THE HEPBURN LEUCOSTICTE. 77 



however, only scanty crumbs of information have come tO' us concerning tiiis 

 most interesting and widely distributed race of Highlanders. 



Tiie Gray-crowned Leucosticte is considered the central figure of the 

 genus, shading^', as it does, into L. atrata of the Bitterroots and L. aiistnilis 

 of Colorado, into L. t. littoralis of southern British Columbia, Washington 

 and Oregon, and (perhaps thru littoralis) into grisconucha of the Aleutians. 

 This assumes for the species a center of distribution in the Rocky Mountains 

 of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan where the bird is known to 

 occur. And so because of the greater severity of the winters in its normal 

 haunts this form is found to be the greatest wanderer of its group, being 

 frequently driven in the fall far out upon the central eastern plains or down 

 the "insifle passage" between the Rockies and Sierras. 



It was in this fashion, probably, that a colony of this species became 

 established in the southern Sierras of California, where it now maintains a 

 vigorous existence separated, as we suppose, by at least a thousand miles 

 from the parent stock in British Columbia. 



No. 28. 



HEPBURN'S LEUCOSTICTE. 



A. O. U. No. 524a. Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis (Baird). 



Synonyms. — Rosy Finch. Hepburn's Rosy Finch. B.-mrd's Rosy Finch. 



Description. — Adult male iu sunnucr: Forehead and fore-crown black; 

 occiput, broadly, and sides of head, clear ashy gray, color sometimes encroaching 

 on chin and throat ; nasal plumules grayish white ; remaining plumage in general 

 chestnut, chpcolate. or rich vandyke brown, sharply contrasting with ashy gray on 

 hind-neck and sides of head, inclining to blackish on throat, streaked with dusky 

 on back and with more or less admixture of dusky on feather tips, especially on 

 wings and flanks ; feathers of upper and under tail-coverts, rump and flanks 

 broadly and distinctly tipped with pink (of variable shade): wings and tail 

 blackish ; lesser and middle coverts broadly tipped with pink, the greater coverts, 

 primary coverts and part of the flight feathers edged with pink or light carmine ; 

 rectrices with more or less edging of pinkish gray or light brown ; bill black ; feet 

 and legs black. Adult female: of somewhat paler and duller coloration. Adults 

 iu "ci'iuter: Feathers of back and scapulars edged with light brown; pink edgings 

 of wings, etc., paler, and body plumage, especially on breast, with more or less 

 pale skirting; Ijill yellow with dusky tip (this character is assumed as early as 

 September). Length of adult male: 6.15 (156.2); wing 4.00 (101.6); tail 2.60 

 (66) ; bill .45 ( 11.4) ; tarsus .75 (19). 



Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; plumage warm brown with rosy skirt- 

 ings; ashy gray on sides of head as distinguished from L. tef^lirocotis. 



a. Ry "sliading" here is not meant subspecific relationship, altho tiiis does obtain as regarding both 

 grisconucha and littoralis, but ratlier suggestive relationsiiip, assumed divergence from a common stock. 



