FRINGILLID^ — THE FINCHES — POOSPIZA. 203 



tail. Tortiarit'S and secondarii/s aljout equal, and not much shni'ter than the lengthencil 

 I>riniaries ; tho second to fifth aljout equal an<l longest ; the iirst considerably shorter, and 

 longer than the seventh. Tail long, slightly eniarginate, graduated ; the outer feather 

 aliruptly shorter than the others. Feathers broad, linear, and rather obliciuely truncate 

 at the ends, with the corners rounded. 



Color. Uniform above, without streaks. Beneath while, with or without a black 

 throat. Black and white stripes on the head. 



Poospiza bilineata, Cassin. 



THE BLACK-THKOATED SPARROW. 



Enibenza hiUneata, Cassin, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phil. V. Oct. 1850, 104; pi. iii. (Texas.) Ib. 

 Ilhist. I. y. 1854, 150; pi. xxiii. — Poospiza bilineata, Sclater, Pr. Zool. Soc. 1857, 7. 

 — Baiud, p. R. Ec'p. IX. Birds, 470. — Heekmann, X. v. 14. 



Sr. Cn.\R. Above, unilbrni unspotted ashy-gray, tinged with light brown ; purer and 

 more phnubeous anteriorly. Under parts white, tinged with plumbeous on the sides, and 

 with yellowish-brown about the thighs. A sharply defined superciliary and maxillary 

 stripe of pure white, the former margined internally with black. Loral region black, 



passing insensibly into dark slate on the ears. Chin and throat between the wdiite maxil- 

 lary stri])es black, extending on the upper part of the breast in a rounded outline. Tail, 

 black, edged externally with wdiite. Bill blue. Length, 5.75 ; extent, 8.00 ; wing, 2.50 ; 

 tail, 2.00. Iris brown ; bill black, liluish below ; feet brownish. 



Hub. Valley of Kio Grande and of Gila, to Mojave River, California. 



On the barren, treeless, and waterless monntains that border the Colorado 

 Valley, this was one of the few Inrds enlivening tlie desolate jirospect with 

 their cheerful presence. They were nowhere numerous, 1 lut generally seen in 

 pairs or small parties hojiping along the ground under the scanty shrub- 

 bery. In winter tliey descended to tlie hills near the Colorado, where the 

 males, perched on a low liush, sang short liiit lively ditties toward sjiring. 



In crossing the Pro^ddence Eange, in May, I found a nest containing 

 white eggs, which I have little doubt belonged to this species. 



