392 Birds of Colorado 



marked throughout with spots and blotches of various 

 shades of broAvii and lavender, and measure "88 x 'QS. 



Genus PIPILO. 



Large terrestrial or semi-terrestrial Finches, exceeding seven inches 

 in length, with moderate conical bills and very short and roiinded 

 wings ; ninth (outer) primary very short, usually shorter than the 

 second, seventh to fifth the longest ; tail long, clearly exceeding the 

 wing and more or less graduated ; feet stout and strong. Plumage 

 either pied, black and white and rufous, or plain brownish ; only the 

 young streaked. 



This is a large genus, containing, according to Ridgway, twelve 

 species, separated into some twenty-six subspecies, and distributed 

 over North and Central America as far as Guatemala. 



A. Tliroat and chest black or dusky -brown ; outer tail-feathers 



tipped with white. 



a. Tail longer, averaging 4-0 ; white spot on the outer tail- 



feather about 1-1 in length. P. m. montanus, p. 392. 



b. Tail shorter, averaging 3-80 ; white spot on the outer tail- 



feather about 1-35 in length. P. m. arcticus, p. 394. 



B. Throat and chest without black, like rest of under-parts ; tail- 



feathers without white. 



a. Crown rufous ; lores not dusky. P. mesoleucus, p. 394. 



b. Crown browTi Hke the back ; lores and chin dusky. 



P. aberti, p. 395. 



Mountain or Spurred Towhee. Pipilo maculatus montanus. 



A.O.U. Checkhst no 588a— Colorado Records— Allen 72, p. 150 

 (P. erythrophthalmus oregomis) ; Ridgway 73, p. 192 ; Trippe 74, p. 176 

 (P. mac. arcticus); Henshaw 75, p. 303; Drew 81, p. 139 ; 85, p. 16 ; 

 Allen & Brewster 83, p. 191 ; Beckham 85, p. 142 ; 87, p. 125 ; Morrison 

 88, p. 74 ; Lowe 92, p. 101 ; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 108, 216 ; Keyser 02, 

 p. 36 ; Dille 03, p. 74 ; Henderson 03, p. 236 ; 09, p. 238 ; Warren 06, 

 p. 23 ; 08, p. 23 ; 09, p. 16 ; Oilman 07, p. 157 ; Markham 07, p. 157 ; 

 Rockwell 08, p. 173. 



Description. — Male — General colour above, including the head, neck 

 and breast, black, shading to dusky-grey on the rump ; edges of some 

 of the primaries and secondaries, tips of the middle and greater coverts, 

 edges of the scapulars and some of the feathers of the back, terminal 

 portions of the tlu-ee outer pairs of tail-feathers and outer web, as well 

 as in the outer pair, all white ; below, centre of the lower-breast and 

 abdomen white, sides and flanks tawny-rufous, becoming paler on the 

 under taU-coverts ; iris red, bill black, feet horn-brown. Length 

 8-0 ; wing 3-50 ; tail 4 ; culmen -55 ; tarsus 1-00 ; hind claw averages 

 60 ; and white on lateral tail-feather l-l 



