BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 305 



Genus SPIZELLA Bonaparte. 



Spizella Bonaparte, Saggio di una Distr. Met. An. Vert. 1832 UO fTvnP 

 FringinapusiUa Wilson.) ' " ^^^^'^' 



Spinites^ Cabaxis, Mus. Hein., i, April, 1851, 133. (Type,^ FringUla .nnalis 

 Wilson.) -^ 



Small arboreal or semi-arboreal .sparrows with small bill, long- emar- 

 ginate or double-rounded tail, and back conspicuously streaked 



Bill small (exposed culmen a.suaily less than half as long- as tarsus 

 never much more), conical, much deeper than broad at base; depth at 

 base less than length of maxilla from nostril; culmen slio-htly conyex 

 terminally and basally, straight or faintly depressed between; o-onys 

 straight, about equal to basal depth of bill; maxillary tomium wfthout 

 subterminal notch, faintly concaye anteriorly and conyex posteriorly 

 the basal deflection nearly or quite concealed by rictal feathers- man- 

 dilnilar tomium straight or slightly concaye to the subbasal angle 

 Nostril small, triangular (apex forward) or linear, only the anterior 

 portion exposed. Wing rather long (about three and one-lifth to four 

 and one-third times as long as tarsus), rather pointed (eighth to fifth 

 primaries longest, ninth shorter than sixth); primaries exceedino- 

 secondaries usually by decidedly less than length of tarsus (by a little 

 more in S. sockdis). Tail variable in proportionate length (decidedly 

 shorter than wing in monticola and socialls, nearly as long in mmlla 

 ^^uT'T' ^'"/^ ^^^^i^^e^lly longer in cdrogdaris), deeply emarginated, 

 with the lateral rectrices nearly longest {sociali^; double-rounded with 

 lateral feathers much shorter than the middle pair {atrogularl^) or 

 intermediate (other species), the rectrices narrow, obtusely pointed at 

 tips, less than half overlaid by upper coverts. Tarsus moderate (usu- 

 ally more, rarely less, than twice as lon^ as exposed culmen), its 

 scutel a distinct; middle toe with claw slightly shorter than tarsus- 

 lateral claws not reaching to base of middle claw; hallux nearly equal 

 to inner toe, its claw shorter than the digit. 



Coloration.—B^ck and scapulars brownish, streaked with black- 

 ower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts plain grayish or grayish 

 brown, or else very indistinctly streaked; greater wing-coverts (and 

 usually middle coverts also) tipped, more or less distinctly, with white 

 or light brownish; lower parts plain whitish, grayish, or pale brownish 

 (belly always white) in adults, streaked with dusky in young (except 

 'S. atrogularu). 



KEV TO THE SPECIES AXD SrBSPECIES OF SPIZELLA. 



(I. Chest without streaks. 



b. Pileum rufous or rusty, or else gray tinged with rustv laterally. 

 r-. A dusky spot in center of breast. 



' "Von dTtiva, ;) nom. prop." 



'In reality a substitute for Spizella, rejecte.l as of bad ..r unclassical construction 

 17024—01 20 



