614 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



KKY TO TFTE St'ECIES OF ZAMELODIA. 



a. Under wing-coverts rose red (male) or saffron yellow (female); adult male with 

 plumage black, white, and rose red. (Eastern North America; south to Ecua- 

 dor. ) 



Zamelodia ludoviciana (p. 614) 



an. Under wing-coverts clear lemon yellow in both sexes; adult male with plumage 



black, white, orange-tawny, and lemon yellow. (Western United States; 



Mexico.) Zamelodia melanocepliala (p. 617) 



ZAMELODIA LUDOVICIANA (Linnaeus). 

 ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 



Adult male in summer. — ^Head, neck, back, and scapidars uniform 

 black; wing's black, relieved by a large patch of white on basal portion 

 of primaries, white spots at tips of innermost greater coverts and ter- 

 tials, and a broad white })and conijiosed of the middle coverts; upper 

 tail-coverts l)lack, with large terminal spots of white; tail black, with 

 inner webs of three outermost rectrices extensively white terminally; 

 chest, median portion of breast, under wing-coverts, and axillars rose 

 red or light carmine (varying to geranium or peach-blossom pink, 

 more rarely to light poppy red)'; rest of under parts of body white, 

 the rump also white; maxilla light brownish, becoming dusky ter- 

 minally; mandil)le paler (more lilaceous in life); iris brown; legs and 

 feet grayish horn color. 



Adult mule in winter. — Wings, tail, and upper tail-coverts as in 

 summer; head, neck, back, and scapulars l)rown, more or less streaked 

 with black, the blackish streaks broadest on scapulars, which are 

 merely margined with brown; color of head relieved by a median 

 crown- stripe, a superciliary stripe, and malar stripe of pale buffy or 

 butfy whitish; under parts brownish white or pale brownish (paler or 

 more purel}^ white posteriorly), the chest, sides, and flanks more 

 or less streaked with dusky, the tirst more or less extensively tinged 

 or sufl;used with rose red or rose pink. 



Young male in first tvinter. — Similar to the adult male in winter, 

 but wings, upper tail-coverts, and tail grayish brown, instead of black, 

 the last without any white, the tirst with the white markings much 

 reduced and more or less tinged with brown; back and scapulars more 

 uniforml}^ brown; rump brown, or butty olive; chest, sides, and flanks 

 more deeply fulvous and more heavily streaked, the tirst with little, if 

 any, red or pink; under wing-coverts and axillars rose pink, as in 

 adults. 



Adidt female {summer and viinter). — Much like the 3"oung male, but 

 under wing-coverts and axillars yellow (maize yellow, chrome yellow, 

 or light orange-yellow) instead of rose pink. 



* The red or pink sometimes invades the throat, occasionally occupying the entire 

 gular area; frequently it reaches backward, along the median line, to the abdomen; 

 more rarely the rump is pinkish. 



