CARDINALIS. 441 



' buffy, under tail-coverts deep tawny, and upper parts 

 deeper brownish gray, or grayish brown. 



Light or taAvny cinnamon-ochraceous of throat usually 

 sj)otted or flecked with dusky ; top of head browner 

 than back, but not rufescent. Young : Above similar 

 to adult, but browner, the middle and greater wing- 

 coverts edged and tipped with isabella-color ; beneath 

 dull light buff}-, changing to dull tawny buff posteriorly 

 and on throat, and to dull grayish brown along sides, 

 the entire fore-neck, chest, breast, etc., streaked with 

 grayish dusky. Length 8.50-9.00, wing 3.70-4.00 

 (3.87), tail 4.40-4.75 (4.53), exposed culmen .55-.62 

 (.57), tarsus LlO-1.16 (1.13). Eggs .99 X -61, colored 

 like those of P. albigula. Hab. California. 

 591&. P. fuscus crissalis (Vig.). Californian Towhee. 

 c*. Lores and chin dusky ; lower throat and chest plain light buffy cinna- 

 mon, or fawn-color. 



Above plain grayish brown, becoming more decidedly brown on 

 top of head ; quills edged with grayish ; low^er parts nearly 

 uniform light fawn-color, paler on belly and changing to cinna- 

 mon-tawny on under tail-coverts ; length 8.50-9.00, wing 3.40- 

 3.90, tail 4.75-5.00. Eggs .99 X -70, pale greenish blue or 

 bluish white, speckled and scratched on or round larger end 

 with dark brown, sometimes mixed with madder-brown. Hah. 

 New Mexico and Arizona, north into southern Utah and Colo- 

 rado 592. P. aberti Baird. Abert's Towhee. 



Genus CARDINALIS Bonaparte. (Page 382, pi. CXII., fig. 1.) 



Species. 



Common Characters. — Adult males bright vermilion-red, darker on upper 

 parts ; feathers round base of bill black (restricted to chin in G. phosniceus). Adult 

 females brownish above, -pale tawny or buffy beneath, the crest, wings, and tail dull 

 reddish. Young much like adult female, but colors duller, the bill blackish. West 

 a rather frail structure of fine rootlets, strips of grape-vine bark, etc., in bushes, 

 brambles, grape-vines, or low trees. Eggs 2-4, white, greenish white, or brownish 

 white, spotted or speckled with various shades of brown and lilac-gray. 



a}. Culmen nearly straight to near tip, where gently curved ; upper mandible about 

 as deep as the lower, its edge shghtly lobed anterior to the slight angle, 

 without grooves ; color of bill bright vermilion-red in life ; feathers all round 

 base of bill black, the throat also black. Adult females with under wing- 

 coverts pinkish red. 

 6^ Feathers of crest soft, blended ; male with crest brownish red or deep ver- 



56 



