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



Parus septentrionalis, Harris, p. 389. — Specimens from Fort Bridger, like all others from 

 the Rocky mountains, show an unusual amount of white on the quills and tail, almost enough 

 to constitute them distinct species. 



Parus meridionalis, Sclater, p. 392. — The specimen described is not one of the types, as 

 stated ; these are in the British and Paris Museums. 



Paroides flaviceps, Baird, p. 400. — Fort Yuma. 



Family Dacnididae. — The discovery of Certhiola jlavecla, on Indian Key, Florida, by Mr. 

 Wiirdemann, where it appears to be not rare, adds not only a species but a family {^Dacnididae) 

 to the fauna of the United States. The genus has the following characters : 



CertJdola.^ — Bill nearly as long as the head, as high as broad at base, elongated, conical, 

 very acute, and gently decurved from base to tip. Culmen uniformly convex ; gonys concave. 

 No bristles at base of bill. Tail rounded, rather shorter than the wings. Tarsi longer than 

 middle toe. Primaries, nine. 



Certhiola Jlaveola, Sund.^ — First primary about equal to sixth. Body above black ; chin, 

 throat, and sides, ash grey ; belly, edge of wing, and rump, yellow. A white stripe from 

 upper mandible over the eye as far as nape, and a black one below it from the commissure, 

 through and below the eye. Outer webs of primaries white at base, forming a patch ; all 

 narrowly edged with grey towards the tip. Crissum white ; tail feathers black tipped with 

 white, diminishing in amount from the outer feather inwards. Iris light blue ; bill and feet 

 black. Length, 4.75; extent, 7.75; wing, 2.50. No. 103G7. Indian Key, January 31, 1858. 



This species appears subject to considerable variation, the throat being sometimes much 

 darker. Several allied species appear to exist, but this is probably the typical CertJiia Jlaveola 

 of Linnaeus. 



The genus Certhiola belongs to the family Dacnididae, characterized among Oscines, with a 

 very few others, by the divided tongue. This in Certhiola has the branches bristle-like, divided 

 at the ends into pencils. There are but nine primaries, as in Sylvicolidae. Other genera of the 

 sub-family are Conirostrum, Dacnis, Coereba, and Diglossa. 



Chrysomitris pinus. — Spring specimens from Fort Bridger and Fort Tejon differ from spring 

 specimens from Carlisle in having the streaks on the sides and belly darker and broader. 



CuRViROSTRA AMERICANA, Wils., p. 426. — There seems to be a general tendency in the western 

 cross-bills from the Rocky mountains and the Pacific slope to have larger bills than the eastern, 

 thus referring them to the Loxia mcxicana of Strickland. 



LoxiA MEXiCANA, Strickland, p. 427, is described in his review of Monographie des Loxiens by 

 Bonaparte and Schlegel, Jardine's Contributions to Ornithology, 1851, 43. "Colors as in L. 

 americana. Length, 6.2 ; wing, 3.9 ; bill to base, .8 ; depth of bill at base, .4. JIab. Near 

 city of Mexico." 



Jlxco caniceps, Baird, p. 468. — A large collection of Junco from Fort Bridger embraces a 

 number oft/, caniceps, agreeing generally with the description given. One specimen, however, 

 is remarkable in having the sides reddish as in oregonus, altliough with the dorsal features of 

 caniceps. There is, however, a trace of reddish on tlie wing coverts, which assimilates it 

 further to oregonus. I have little doubt that it is a hybrid between tlie two species. 



1 Certhiola, Sundevali,, IS2!>. 



Cerlhia Jlaveola, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, I7Gfi. 



Certhiola Jlaveola, "Sukdkvall, 1835." — GossE, Birds Jam. 1847, 84. — Ib. Illustriilions, 1849, pi. xvi. — Reiciienbach, 

 ]cor:c.», fig. 2825 • 



