274 SINfUXG BIRDS — OSCIXES. 



0(ni;il secondaries and tertials ; outer two cjuills longest ; tlic others rapidly graduated. 

 Tail slightly lurked ; scarcely more than two thirds the length of the wings. 



The genus Hcsx>criphona is very closely allied to the Old ^^'ol■ld genus 

 Coccothruustcs. Tlie principal difierence consists in a ijeculiar character of 

 the quills, as shown in the preceding figure of Coccothraustcs, and while Hes- 

 IKi-iphona has the wing rounded off as usual in tlie Frimjillidm. 



Hesperipliona vespeiiina, Cooper. 

 THE EVENING GEOSBEAK. 



Fringilla vespertina, Cooper, Annals New York Lyceum, N. II. I. ii. 1825, 220. (Sault St. 

 Marie.) — Coccothrausles vespertina, Swainson, F. Bor. Am. II. 183!, 269. — Audu- 

 bon, Syn. 134. Ib. Birds Amcr. III. 1841,217; pi. 207. — Hesperipliona vespertina, 

 Bonaparte, Comptos Rendus, XXXI. Sept. 1850, 424. — Baird, P. R. Rep. IX. Birds, 

 409. — Cooper and Suckley, XII. iii. Zool. of W. T. 196. 



Sp. Char. Bill j-ellowish-green, dusky at the base. Anterior half of the body dark 

 yellowish-olive, shading into yellow to the rump above, and the under tail coverts below. 

 Outer scapulars, a broad frontal band continued on each side over the eye, a.xillaries, and 



middle of under wing coverts, yellow. Feathers along the extreme base of the bill, the 

 crown, tibia;, wings, upper tail coverts, and tail, black ; inner greater wing coverts and 

 tertiaries white. Length, 7.50; wing, 2.30; extent, 7.50 ; tail, 2.75. Iris brown; legs 

 pale brown. 



Hub. Lake Superior north and west ; along Ilocky Jluuntains to New Jlexieo ; Sierra 

 Kevada, northward. Resident in the mountains of Jlexico. 



Tliis beautiful bird has been obtained at jVlichigan Bluffs, Placer County, 

 near lat. 39°, by Mr. F. Gruber, and this is the lowest point at which I liave 

 heard of its occurrence in this State, though tliey probably go farther south 

 along the summits of the Sien-a Nevada, as they follow the Eocky iloun- 



