BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 621 



Genus PHEUCTICUS Reichenbach. 



Pheuctiois Reichenbach, Av. 8yst. Nat., 1850, pi. 78, fig. 15. (Type, Pitylus 

 aureo-vcntris Lafresnaye and D'Orbigny.) 



Large thick-billed arboreal Fringillidte with long and rather pointed 

 wings, rather .short, slightly rounded or nearly even tail, and exposed 

 nostrils, the plumage chiefl}^ black and yellow with more or less of 

 white on wings. 



Bill very large (culmen from base nearly or quite as long as tarsus), 

 w^th superior and lateral outlines strongly convex, much deeper than 

 ))road at base, where the depth is nearly or quite equal to the length 

 of the exposed culmen; gonys straight or even perceptibly concave, 

 decidedly shorter than distance from nostril to tip of maxilla; maxilla 

 shallower than the mandible, its tomium slightl}^ notched near tip, con- 

 vex in the middle, then (immediately beneath nostril) deepl}- notched 

 and deflected obliquel}" downward in a nearly straight line to the 

 rictus; sides of maxilla swollen immediately anterior to the subbasal 

 notch; mandil)ular tomium convex for more than the terminal half, 

 then shallowly notched and abrupth' toothed and deflected obliquely 

 in a straight line to the rictus. Nostril exposed, small, nearly circular, 

 with rather broad superior and posterior membrane. Rictal ])ristles 

 weak, inconspicuous. Wing long (at least four and a half times as 

 long as tarsus), rather pointed (eighth to sixth primaries longest, the 

 ninth longer than the flfth); primaries exceeding secondaries by more 

 than the length of the tarsus. Tail less than three-fourths to more 

 than four-flfths as long as wing, slightly rounded, more than half hid- 

 den by the upper coverts. Tarsus longer than middle toe with claw; 

 lateral claws reaching to base of middle claw; hind claw much shorter 

 than its digit. 



Colom. — Chiefly l)lack and yellow (or ])lack and orange), with more 

 or less of white on wings (sometimes on tail also). 



Range. — Western Mexico to Peru and Bolivia. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF PHEUCTICUS. 



n. Middle and greater wing-eoverts with white terminal spots; adult males with a 

 l)roa<l white tip to lateral rectrices; sexes very different in coloration. 

 h. Under parts, etc., yellow. (Western and south-central Mexico. ) 



Pheucticus chrysopeplus (p. 621) 



hh. Under parts, etc., orange. (Guatemala.) Pheucticus aurantiacus (p. 623) 



rt«. Middle and greater wing-coverts whollj' black; adult male without white tip to 

 lateral rectrices; sexes alike in coloration. (Costa Rica and Veragua. ) 



Pheucticus tibialis (p. 623) 



PHEUCTICUS CHRYSOPEPLUS (Vigors). 

 VIGORSS GROSBEAK. 



Adtdt male. — Head, neck, median portion of back, lower back, rump, 

 and under parts uniform bright yellow (varying from deep lemon 



