392 



SYSTEMA TIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSERES — OSCINES. 



Fig. 25G. — Pine Finch, reduced. (Sheppard 

 del. Nichols sc.) 



half yellow, aud outer webs edged with yellow. Ijill and feet hrowu. Leugth about 4.75 ; 



extent 8.75; wiug 2.75; tail 1.75. Very variable in yellowness of tone, sometimes quite 



bright, again plain streaky, dusky and whitish or 

 flaxen ; but the yellow coloration of the wings and 

 tail is distinctive. Young birds have the markings 

 diffuse, with a general bulfy-browuish suffusit)n. N. 

 Am. at large, breeding northerly and in alpine re- 

 gions southerly (to Rocky Mts. of New Mexico and 

 Arizona, aud Sierra Xevadas of California) ; X. New 

 England, etc.; in winter through most of U. 8. into 

 Lower California aud Mexico; abundant. Nest in 

 trees, preferably conifers ; a well-concealed, flattish 

 structure, compactly built of small twigs, rootlets, 

 plant fibres, and hair ; eggs 3-4, pale greenish, 

 speckled with reddish-brown, aud blackish chiefly 

 about the larger end, about 0.70 X 0.50. Flight 

 undulatory ; voice querulous. This bird closely re- 

 sembles no other of our coiintry, bnt is the exact 



representative in America of the European Siskin, Tarin, or Aberdevine, S. spinus. (Chnjso- 



mitris pinus of former eds. of the Key. Spinus pinus of A. 0. U. Lists.) 



S. nota'tus. (Lat. notatus, noted.) Black-headed Goldfinch. Adult ^■. Bright yel- 

 low, obscured on back ; head all around glossy black, extending on fore breast; wings black, 



with large yellow basal area on all the quills, forming 



a conspicuous patch ; tail black, witlj basal lialf or 



more of all feathers except middle pair yellow. Young : 



Similar: lacking black on head, and general coloration 



duller. Length 4.60; wing 2.50-2.70; tail 1.80; bill 



0.45, extremely acute. Cent. Am. and Mexico; a 



straggler in the U. S. (Kentucky, Audubon). Astra- 



galinus notatus of former eds. of the Key ; Spinus 



notaUis, A. 0. U. Lists, 1886-95, No. [.532.] 



ASTRAGALI'^NUS. (Gr. atTTpayaXivos, astragalinos, 



name of some bird.) American Goldfinches. 



Like Spinus. Bill stouter, less acuminate, without 



extreme lateral compressitm, culmen rather convex, 



gonys quite straight ; commissure strongly angulated ; 



upper mandible usually showing longitudinal strife. 



Nasal ruff evident, though short. Wings and tail as 



in Spinus; feet smaller; toes shorter; lateral digits 



of unequal lengths ; outer claw rather overreaching, inner not reaching, base of middle claw. 



Coloration massed, not streaky ; yellow, olive, black and white, no red. Sexes unlike. Eggs 



white. The A. O. U., Auk, Jan. 1899, pp. 115, 11(5, reverted to the nomenclature of this 



genus, which has stood in the Key since 1884. 



Analysis of Species and Subspecies. 



,f yellow (in summer) or flaxen (in winter), with black cap, and black and white wings and tail. 



Eastern ''""''« 



Western, interior *■ pa'lidus 



Western, Pacific coast t.srilicamnvs 



(f gray, varied witli yellow on back and breast, face black, wings black and yellow, tail black and wliite . hiu-rencei 



