262 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MU-^EUM. 



vex subbasally and concave anteriorly, without s^u))terminal notch, the 

 slio'htly deflt^cted rictal portion nearly or (juite concealed l)y loral 

 feathers; mandibular tomiuni nearl}' or quite straight to the subbasal 

 angle, where moderately deflected. Nostril small, roundish, in ante- 

 rior end of nasal fossj©; rictal bristles rather distinct. Wing rather 

 long (about three and a quarter to three and a half times as long as 

 tarsus), slightly rounded (ninth primary equal to fourth or third, 

 eighth to fifth (piills longest); primaries exceeding secondaries by 

 decidedly more than length of exposed culmen; tertials not longer than 

 secondaries. Tail rather long (nearly equal to wing, a little more than 

 three times to more than three and a half times as long as tarsus), 

 rounded or dou])le-rounded (diflerence between longest and shortest 

 rectrices not more than length of maxilla from nostril), the rectrices 

 broad and rounded at ends. Tarsus decidedly longer than middle toe 

 with claw, its scutella distinct; lateral claws falling decidedly short 

 of base of middle claw; claws all normally curved, strong, the hind 

 claw a little shorter than its digit. 



Coloration. — Plain grayish or grayish Ijrown alcove, the back some- 

 times narrowl}' streaked with black; tail blackish, the outermost retrix 

 usually with more or less conspicuous white or otherwise light-colored 

 edging, sometimes with a white spot at end of inner web; underparts 

 white medially, the chin, throat, and chest sometimes black. 



Although 1 at one time referred several Mexican species to this 

 genus, I am now satisfied that only one species besides the type can 

 properh" be referred to it. A. helli (with its several geographic 

 forms), while agreeing with the type species in the lengthened wing- 

 tip and most other characters, has the wing relatively shorter and tail 

 longer than in ^1. h/l!neata^ the wing being but little more than three 

 times as long as the tarsus, instead of more than three and a half times 

 as long. It is a more terresti'ial bird, and carries the tail elevated at 

 a considerable angle. 



Considerable doubt attaches to the position of ^^ Z< mot rich ia"'^ qum- 

 quedriata^ which some authors (myself among the number) have placed 

 in Ain])Mspiza. Its style of coloration so strongly resembles that of 

 A. hUmeata that it seems almost unreasonable to place it in a difierent 

 genus, but the wing-formula certainh^ agrees nmch better with that of 

 Aimoj)hila^ the outermost (ninth) primary being shorter than the first, 

 instead of equal to or longer than the third. Should it be finally 

 decided to place this species in AnqjJiisphii^ the generic characters of 

 the latter would of course have to be modified in order to admit it. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES AXD SCBSPECIES OF AMPHISPIZA. 



a. A conspicuous white superciliary stripe; sides and flanks not streaked; adults with 



chin, throat, and part of chest black. {Amphisplza hiUneatd.) 



h. Smaller (averaging wing 62.48, tail 58.67), with larger white spot at tip of inner 



web of lateral tail-feather (averaging 14.73 in lenirth) . (Northeastern Mexico 



to western Kansas. ) Amphispiza bilineata bilineata ( p. 263) 



