niRDS — FRINtilLLIDAE — SPIZELLA. 



471 



quite ubruptly shorter ; tlie feathers are unusually broad to near the end. The wings are short 

 and considerably rounded ; the second, third, fourtli, and filth nearly equal ; the first rather 

 shorter than the sixth. The bill is rather small. 



List of specimens. 



CHt«I. No. 



6237 

 6338 

 6335 

 6336 



Sex. 



Locality. 



When collected. 



Whence obtsiimcl. 



Tosa creek, C'nl . . . 



CosumDes river... 



Fort Thorn, N. SI. 



I Colorado river 



Dec. 15, 1853 , 



Lt. Williamson - 

 do 



Dr. T. C. Henry. 

 Lt. Whipple 



Collected by — 



Dr. Heennann 

 do 



Kcnnerly and MiiUhausen.. 



SPIZELLA, Bonaparte. 



Spizella, BoNAP. Geog. and Comp. List, 1838. Type Fringilla canadensis, Lath. 

 S;iini<», Cabanis, Mus Ilciii. 1851, 133. Typo Fringilla socialis, Wils. 



Oh. — Bill conical, the outlines slightly curved ; the lower mandible decidedly lower than the upper ; the commissure 

 gently sinuated ; the roof of the mouth not knobbed. Feet slender ; tarsus rather longer than the middle loo ; the hinder toe 

 a little longer than the outer lateral, which slightly exceeds the inner ; the outer claw reaching the base of the middle one, and 

 half as lonwasits toe. Claws moderately curved. Terliaries and secondaries nearly equal ; wing somcwhatpointed, reaching 

 not quite to the middle of the tail. First quill a little shorter than the second and equal to the fifth ; third longest. Tail rather 

 long, moderately forked, and divaricated at the tip ; the feathers rather narrow. Back streaked ; rump and beneath immaculate. 

 Hood generally uniform. 



This genus differs frona Zonotricliia in the smaller size and longer and forked, instead of 

 rounded tail. 



Synopsis of the species. 



Interscapular region with the feathers streaked centrally with black. Rump and back of 

 the neck without streaks. No spots or streaks beneath. 



A. Head above and back chestnut. Two white bands on the wings. A light super- 

 ciliary stripe. 



A chestnut streak behind the eye^ and a dull rufous spot in the middle of the breast. 



Eump yellowish brown. Tail feathers edged with white. Bill black above ; 



under mandible chiefly yellow S. monticola. 



Smaller ; a chestnut streak behind the eye. No spot on the breast. Rump 



yellowish brown. Tail feathers edged with ash. Bill red S.pusilla. 



Forehead and a line from the bill through and- behind the eye black. Superciliary 



streak white. Rump bright ash. Bill black ^S*. socialis. 



B. Head above streaked with black and gray, a light superciliary stripe. Beneath 

 dirty white. 



Head above with. a broad median light stripe and a conspicuous superciliary 



one S. pallida. 



Head above without median stripe S. breweri. 



C. Body generally plumbeous, except the wings and interscapular region ; becoming paler 

 on the middle ofthe belly. Forehead, lores, chin, and throat, black. Bill red. 



S. atrigularis. 



