PEOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 259 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF FIELD-SPARROW FROM 



NEW MEXICO. 



By KOBERT RIDO^VAV. 



Spizella wortheni, sp. uov. 



Sp. ch. — Eesembling S.jfiisilla, but altogether less rufous, with the 

 black streaks of the dorsum broader, the rufous auricular streak and 

 rufous spot on sides of the breast wholly absent, the wing bands much 

 less distinct, the eyelids distinctly white, and the bill much more slender. 



Adult $ (type No. 98512, U. S. Nat. Mus., Silver City, New Mexico, 

 June 16, 1881) : Pileum light fulvous-brown, tinged with rufous, indis- 

 tinctly streaked with dusky, and without trace of lighter median stripe. 

 Back and scapulars light fulvous-brown, broadly, and rather sharply 

 streaked with black. Eump and upper tail-coverts brownish ash-gray, 

 the latter with rather distinct medial streaks of dusky. Wings dusky, 

 all the feathers edged with light grayish-brown ; middle coverts tipped 

 with bufiy-whitish, but terminal light margins of the greater coverts 

 scarcely more distinct than the lateral edgings, and not forming an ap- 

 preciable band. Entire side of head ash-gray, including the anterior 

 part of the forehead and whole superciliary and supra-auricular region; 

 no trace of a rufous or brown post-ocular streak. Eyelids white, form- 

 ing a rather distinct orbital ring. Chin and throat grayish-white ; re- 

 maining lower parts brownish-white, deeper on the jugulum, especially 

 laterally, where, however, the color does not incline to rufous ; crissum 

 and lining of wing nearly pure white. Bill cinnamon-brown ; l^gs and 

 feet horn-brown. Wing 2.70; tail (somewhat worn) 2.50; culmen from 

 extreme base .40 ; bill from nostril .25 ; depth at base .18 ; tarsus .70 ; 

 middle toe .45. 



While unquestionably most nearly related to 8. pusilla, this species 

 is also allied to S. atrigularis ; in fact, these three species form a well- 

 marked group of the genus, distinguished by certain characters which 

 they possess in common, and which separate them from two other 

 groups, including 8. monticola on the one hand, and S. sociaUs, 8. pal- 

 lida, and 8. breweri on the other. The diflerences from 8. pnsilla have 

 been pointed out above. With 8. atrigularis, 8. wortheni agrees in the 

 exactly similar coloration of the upper parts, excepting only the head 

 and neck, and in the similarly small, slender bill. 8. atrigularis, how- 

 ever, has the head entirely uniform ash-gray (excepting the adult S , 

 which has the feathers round the base of the bill, the chin, and throat 

 black) and the lower parts also gray, except the abdomen and crissum, 

 which are white. The latter. occurs in the same region with 8. icortheni ; 

 in fact, specimens of the two were contained in the same collection. 



I take great pleasure in dedicating this new species to Mr. Charles 

 K. Worthen, of Warsaw, 111., who has by his personal eflbrts donemuch 

 to develop the ornithology of New Mexico, and who has kindly pre- 

 sented the type specimen to the National Museum. 



