26 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



natural and fairly well characterized group if the genera Aainthidops 

 and Snnlt'.'^ be taken out' and Chloris and Chaunojyroctm added. ^ 

 Indeed these two groups (i. e., the "Coccothraustintv" and "Fringil- 

 linse" as properly limited) together come very near being trenchantly 

 separated from all other Fringillida^; but the genus Passer Ina seems 

 to connect them, the latter being in all respects (as to external charac- 

 ters) except the shape of the bill like Leucosticte (a typical "fringil- 

 line" form), while the bill is very similar to that of a typical Emhe- 

 riza. All of the forms comprising the above-mentioned groups are of 

 northern distribution (many of the genera being circumpolar), only the 

 genus Spinm extending into the Neotropical Region proper, excepting 

 its near relation, Loxiniitris^ confined to one of the Greater Antilles. 



These northern groups present little difficulty, except as to the 

 determination of the question whether they should be regarded as 

 constituting one large group distinct from all other Fringillida? or as 

 comprising a greater or less number of smaller groups, of equal A^alue 

 with similar groups in the larger assemblage of purely American 

 forms to be (-onsidered separately. Although unable to fully satisfy 

 myself as to which course would be best, 1 have, for the present, con- 

 cluded to adopt the latter alternative; and, therefore, instead of recog- 

 nizing two groups, equivalent to Dr. Sharpens Coccothraustinti? and 

 Fringillinai, as amended, or one group including the two, four groups, 

 Coccothrausteaj, Loxite, Pyrrhulffi, and Fringillte, are provisionally 

 adopted. 



These coccothraustine and f ringilline types having thus been tempo- 

 rarily disposed of, there remains the very numerous assemblage of 

 peculiarly American;' genera. These, with the exception of the group 

 which 1 have here named Calcarieje (comprising the genera Passerina^ 

 Calcarius, and Rhynchophanes^ which are evidentl}^ related to Palee- 

 arctic types*), are all peculiar to America (mostly to the Neotropical 

 Region) and with few^ exceptions not at all like any Old World tjq^es. 

 It is this group Avhich presents the greatest difficulties in the way of 

 satisfactory classification. Not only do the different groups (or what 

 seem to be natural groups) run into one another in a most perplexing 



' Acanthidops is certainly not a member of the Fringillinte, its nearest relation Ijeing 

 undoubtedly the "emberizine" genus Haplospiza. I am reasonably sure thatSicalis 

 also is an "emberizine" form (related to Haplospiza, Pseudochlorls, etc.), notwith- 

 standing the remarkable superficial resemblance of some of the species to the truly 

 fringilline genus SerinnK. 



^ (Jhaimoproctns seems to be a crass-billed (Jar'jxxlacus, an apiiroach to its characters 

 being seen in the insular Carpodacyn amphis. 



^Excepting only Passerina, and Calcarius, the latter chiefly American, since \\\o of 

 the three known species are peculiar to the Nearctic Region. 



' AVhether there are terrestrial FringilUe or specialized Emberizie I am unable to 

 determine. 



