BIEDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 581 



approaches C. versicolor in the form of the ]:)ill, but has a pointed 

 wing- and almost emarginate tail (the lateral rectrices being longer 

 than the middle pair), while its tarsus is much longer, relatively, than 

 that of an}" other species. C. cyanea has, like C. versicolor^ the maxilla 

 conspicuously narrower than the mandible, but the culmen is nearly 

 straight, and the commissure quite so as far as the abrupt basal angu- 

 lation. In wing and tail, C. cyanea agrees with C. ciris. C. amoena^ 

 which represents the opposite extremes of form from C. versicolor^ hav- 

 ing the culmen and commissure straight, like C. cyanea^\)\xt the latter is 

 nuich less deflected basalh", the maxilla not conspicuoush' narrower 

 than the mandible, and the bill is much less compressed; but it differs 

 from all its congeners in its distinctly emarginate tail, long outermost 

 primary (but little shorter than the eighth). It is also the onh' species 

 which has white wing-bands and white under parts. C. rosita-^ again, 

 is peculiar in its long and narrow bill. 



KEY TO THE 8PECIES OF CYAXOSPIZA. 



a. Abdomen blue. (Eastern United States; south to isthmus of Panama in winter. ) 



Cyanospiza cyanea, adult male (p. 582) 

 aa. Abdomen not blue. 

 h. Abdomen white, or nearly so. 

 c. Wings with one or two white Imrs. 



d. Head, neck, and rumj:) blue. (Western United States; south through west- 

 ern Mexico in winter. ) Cyanospiza amoena, adult male (p. 584) 



dd. Head above brown, throat dull lirownish white or pale brownish; rump 



olive-grayish or dull bluish Cyanospiza amoena, adult female (p. 585) 



cc. Wings without any white bars. 



(/. Tail shorter (less than 49.53, averaging 48.26); chest more or less streaked. 

 Cyanospiza cyanea, adult female and young (pp. 581, 582) 

 dd. Tail longer (not less than 50.55, averaging 50.04* or more) ; chest without 

 trace of streaks. (Mexico, Lower California, and southern Texas.) 



Cyanospiza versicolor, adult female, summer (p. 591 ) 

 hh. Abdomen not white or whitish. 

 c. Abdomen dull purplish; forehead and rimip purplish blue; tliroat and occiput 

 reddish. (Mexico; Lower California; southern Texas.) 



Cyanospiza versicolor, adult male (p. 591) 

 cc, Aljdomen not purplish. 



d. Abdomen pale brownish or pinkish brown. 

 e. Bill smaller (exposed culmen less than 11.43). 



Cyanospiza versicolor, young (p. 591) 

 I'l'. Bill larger (exposed culmen not less than 13.72). 

 /. Ruuip dull bluish or tinged with blue. (States of Oaxaca and Chiapas, 



southern ^Mexico. ) Cyanospiza rositae, adult female (p. 590) 



jf. Rump without l)lue tinge Cyanospiza rositae, young (p. 590) 



dd. Abdomen red or yellow. 

 e. Abdomen red. 

 /. Under parts vermilion red; rumj:) dull red; back yellowish green. 

 (More southern United States, south t() Bahamas, Cuba, and Veragua 



in winter. ) Cyanospiza ciris, adult male (p. 586) 



ff. Under parts blue anteriorly, mixed l)lue and ijinkish red posteriorly; 

 ujjper parts wholly blue Cyanospiza rositae, adult male (p. 590) 



