BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 



719 



broadly edged for basal half (more or less) with white; wings dusky 

 grayish brown, the lesser and middle coverts broadly margined with 

 light gray, the greater coverts, remiges, and primary coverts narrowly 

 edged with the same (the edgings sometimes white or nearly so on 

 inner secondaries) ; malar region and entire under parts, including 

 axillars and under wing-coverts, pure white; inner webs of remiges 

 broadly edged with dull yellowish white; bill black, more brownish 

 basally, especially on mandible; iris brown; legs and feet brownish 

 black; length (skins), 325-410 (366); wing, 104-120 (111.1); tail, 

 230-303 (264.9); exposed culmen, 14-17 (15.4); tarsus, 16-18.5 

 (17.2); middle toe, 11.5-14.5 (12.7).« 



Adult female. — Similar to the male and apparently not always 

 distinguishable, but usually with lateral rectices less elongated and 

 yellow crown-patch smaller; length (skins), 267-315 (294); wing, 

 100-107 (103.3); tail, 173-220.5 (201.7); exposed culmen, 15-16.5 

 (15.8); tarsus, 16.5-17.5 (17.1); middle toe, 11-13 (12.4).^ 



Young. — Somewhat like adults but black of head replaced by dark 

 grapsh brown or sooty brown, the crown without concealed yellow; 

 gray of back, etc., duller (more or less decidedly brownish); feathers 

 of rump and upper tail-coverts, as well as lesser and middle wing- 

 coverts, margined with cinnamon or brownish buffy, the greater 

 coverts edged with same. 



a Twelve specimens. 

 ^ Eight specimens. 



I am not able to separate satisfactorily Central American and Mexican specimens 

 from those coming from southern Brazil, Argentina, etc. The foi'mer unquestionably 

 have the gray of the back decidedly paler and clearer than the majority of the latter, 

 but among the more southern specimens are occasional ones which are precisely like 

 northern ones in this respect. Furthermore, specimens from the lower Amazon, 

 Guiana, and Venezuela, exhibit both extremes in regard to color of the back, those 

 examined from Trinidad, T()l>ago, and Grenada being of the darker style. On the 

 whoh' lam inclined to consider the variations as due to age or ccmditionof the plumage 

 rather than to climatic or environal influence, tliough it is not imjjossible that a satis- 

 factory series might show that two forms can be naade out. 



