BIRDS OF KANSAS. 3(^3 



Sp. Char. "Above and on the sides of the head, neck and breast, grayish 

 brown, darker on the crown; region above the eye dusky. The chin, throat and 

 npper part of the breast similar to the back, but rather lighter, and tinged with 

 the colors of the rest of the lower parts, which are pale cinnamon. Under wing 

 coverts pale rusty white. The wings of a rather deeper tint than the back, with 

 the exterior veins and tips of the quills darker. Edges of the greater and sec- 

 ondary coverts, of the outer vein of the outer primary, and of the secondaries 

 and tertials, dull white. The upper tail coverts and tail nearly black. Edge of 

 outer vein of exterior tail feather white. Second, third and fourth quills nearly 

 equal; fifth nearly equal to sixth; sixth much shorter than the first. Tail 

 broad, emarginate. Tarsi with a posterior row of scales." 



Length. 



Male 8.00 



Female... 7.50 



Iris dark brown; bill, legs, feet and claws black. 



These hardj, bleached birds of the plains do not appear to 

 differ in actions from 8. phoehe; their notes are, however, some- 

 what different, with more of a tremulous, wailing sound; and 

 the layers of mud in their nests are thinner, often on the dry, 

 sterile plains, wholly without the same. They winter from 

 Texas, New Mexico and California southward. They are among 

 the first arrivals and last to leave their summer homes. 



A set of five eggs, taken May 15th, 1882, at Santa Fe, New 

 Mexico, from a nest on the wall of an adobe house, measure: 

 .69X.50, .71X.55, .72x.55, .72x.56, .T4x.54; chalky white; in 

 form, ovate. 



Genus CONTOPUS Cabanig. 

 "Tarsus very short, but stout; less than the middle toe and scarcely longer 

 than the hinder; considerably less than the culmen. Bill quite broad at the 

 base; wider than half the culmen. Tail moderately forked. Wings very long 

 and much pointed, reaching beyond the middle of the tail; the first primary 

 about equal to the fourth. All the primaries slender and rather acute, but not 

 attenuated. Head moderately crested. Color olive above, pale yellowish be- 

 neath, -with a darker patch on the sides of the breast. Under tall coverts 

 streaked in most species. A tuft of cottony white feathers on each side of the 

 rump (concealed iu most species)." 



Subgenus NUTTALLORNIS Ridgw. 

 Tarsus shorter than middle toe with claw. Primaries exceeding seconda- 

 ries by two and half times the length of the tarsus; wing exceeding tail by about 

 half the length of the latter; first quill much longer than the fourth, often 

 longer than third; a very conspicuous white cottony patch on each side of rump; 



