-BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 29 



d,l. Culmen slightly, if at all, curved, the bill conical or wedge-shaped; distance 



between nostrils much less than half the length of gonys. {FringiUx.) 



e. Wing more than four and a half times as long as tarsus; plumage with red 



or yellow, or else under parts streaked, or else plumage of body uniform 



brown; gonys straight. 



/. Tarsus equal to or longer than middle toe with claw; terrestrial or 



^"Pi^oli"^ Leucosticte(p.67) 



(t. Tarsus shorter than middle toe with claw; arboreal. 



g. Tail at least three-fourths as long as wing; nasal tufts extending 



beyond no.strils Acanthis (p. 78) 



gg. Tail much less than three-fourths as long as wing; nasal tufts not 

 extending beyond nostrils. 

 h. Width of bill at base less than half exposed culmen, its tip acute. 

 • i. A band of clear yellow or red across basal portion of secondaries, 

 or else (Loximitris) this band olive-green and the tail largely 

 yellow. 

 j. No yellow or red on tail; fore part of head red; under parts 

 without yellow (mostly white, unstreaked)..Carduelis (p.93) 

 jj. Tail more or le.«s extensively yellow, or red, toward base; fore 

 part of head without red; under parts yellow, or else white 

 streaked with dusky. 

 k. Secondaries with a broad basal band of clear yellow or red; 

 bill acute, with nearly straight outlines (extremely varia- 

 ble as to relative length and thickness) Spinus (p. 95) 



kk. Secondaries with a broad basal band of olive-green; bill 

 obtuse, somewhat swollen, with decidedly convex cul- 



™^^^ Loximitria (p. 106) 



/(. No clear yellow band across basal portion of secondaries; if a 

 yellowish olive band (.4. lawrencei), inner webs of rectnces 



^ with a white patch Astragalinus (p. 107) 



hh. Width of bill at base much more than half exjiosed culmen, its 

 tip not acute; remiges and rectrices without any yellow, red, 



orwhite Carpodacus (p. 12?) 



et'. Wing not more than four times as long as tarsus; plumage without yellow 



or red, the under parts not streaked; gonys convex Passer (p. 143) 



bb. :\Iandibular rami more than half as long as gonys, or else the bill much elon- 

 gated and the nostrils wholly exposed; nasal fosste larger, usually at least 

 partly exposed, or if covered by antrorse latero-frontal plumules (Passerina) 

 the wing-tip about twice as long as tarsus and claw of hallux longer than 

 its digit. 

 c. Hallux not distinctly larger or stouter than inner toe, its claw either nearly 

 straight or else longer than the digit; scutella of toes shorter, more promi- 

 nent, and pads of under surface broader, more corrugated; ^ claws of anterior 

 toes very small and nearly straight, or else {Passerina) nasal fossa? covered 

 by antrorse latero-frontal plumules; wing-tip more than one-third the total 

 length of wing, or else ( Calcarius, part) claws very small and nearly straight. 

 ( Calcariese. ) 



» These peculiarities of the feet, while perfectly obvious on comparison, are very 

 bfficult to express in exact terms, since they have defied all methods of measure- 

 ment which I have been able to apply. The toes appear to be relativelv shorter or 

 ftith relatively shorter phalanges than in the forms which follow, but measurements 

 ipparently do not confirm this impression. 



