BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 79 



Aegiothus^ Cabanis, Mus. Hein., i, Aug., 1851, 161. (Type, Frhigilla linaria 



Linnseus.). 

 ^giothus (emendation) Auctorum. 

 Linacantkis Des Murs, End. Hist. Nat., pt. 5, 1854, 304. (Type, Linaria rufescens 



Vieillot.) 

 Agriospiza Suxdevall, A v. Met. Nat. Disp. Tent., 1872, 32. (Type, Fringilla 



flavirostris Linna'iis. ) 



Small, streaked, red-capped, and often rosy-])reasted finches with 

 long and distinctly eniarginate tail and small acute bill. 



Bill conical, strongly compressed terminally and usually acute at 

 tip, nearly the basal half (except in summer plumage) covered by the 

 conspicuous nasal plumules; culmen and gonys nearly straight, the 

 former always much shorter than the tarsus. Wing long (live times 

 as long as tarsus or more), pointed (three outermost primaries longest, 

 the ninth longer than the seventh); primaries exceeding secondaries by 

 nearly twice the length of the tarsus. Tail long (at least three-fourths 

 long as wing), deeply cmarginate or forked. Tarsus very short — 

 about one-quarter as long as tail and not more than one-fifth as long 

 as wing, a little longer than middle toe with claw; lateral toes much 

 .shorter than the middle, their long and strongly curved claws reaching 

 to about the middle of the middle claw; hallux nearly as long as outer 

 toe, its slender, slightly arched claw longer than the digit. 



Coloi'at'ion. — Above streaked with dusky upon a brownish, grayish, 

 or whitish ground, the rump sometimes immaculate white or pinkish; 

 top of head bright red (except in A. hreivsterii)\ wings and tail duskj", 

 the feathers edged with paler, the middle and greater wing-coverts 

 tipped with whitish or pale brownish; superciliary region and lower 

 parts chiefly whitish, but anterior lower parts (except in A. hrewsteini) 

 more or less tinged with red in adult males, and sides usuallj" more or 

 less streaked with dusk}^; a more or less distinct dusky spot on chin 

 and upper part of throat (except in A. hreiosterii). 



Adult females. — Similar to the males but without any red on breast, 

 etc., the crown, however, red, as in male. 



Young. — No red whatever on crown or elsewhere; whole head 

 streaked with dusky and grayish or brownish white, the latter color 

 prevailing on under portions; otherwise much as in adult females, but 

 under parts more extensively streaked, plumage of much softer, more 

 "woollv," texture and markings less sharply delined. 



[Both sexes have in summer a blackish bill, the red of a brighter 

 tint, and the colors darker than in winter, during which season the bill 

 is yellow, tipped with black, the lighter markings more pronounced, 

 and the plumage in general more or less strongly sutl'used with buffy 

 or light ochraceous-brown.] 



Range. — Northern portions of Northern Hemisphere. 



^ "Von CLiyio^ioc, 6 nom. prop." 



