BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 



619 



(Cape St. Lucas). — Cooper and Suckley, Rep. Pacitic R. R. Surv., xii, pt. 

 ii, 1860, 206 (Fort Steilacoom, Washington). — Duces, La Naturaleza, i, 1868, 

 139 (Guanajuato).— SuMicHRAST, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H., i, 1869, 551 (alpine 

 and plateau regions of Vera Cruz). — Cooper, Orn. Cal. 1870, 228. 



G.luir<(ca^ melanocephala Bonaparte, Consp. Av., i, 1850, 502. 



'' Coccothraustes vielunocephalm UiCHA.RDSON, Proc. Brit. Assoc, for 1836 (1837)." 

 (Cones. ) 



Coccohorux mekmocephalns Audubon, Synopsis, 1839, 133; Birds Am., oct. ed., iii, 

 1841, 214, pi. 206.— Heermann, Rep. Pacific R. R. Surv., x, pt. iv, 1859, 51 

 (California, etc.). 



P. [iti/lns] melanocephalus Gray, Gen. Birds, ii, 1844, 362. 



FringiUa melanocephala Audubon, Orn. Biog., iv, 1838, 519, pi. 373. 



H.{edymeles\ melanocephala CABAms, Mus. Hein., i, July, 1851, 153 (Mexico). 



Hedymeles melanocephalus Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1857, 213 (Orizaba, 

 Vera Cruz); 1858, 303 (Oaxaca); 1859, 365 (Jalapa, Vera Cruz); 1864, 174 

 (City of Mexico); Cat. Am. Birds, 1862, 100 (Jalapa; Orizaba).— Lawrence, 

 Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H., ii, 1874, 275 (Mazatlan; plains of Colinia).— Baird, 

 Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Am. Birds, ii, 1874, 73, i)l. 30, figs. 1, 2.— 

 Henshaw, Rep. Orn. Spec. Wheeler's Surv., 1873 (1874), 81 (Fort Garland, 

 Colorado), 119 (Apache, Arizona; Fort Wingate, New Mexico) ; Zool. Exp. 

 W. 100th Merid., 1875, 296 (localities in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Ari- 

 zona; habits). — Ridgway, Orn. 40th Parallel, 1877, 488 (Sacramento, C-alifor- 

 nia; Nevada; Utah; habits, etc.).— Salvin, Cat. Strickland Coll., 1882, 218 

 (Mexico).— Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Am., Aves, i, 1884, 338.— 

 Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xii, 1888, 62. 



ments, but the averages of approximately equal series of specimens indicate more 

 or less decided differences, as the following will show : 



Locality. 



MALES. 



Eighteen adult males from Mexico 



Twenty-four adult males from Arizona to Wyo- 

 ming and Utah 



Fifteen adult males from California 



Five adult males from Lower California 



FEMALES. 



Five adult females from Mexico 



Seven adult females from Arizona to Wyoming 



etc 



Eight adult females from California 



Wing. 



10:5. 12 

 '.KS. 81 

 98.04 



99. 82 

 97. 79 



Tail. 



78.49 



81.79 

 77.47 

 77.98 



79. 25 

 78.23 



Ex- 

 posed 

 culmen. 



IS. .-)4 

 Iti. b\ 

 17. 27 



19. 0.5 

 17.53 



Depth 

 of bill 

 at base. 



14.73 



15. 49 

 13.97 

 14.22 



15. 75 

 14.99 



Tarsus. 



24.13 

 23.11 

 23.11 



23. SS 

 23. (12 



Middle 

 toe. 



17.78 

 17.78 



u;.7(; 



17.53 

 17.78 



As to coloration there is mucli less of geographic lint decidedly more individual 

 variation. Very few examples from California or Lower Califorina are without a 

 more or less distinct postocular tawny streak, a majority of them showing more or 

 less of a median occipital streak or patch of the same color, sometimes extending to 

 the forehead ; both these markings are occasionally present in specimens from the 

 Rocky Mountain district, the crown-stripe being conspicuously developed in a speci- 

 men from Fort Union, Nebraska. This style of coloration represents the "var. capi- 

 talist' of Professor Baird, the type of which is from the Columbia River. (No. 873, 

 U. S. Nat. Mus., Columbia River, July 28, 1835; J. K. Townsend. From Audubon's 

 collection.) In Mexican examples the head is usually "solid" ])lack, as in those of 

 the Rocky Mountain district of the United States. 



