark burnt-carmine tint to the red of lores and cheeks observable in all 

 the Texas specimens. No. 49,758, Camp Grant, Arizona, is like the Cape St. 

 Lucas birds in colors, except that the crest is dusky, but the proportions are 

 those of the Rio Grande series. 



Habits. The Texan Cardinal was originally described as a bird of Mex- 

 ico by Prince Charles Lucieu Bonaparte in tlie Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society of London. It has since been ascertained to inhabit the southern 

 central portions of our country, its range of extension northerly bringing it 

 witliin tlie limits of the United States. In Texas, on the Eio Grande, it is 

 resident throughout the year, or of liut limited migration in the coldest 

 weather. It was not observeil by Dr. Cones in Arizona, but is said to occur 

 in the southern portion of that Territory. It was found breeding at Cape 

 St. Lucas by Mr. Xantus. It is not named by Sumichrast among the birds 

 of Vera Cruz. 



Its habits are said to be of the same general character with those of our 

 common Cardinal. 



The specimens from which this bird was first described were procured in 

 the vicinity of the city of ^lexico. The first obtained within the limits of 



