BIRDS FRINOILLIDAE POOCiETES GRAMINEUS. 



447 



List of specimens. 



POOC^ETES, Baird. 



Ch. — Bill rather large; upper outline eliglitly dccurvcd (owards tlic end, lower straight; commissure slightly concave. 

 Tarsus about iqual to the middle too ; outer toe a little longer than the inner, its claw reaching to the concealed base of the 

 middle claw ; hind toe reaching to the middle ol'tlie middle claw. Wings unusually long, reacliing to the middle of the tail as 

 (Ur as the coverts, and pointed ; the primaries considerably longer than the secondaries, which are not much surpassed by tlio 

 terliaries; second and ihird quills longest ; first littlo shorter, about equal to the fourth, shorter than the tail ; tlio outer feathers 

 scarcely shorter ; the feathers rathers stifl" ; each one acuminate and sharply pointed ; the feathers broad nearly to the end when 

 they are obliquely truncate. Streaked with brown above everywhere ; beneath, on the breast and sides. The lateral tail 

 feather is while. 



The eesential character of the genus consists in the long and pointed wings, longer than the 

 tail and without long tertials ; and the rather stiff, forked tail, with its acute feathers. 



In the long wings and short forked tail this form differs from our other plainly colored and 

 streaked sparrows. It comes nearest to Fassercidus, but the tail is stiffer and more forked ■ the 

 feathers more acute. The tertiaries are but little longer than the secondaries, instead of nearly 

 or quite equal to the primaries. The middle toe is considerably shorter. 



Comparative measurements. 



POOCyETES GRAMINEUS, Baird. 



Grass Finch; Bay-winged Bonting. 



Fringilla graminea, G.m. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 922.— Ann. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 473 : V. 502 ; pi. 90. 

 £iiift«rt:og7-ami)iea, Wilson, Am. Orn. IV, 1811, 51 ; pi. xxxi, f. 5. — Acn. Syn. 1839, 102. — Id. Birds Amer. 



Ill, 1841, G5; pi. 159. 

 Fringilla {Zcnolrichia) graminea, Swainsoh, F. B. Ami. II, 1831, 254. 

 Zonotrichia graminea, Bos. List, 1838. — Ib. Conspectus, 1850, 478. 



Sp. Ch. — Tail feathers rather acute. Above light yellowish brown ; the feathers everywhere streaked abruptly with dark 

 brown, even on the sides of the neck, which are paler. Beneath yellowish white ; on the breast and sides of neck and body 

 streaked with brown. A faint light superciliary and maxillary stripe ; the latter margined above and below with dark brown ; 

 the upper stripe continued around the ear coverts, which are darker than the brown color elsewhere. Wings with the shoulder 

 light chestnut brown, and with two dull whitish bands along the ends of the coverts ; the outer edge of the secondaries also 

 is white. Outer tail feather, and edge and tip of the second white. Length, about (5.25 ; wing, 3.10. 



Ilah. — United Slates from Atlantic to the Pacific ; or else one species to the high central plains, and another from this to the 

 Pacific 



