156 



SINGING BIRDS— OSCINES. 



streaked with darkiT Iji-own, ;inil with only an occassional gloss of rcildish, except on the 

 crown, which is luiitbrni deej) crimson, and on the rump. Sides oi' the head and neck, 

 throat, and npj)er part of breast, with riiinp, [lale rose-color ; rest of under jiarts white, 

 very faintly and sparsely streaked with brown. 



Female without any red, and streaked on the head and upper parts with brown. 

 Length, 6.50 ; extent, Ki.75 ; wing, 3.60 ; tail, 2.60. Iris, bill, and feet brown. 



Hah. Iloeky Mountains and valley of the Colorado to the Sierra Nevada, lat. 39', Cali- 

 fornia. Resident in the mountains of Mexico. 



I found this liinl in large numljers about Lake Talioe ; liut all were in 

 the hrown plumage, and seemed so much like the C. Californicus iu habits 

 that I mistook them for that species. I noticed, however, a call-note when 

 they tiew which reminded nie of that of the Puraiuja', and seemed different 

 from the other Carpodaci. Their song, as I have since heard it, was also loud- 

 er and finer than that of the C. Caiifornicus, and more original in its style. 



Nothing has yet been published of their other habits. They may fre- 

 quent the Colorado Valley at times, but 1 did not find them there. 



Carpodacus frontalis, S.vt. 



THE BUEION; THE HOUSE FINCH. 



Fringilla frontalis, Sat, Long's Exped. IL 1824, 40. — AuDL'iiON, Om. Biog. V. 1839, 2.30 ; 

 pi. 424. — Erijtiirospha frontalis, Audubon, Birds Amer. IIL 1841, 175; pi. 197. — 

 Gajibel, Jour. A. N. S. 2d Scries, I. 1847, 53. — Curpodacus frontalis, Gray, Genera, 

 1844-49. — M'Call, Pr. A. N. Sc. V. 1851, 219 — Baird, P. R. Rep. IX. Birds, 

 415. — Newberry, VI. iv. 88. — Kexxerly, X. iv. 28. 



CariMchiciis fimiiiaris, M'Cai.-l, Pr. A. N. Sc. VII. April, 1852, GI, Santc Fe. — Cassin, 

 111. I. 73 ; pi. xiii. 1854. — Heekmanx, X. vi. 50. 



Sp. CiiAi;. Male. Bill short, much curved. Forehead, for nearly the length of the 

 bill, a broad superciliary stripe extending to the nape, side of lower jaw, chin, tliroat, 

 and uj)per part of the breast, crimson-red ; rump, paler. Rest of upper parts and 



Male. 



sides of neck grayish-brown, with an occasional gloss of red externally on the crown, ami 

 with scai-cely appreciable darker brown towards the centres of the feathers. Belly, under 

 tail coverts, and sides whitish, conspicuously streakeil with light brown ; sometimes red 



