176 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



ing short of base of middle claw; hind claw much shorter than its 

 digit. 



Colors. — Adult witli ear-coverts and broad stripe on each side of 

 crown chestnut, separated by })road whitish superciliary and median 

 vertical stripes; back brownish streaked with black; broad tips to 

 rectrices (except middle pair), "speculum" at base of primaries, and 

 most of under parts white. 



RaiKje. — Sparsely wooded districts of more western United States 

 and Mexico. (Monotypic.) 



KEY TO THE SPECIES AXD SUBSPECIES OF CHOXDESTES. 



a. Darker and more broadly streaked above ; chestnut 1 lead-inarkings darker. ( Semi- 

 wooded districts of Mississippi Valley. ) 



Chondestes grammacus grammacus (p. 176) 



aa. Paler and more narrowly streaked above;, chestnut head-markings lighter. (East- 

 ern edge of Great Plains to the Pacific, and south over plateau to southern 

 Mexico. ) Chondestes grammacus strigatus (p. 178) 



CHONDESTES GRAMMACUS GRAMMACUS (Say). 

 LARK SPARROW, 



Above brownish gra}' or gra^-ish brown, the back streaked with 

 blackish; tail (except middle rectrices) broadly tipped with white; 

 under parts mostly white. 



Adults {sexes ah'h/). — Pileum and auricular region chestnut, the 

 former with a median stripe of pale brownish gray or grayish buff 

 (whitish anteriorly), the broader chestnut stripes blackish anteriorly; 

 a black streak across lores; a black rictal streak confluent with the 

 chestnut auricular patch; a black submalar streak; a broad superciliary 

 stripe of white, becoming more or less buffy posteriorly; a large cres- 

 centic suborbital spot, a small post-auricular spot, and a malar stripe, 

 white; under parts white, becoming buffy gra3'ish brown on sides and 

 flanks, the chest more or less tinged with the same and marked in cen- 

 ter with a blackish spot; back, scapitlars, lesser wing-coverts, and 

 upper tail-coverts brownish gra}^ or graj'ish brown (hair brown), the 

 back and scapulars broadly streaked with black; wrings (except lesser 

 coverts) dusky with light grayish brown edgings, the middle coverts 

 tipped with white, or dull buffy white (producing a rather distinct 

 band), and the eighth to lifth or fourth primaries with white at the base 

 (producing a more or less conspicuous patch); middle pair of rectrices 

 dusky grayish brown, the remaining rectrices black, abruptly tipped 

 with white, this white tip occupying nearly if not quite the exposed 

 terminal half on outermost rectrix; maxilla deep l)rownish becoming 

 blackish at tip; mandible paler (more or less bluish or lilaceous in life); 

 iris brown; legs and feet pale brownish (the toes rather darker). 



