BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 205 



Centronyx ochrocephalus Aiken Ridgway, Am. Nat., vii, Apr., 1873, 237 (El Paso 

 Co., Colorado; coll. C. E. Aiken). — Coues, Check List, 1873, no. 157 Us. — 

 Bated, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Am. Birds, ii, pi. 46, fig. 6. (See 

 Eidgway, Bull. Essex Inst., v, Nov., 1873, 190; Scott, Am. Nat., vii, 1873, 

 564; Coues, Am. Nat., vii, 1873, 696.) 



Genus COTURNICULUS Bonaparte. 



Cortumicidiis Bonaparte, Geog. and Comp. List., 1838, 32. (Type, FringiUa 

 2Msserina Wilson. ) 



Small terrestrial Fringillidte with the sixth primary a])ruptly shorter 

 than the seventh; hallux shorter than outer toe, but decidedh" longer 

 than inner toe, its claw shorter than distance from nostril to tip of 

 maxilla; edge of wing yellow; adult without black streaks on under 

 parts. Differing from Amrnodramus in having the outermost (ninth) 

 primary longer than the seventh; the tail relatively shorter (shorter 

 than wing by nearly length of tarsus), emarginate, or slightly double 

 rounded, with lateral rectrices but little if any shorter than middle 

 pair and much less acuminate. 



Range. — Temperate North America, including whole of Mexico; 

 Greater Antilles. (Monotypic.) 



If CoturniculuH is to be recognized even as a subgenus it must neces- 

 sarily be restricted (among known species) to C. saaannarmn and its 

 continental subspecies, since the two species usually associated are 

 found on comparison to differ quite decidedly in structural details, 

 which agree with those of Ainmodramus. 



The South American species usually referred to Cotunilculus are 

 still more different structurally, and have been removed by me into 

 another genus. ^ 



KEY TO THE SPJICIES AND SUBSPECIES OP COTURNICULUS. 



a. Tarsus longer (averaging 19.81 or more). 



h. Wing and tail shorter (wing averaging 56.64, tail 39.12); coloration slightly 

 darker. (Jamaica; Porto Rico; Cura^-ao; Bonaire.) 



Coturniculus savannarum savannarum (p. 206) 

 hh. Wing and tail longer (wing averaging 60.96, tail 44.20j; cdluration slightly 

 paler. (Eastern United States; Bahamas; Cuba.) 



Coturnicnlns savannarum passerinus (p. 207) 

 aa. Tarsus shorter (averaging 19.30 or less). 



b. ^luch darker in color (as in C. c. sairinnanuu); wing and tail much shorter, bill 



stouter (wing averaging 57.66, tail 42.93, depth of bill at base 7.62). (Coast 



district of Vera Cruz to Chiapas.) . .Coturniculus savannarum obscurus (p. 209) 



hi). Much paler (palest of all); wing and tail much longer, liill more slender (wing 



averaging 62.23, tail 46.99, depth of bill at base 6.10). (Western United 



States and south over plateau of Mexico.) 



Coturniculus savannarum bimaculatus (p. 209) 



^Myospiza Ridgway, Auk, xv, July (pub. May 14) , 1898, 224. (Type, FringiUa ma- 

 nimbe Lichtenstein. ) 



