482 



U. S. p. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



MELOSPIZA LINCOLNII, B a i r d . 



I^incoln's Finch. 



Fringilla lineohni, Acd. Dm. Biog. II, 1834, 539, pi. 193.— Nutt. Man. I, 2d ed. 1840, 569. 



Linaria lincolnii, Rich. List, 1837. 



Passerculus lincolnii, Eonap. List, 1838. 



Peucaea lincolnii, AnD. Synopsis, 1839, 113. — Ib. Birds Amer. Ill, 1841, llfi, pi. 177. — Bonap. Consp. 1850, 481. — 



Ib. Comptcs Rendus XXVII, 1854, 920. 

 Passercxtlus zonarius, (Bp.) Sclater, Pr. Zool. Soc. 1856, 305. 



Sp. Ch. — Crown chestnut, with a median and two lateral or superciliary ash colored stripes; each feather above streaked 

 centrally with black. Back with narrow streaks of black. Beneath white, with a maxillary stripe curving round behind the 

 ear coverts, a well defined band across the breast, extending down the sides, and the under tail coverts, brownish yellow. 

 The maxillary stripe margined above and below with lines of black spots. The throat, upper part of breast, and sides of the 

 body, with streaks of black, smallest in the middle of the former. There is a chestnut stripe back of the ear, streaked with 

 black. The pectoral bands are sometimes paler. Length, 5.60 ; wing, 2.60. 



Hub. — United States from Atlantic to Pacific, and south through Mexico to Guatemala. 



This species is easily known among the American sparrows by tlie well marked yellowish 

 band across the breast and the maxillary stripe of brownish yellow relieved against the white 

 of the under parts generally. Ammodromus caudacutus has these stripes somewhat similar ; 

 but the superciliary stripe is also yellowish, not ash color, and the middle of the throat is 

 unspotted. The bill is much longer, and the generic characters otherwise different. 



lAst of specimens. 



