muus — rKiNGiLLiDAi: — I'iru.u mlualo.nyx. 



.15 



List of specimens. 



Lmllljr. 



When col- 

 Icclcil. 



5387.-: S 



4844:' 



4841.' 

 5736? 



3 

 3 



Flirt Union, Neb j 



Yt'llun>u>ne Augn<l, \iX 



Fun Luokoui JuncOJ, I8K 



(lu ilo 



Bijou llllla .Mny 1 



do May 15 



do ' do 



do .May II 



Don Uonimo island May <J 



do do 



do do 



do I do 



Rrpnblican Forks ' ScpU 35 



Fort Laramie ' Sept. 13, 1857 



Variety tith-ajcticus. i 



Fort Pierre June 26, 1850 



Bijou Hills May 15 



The Tower .May 11 



Republican Fork Sept. 25, 1856 



Whence obtained. 



Oris'l 

 No. 



3. F. Uniid 



Lt. O K. M'arren, 



do 



do 



.do , 

 .do., 

 .do. 

 .do , 

 .do. 

 .do. 

 .do. 



do 



Lt. F. T. Bryan . 

 Dr. Cooper 



Lt. G. K. Warren. 



do 



do 



Lt. F. T. Bry.,n... 



(.•ollected by— 



J. J. Audubon. 



Or. Uayden... 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



.do 

 .do. 

 .do. 

 .do 



356 



Dr. Ilayden 



do 



do 



W. 8. Wood., 



Longtii. 



Strilili Wli.u 

 ifwini;'* 



10.25 

 11.25 

 10 50 

 10.75 

 10.37 

 11.35 

 10.35 

 9.75 

 10.00 

 11.50 

 10.00 

 11.25 



.■1.50 

 4.00 

 3..'i0 

 3.50 

 3.25 

 3 50 

 3.75 

 ."■.SO 

 3.25 

 3.SU 



lti-|li;ilk> 



Eyes red. 

 Iriit rcil.. 



Iris dark red. 



Iris red... 

 Eyes red. 



3.75 [ris chestnut. 



9.37 2.87 



10.87 3.87 



10.75 3.50 



10.25 



Iris dark browi.. 



PIPILO MEGALONYX, Baird. 



Sp. Ch. — Similar to P. arclicus in amount of white on the wings and scapulars, though this frequently edged with black. Outer 

 edge of outer web of external tail feather white, Bometimes confluent with that at tip of tail. Concealed white spots on feathers 

 of side of neck. Claws enormously large, the hinder longer than its digit ; the hind too and claw reaching to the middle of the 

 middle claw, which, with its too, is as long, or longer, than the tarsus. Inner lateral claw reaching nearly to the middle of middle 

 claw. Length, 7.G0; wing, .3.40; tail, 4.25; bind toe and claw, .90. 



llab. — Southern coast of California and across through rallies of Gila and Rio Grande. 



This form, if not a distinct species, constitutes so strongly marked a variety as to be worthy 

 of particular descrijition. The general appearance is that of P. arctictis, which it resembles in 

 the amount of white spotting on the wings. This, however, does not usually involve the whole 

 outer web at the end, but, as in oregonus, has a narrow border of black continued around the 

 white terminally and sometimes externally. There is not quite so much of a terminal white 

 blotch on the outer tail feather, this being but little over an inch in length, and tlic outer web 

 of the same feather is never entirely white, though always with an external white border, 

 which sometimes is confluent with the terminal spot, but usually leaves a brown streak near the 

 end never seen in arcticus, which also has the whole outer web white except at the base. From 

 wegonus the species differs in the much greater amount of white on the wings and the less 

 rounded character of the spots. Oregonus, too, has the whole outer web of external tail feather 

 black, antl the terminal white spot of the inner web less than an inch in length. I have never 

 seen in oregonus any of the concealed white spotting on the sides of the head. 



The greatest difference between this species and the two others is in the stout tarsi and 

 enormously large claws, as described, both the lateral extending greatly beyond the base of 

 the middle one, the hinder toe and claw nearly as long as the tarsus. The only North American 

 Passerine birds having any approach to this length of claw are those of the genus Fasserella. 



A Pipilo macronyx of Swainson ajipears to have a .similar development of claws, but is 

 described as olive with black head and throat, the light marks on the wings and tail yellow. 

 The P maculatus has the body olivaceous ; the head and throat black. 



