FRIXIiir.MD.i: — TIIK riXCIIES — CAI.AMOSI'IZA. 



225 



tlu' niiiliUc claw; liiml tov rfacliiiiL;' to llu' 1)asc of the inidillc' c-law ; hind claw about as 

 long as its toe. Claws all strong, compressed, and considci-alilv curvod. ^Vings lon;j; and 

 pointed ; tlio first four nearly equal, and abruptly lonj;est ; the tertials nnich elongatc'd, 

 as long as the primaries. Tail a little shorter than the wings, slightly graduatcil, ijic leath- 

 ers riitluT narrow and obli(|\iely oval, rouniU'(l at the end. 

 Color. Black, with white on the wings. !•'( iiidle, varied. 



This genus is \\c'll cliaracterized liy the large .swollen hill, w'nh its 

 cui'vetl culmeii ; the large strong feet and claw.s ; tlie long wings, a lit- 

 tle longer than the tail, and with the tertials as long as the prima- 

 ries, the first four quills etpal and aliniptly longest; the tail short and 

 graduated. 



The only gn)up of North American Spizeliina', with the tertials equal to 

 the primaries in the closed wing, is PussurvhiH. This, however, has a dif- 

 ferently formed lull, weaker feet, the inner primaries longer and more 

 regularly graduated, the tail feathers more acute and shorter, and the plu- 

 maiie streaked brownish and white instead of black. 



Calamospiza bicolor, Townsexh. 



THE WHITE-SHOULDERED BLACKBIRD. 



Frinriilla bicolor, Townsf.xi), ,J. A. N. Sc. I'liii. VII. 18;i7, 189. — l/alamospiza hirolor, Bona- 

 parte, List, 1838. — Bairi), Birds N. Amer. 49.3. — Cori/duliim bicolor, Audubon, 

 Birds Amer. III. 1841. 19.i; pi. -201. 



Sp. Char. Male, entirely Ijlaek : a broad baud on the win;;-, with the outer eil^'cs of 

 the qnills and tail leathers, while. 



/'ema/e, pale brown, streaked with darker aljove : beneath, white, spotted and streaked 



rather sparsely with black on the l)rca.-t and >ides. 'Throat nearly iuunaculate. A ma.\- 



Mnle. 



illarv stripe of lilack, bordered above by white. Region arouTid the eye, a faint stripe 

 above it, and an obscure crescent back of the ear coverts, whitish. A broad fuhous white 

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