1646 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 PAKT 3 



as it enters the pelvic region. Down is abundant in the humeral tract. In the 

 alar tract, it is distributed in two rows on the dorsal surface. A prominent patch 

 is found in each femoral tract, and scattered tufts can be detected in the crural 

 tract. Mandibles are flesh color, darkening at the tip. Tarsi, toes, and claws 

 are pale flesh color. 



L. J. Moriarty (1965) adds that the mouth lining is "yellowish- 

 orange." 



T. S. Koberts (1932) describes the juvenal plumage as: 



"Feathers of upper parts dusky centrally, edged with buffy and 

 grayish- white producing a scaled rather than striped appearance; 

 throat, abdomen, and under tail-coverts plain white; pale buff on 

 breast, more or less thickly streaked and spotted with dusky-black; 

 wings, including greater coverts, buffy-gray, the latter tipped with 

 pale buff; middle and lesser coverts dark, tipped and edged with 

 buffy-white, producing two rather indistinct buffy wing-bars; tail as 

 in adult." 



He notes that in the first fall and winter plumage of the male: 

 "The black of crown and underparts and the chestnut collar are 

 largely acquired at the postjuvenal molt but are almost entirely 

 obscured by buffy-white edgings of feathers. * * * The first nuptial 

 plumage is assumed before spring by the wearing off of the light 

 feather-edgings and a partial molt on head and breast. The adult 

 male, after the postnuptial molt, is similar, but the concealed black is 

 more extensive, and the middle and lesser wing-coverts are purer 

 black and white." 



He describes the male in breeding plumage as : 



Top of head, a broad line back of eye, a spot below ear-coverts, and underparts 

 from chin to belly black; a small spot on occiput, a broad line over eye, lores, and 

 a collar across throat white; chin pale buff (the white collar separating the buff 

 from the black of lower throat); a collar across hindneck deep clear chestnut; 

 back striped with dull black and gray, indistinctly so on rump and upper tail- 

 coverts; wings, including greater coverts, brownish-gray; middle and lesser 

 coverts black, tipped with white, broadly on the lesser forming a white patch; 

 tertiaries brown, tipped and edged with light; the closed tail appears dark above, 

 white below; spread it is largely white except middle pairs of feathers; the two 

 outer pairs of feathers are almost wholly white, the others white at base with 

 terminal oblique dark areas, decreasing in extent outward, thus not producing 

 the terminal barred appearance seen in McCown's longspur. The wing-lining, a 

 patch on either side of the breast, belly, and under tail-coverts white. The 

 black of the abdomen is sometimes streaked with chestnut. Bill dusky above, 

 light on cutting-edges and at base below; legs and feet dusky-flesh color; iris 

 brown. 



The female he describes as : 



"A dull-colored bird, smaller than the male, striped throughout 

 above with dull black, pale rufous, and grayish; a slightly paler 

 collar across hindneck; below dull buff, lighter on chin and upper 

 throat; faintly streaked on sides and across breast with fine dark 



