FINCHES, SPARRC5^VS, ETC. 329 



tipped with black — outer feather almost entirely white. Adult male in 

 summer : crown black in sharp contrast to white superciliary ; shoulder patch 

 reddish hrow7i ; back brownish gray, streaked with black ; sides of head and 

 throat whitish, with black streak from bill alongside of throat ; chest icith 

 black crescentic patch ; rest of under parts white, more or less mixed with 

 black, especially on sides. Adult m(de in winter: upper parts uniform brown- 

 ish buff, streaked with blackish brown ; black of chest largely hidden by 

 buffy tips to feathers. Adult female : like winter male, but without black 

 chest patch or rufous shoulder patch, brownish above and buffy below ; in 

 summer grayer above and whiter below. Young : upper parts dusky, the 

 feathers broadly bordered with pale buff ; under parts white, distinctly 

 washed with buff across chest, chest sometimes indistinctlv streaked. Male : 

 length (skins) .*).ll()-.').Tl. wing ;]..">0-:l.(i'.), tail l.'i()-2.2(),"bill .44-..')2. Fe- 

 male: length (skins) .").02-5.41, wing- ;{.1.')-;5.4l'. tail I.SO-I.'IS. bill .42-47. 



Distribution. — Breeds on the interior plains from the [Saskatchewan 

 south to eastern Nebraska ; winters south through Texas and Arizona to 

 northern Mexico. 



Nest. — On ground in open places, composed largely of dried grasses, 

 lined usually w ith hair and feathers. Eggs : 8 to 0, similar to those of 

 the chestnut-collared longspur, but usually with ground color more olive. 



Food. — Largely weed seed. 



The habits of RhynrJiophdncs are very similar to those of the other 

 longspurs. When disturbed at a meal they circle in undulating 

 flight uttering, Colonel Goss says, 'a chip note at each stroke of the 

 wing.' In the breeding season they have a flight song like that of 

 the Lapland longspur. hovering with wings pointed almost straight 

 upwards. 



GENUS POCECETES. 



General Characters. — Bill small, conical ; wing long and pointed ; tail 

 emarginate ; tarsus longer than middle toe with claw. 



KKV TO SPECIES. 



1. Larger, coloration grayer above. Plains to Pacific . confinis. p. o20. 

 1'. Smaller, coloration browner above. In California and Oregon. 



affinis, p. 330. 



540a. Pooecetes graniineus confinis Baird. AVf.stekn Ves- 



I'KK Si'AItUOW. 



Upper parts brownish gray n.irrowly streaked witli dusky; bend of u-ing 

 reddish brown; outer tail feathers parti n white; under parts 

 dull white, more or less tinged with pale buffy; streaked 

 along .sides of throat and across chest, ^fale : length 



''iK »!'•' (skins) r).r)0-().2r). wing ;;. 12-3.41, tail 2.40-2.70, bill .43- 



.4(5. Female : length (skins) O/Jl-O.lHt, wing: 3 00-3.30, tail 2.27-2.08, bill 

 .41-.40. 



liemarks. — The western vesper sparrow may be distinguished from the 

 eastern ])y its grayer color, narrowt-r streaks, ;uul usually nu)re slender bill 

 and longer wing and tail. 



Distribution. — Upper Sonoran and Transit icui /one^i from tlu' Plains to 

 the Pacific, and from British Columbia, .Vssiniboia. and .Manit(»ba south to 

 Lower (-alifornia and southern Mexico. Bn-eds from northern Now Mexico 

 and Arizona nortliw.-ird. 



