480 HISTORY OF THE 



Genus PIPILO Vieilt.ot. 



"Bill rather stout; the culmen gently ciirved; the gonys nearly straight; 

 the commissure gently concave, with a decided notch near the end; the lower 

 jaw not so deep as the upper; not as wide as the gonys is long, but wider than 

 the base of the upper mandible. Feet large, the tarsus as long or a little longer 

 than the middle toe; the outer lateral toe a little the longer, and reaching a little 

 beyond the base of the middle claw. The hind claw about equal to its toe; the 

 two together about equal to the outer toe. Claws all stout, compressed, and 

 moderately curved; in some western specimens the claws much larger. Wings 

 reaching about to the end of the upper tail coverts; short and rounded, though 

 the primaries are considerably longer than the nearly equal secondaries and 

 tertials; the outer four quills are graduated, the first considerably shorter than 

 the second, and about as long as the secondaries. Tail considerably longer than 

 the wings, moderately graduated externally; the feathers rather broad, most 

 rounded off on the inner webs at the end. 



"The colors vary; the upper parts are generally uniform black or brown, 

 sometimes olive; the under, white or brown; no central streaks on the feathers. 

 The hood sometimes differently colored." 



Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linn.). 



TOWHEE. 

 PLATE XXIX. 



A resident in eastern Kansas; common in summer, and 

 throughout the year in the southern portion; in the western 

 part of the State, a rare migrant; begin laying early in May. 



B. 391. R. 237. C. 301. G. 119, 240. U. 587, 



Habitat. Eastern United States; west to eastern Dakota and 

 Texas; south to the Gulf coast. May occasionally breed through- 

 out its range, but chiefly from the northern portion of the 

 Southern States northward. 



Sp. Char. "Upper parts generally, head and neck all round, and upper part 

 of the breast, glossy black, abruptly defined against the pure white which ex- 

 tends to the anus, but is bounded on the sides and under the wings by light 

 chestnut, which is sometimes streaked externally with black. Feathers of throat 

 white in the middle. Under coverts similar to sides, but paler. Edges of outer 

 six primaries with white at the base and on the middle of the outer web; inner 

 two tertiaries also edged externally with white. Tail feathers black; outer web 

 of the first, with the ends of the first to the third white, decreasing from the 

 exterior one. Outermost quill usually shorter than ninth, or even than seconda- 

 ries; fourth quill longest, fifth scarcely shorter. Iris red; said to be sometimes 

 paler, or even white in winter. Female: With the black replaced by a rather 

 rufous brown. The tail feathers are only moderately graduated on the sides; 

 the outer about .40 of an inch shorter than the middle. The outer tail feathers 

 have the terminal half white, the outline transverse; the white of the second is 



