AURIPxYRUS SYNONYMY OF A. FLAYICEPS 129 



Genus AURIPARUS Baird 



Chars. — Head uot crested. AVings pointed, the second quill 

 being little shorter than the third ; the first spurious. Tail little 

 rounded, decidedly shorter than the wings. Bill uot typically 

 parine — extremely acute, with straight or slightly concave 

 under outline, and barely convex culmen ; longer aud slenderer 

 than usual in Parincv; nostrils scarcely concealed by the imper- 

 fect ruff. Tarsi relatively shorter thau in the preceding genera. 

 Bright colors on head (yellow) and wing (red). Plumage com- 

 paratively compact; sexes alike, but young very different from 

 the adult. Size very small. General form sylvicoline. I^est 

 globular, woven. Egg spotted. 



This remarkable genus departs widely from ordinary parine 

 characters, and I am far from satisfied with its reference to 

 this family, suspecting that Mr. Lawrence was nearer right in 

 describing the type-species as a Conlrostrum. The bill is de- 

 cidedly unlike that of any of the American genera of Paridm^ 

 resembling that of some species of the sylvicoline genus Eel- 

 mhitho2)haga, though stouter at base, in this coming still closer 

 to the form found iu some exotic genera of Ca'reMdw or 

 Bacnidce. Examination of the tongue in the fresh state might 

 give a clue to the true position of the genus. For the rest, the 

 character of the plumage, its changes, and the system of colora- 

 tion are peculiar as far as American Paridce are concerned. 



Yellow-iicaded Tercliii 



Anriparns flaviceps 



iEgitkalU!« flaviceps, Smid. "Ofvers. Svensk. Akad. Porh. vii. pt. v. 1850, 129". 



Psaltria flaviceps, Scl.pzs. 1856, 37. 



Paroides flaviceps, Bd. BNA. 1858, 400 ; ed. of 1860, pi. 53, f. 2.— Brf. Pr. Phila. Acad. xi. 



1859, 304 (Cape Saint Lucas).— Brf. U. S. Mex. B. Surv. ii. pt. ii. 1859, 14, pi. 15, f. 2 — 



Bd. Ives's Rep. Col. R. pt. vi. 1861, 6. 

 AeglthnlUS flaviceps, Hcerm. PRRR. X. 1859, Williamson's Route, Birds, 43. 

 Psaltriparus flaviceps, Sd. CAB. 1861, 13. 

 Auriparus flaviceps, Bd. RAB. 1864, 85.— Cowes, Pr. Piiila. Acad, xviii. 1866, 79 (Arizona) — 



Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1868, 83 (the same).— Coop. Am. Nat. iii. 1869, 474.— Ooop. B. 



Cal. i. 1870, 51, fig.— Coaes, Key, 1872, 82.-5. B. (f R. NAB. i. 1874, 112, figs. pi. 7, 



f. \\.—Hensh. Rep. Orn. Specs. 1874, m.—Hensh. Zool. Expl. W. 100 Merid. 1876, 173. 

 Conirostrum ornatum, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. V. 1852, 112, pi. 5, f. 1 (Texas).— 5i. Stansb. 



Rep. GSL. 1852, Zn.—McCoion, Ann. Lye. N. Y. vi. 1853, 9 (Texas). 



Hai;. — Valley of the Rio Grande and of the Colorado (not kuowu north to 

 Colorado or Utah). Lower California to Cape Saint Lucas. 



Ch. sp. — 5 $ Cinereus, alis canduque ohscuriorihits; infra 

 alMdus; capiteflavo,tectricibu8 alanim minoribns ruhrocastaneis. 

 9 B c 



