40: 



S rS TEMA TIC S YNOPSIS. — PA S SERES — OSCIXES. 



centred browu-edged streaks, anteriorly tending to concentrate in lateral chains bounding the 

 white throat ; above this chain a maxillary brown stripe ; auriculars varied with light and dark 



brown. Quills fuscous, the longer ones 

 - =^zzi^^^^^^— — "'i^^'i grayish-white edging, the secondaries 



and greater and median coverts with broad 

 firm brown and white edges and tips ; 

 lesser coverts bright chestnut, whence the 

 name "bay-winged." Outer tail-feather 

 largely or wholly white, next pair or two 

 pairs largely white in decreasing amount. 

 Upper mandible brown; lower, and the 

 t, tlesh-colored or yellowish. Length 

 5.75-6.25; extent 10.00-10.50; wing 

 2.80-3.25 ; tail 2.25-2.75. Eastern N. 

 Am. to the Great Plains, N. to the Brit- 

 isli Provinces adjoining the IT. S., breed- 

 ing throughout its range, but partially 

 migratory, chiefly nesting northward, and 



Fig. -07. 

 Nichols sc. ) 



Bay-uiiiged Buutiug, reduced. (Sheppard del. 



wintering southward. A large, stout, full-chested Sparrow of plain appearance, but recognized 

 on sight by bay bend of wing and white lateral tail-feathers, — the latter conspicuous as it 

 flies. Very abundant in fields, along roadsides ; terrestrial, gregarious to some extent when 

 not breeding. Nest sunken in the ground, thick-rimmed, well cupped ; eggs 4-6, variously 

 colored, as in P. savanna, 0.80 X 0.60 ; two or three broods may be reared. One of the sweet- 

 est songsters among the Sparrows. 



P. g. confi'nis. (Lat. confinis, near.) Western Grass Finch. Hesperian-bird. Like 

 the last; paler and grayer, with narrower streaks; wings and tail averaging longer, and liill 

 somewhat slenderer. The difference in length, when existent, is due to the tail, which aver- 

 ages near the extreme of length of the common form. Habits, nest, and eggs the same. 

 Western IT. S. and adjoining British Provinces, S. into Mexico. 



P. g. affl'nis. (Lat. qffinis, allied, affined.) Oregon Grass Finch. Miller's Vesper 

 Sparrow. Like P. g. confinis in respect of slender bill and narrow dorsal streaks ; ground 

 color above buff"y brown rather than grayish-brown, and the white of the under parts, includ- 

 ing crissuin and lining of wings, suffused with pinkish -buff. Size of the Eastern bird. Pacific 

 coast region of Oregon and northern California ; apparently a slight local race. G. S. Miller, 

 Jr., Auk, Oct. 1888, p. 404; Coues, Key, 4th ed. 1890, p. 899; A. 0. U. List, 2d ed. 

 1895, p. 223, No. 540 b. 



PASSER'CUI^US. (Lat. passerculus, a little sparrow ; diminutive of passer, a sparrow.) 

 Savanna Sparrows. Ground Sparrows. Bill rather slenderly conical, culmen, commis- 

 sure, and gonys about straight (bill more turgid iu rostratus and r. guttatus). Wing longer 

 than tail, point formed by outer 4 primaries, of nearly equal lengths ; inner secondaries more 

 or less enlarged and flowing, reaching nearly or quite to end of primaries in the closed wing. 

 Tail short, nearly even or emarginate, of narrow pointed feathers. Feet slender, pale-colored, 

 usually reaching when outstretched nearly or quite to end of tail ; tarsus and middle toe with 

 claw of about equal lengths; lateral toes of equal lengths, their claws underreaching base of 

 middle claw; hind toe rather longer than its claw, which has no special development. Plumage 

 thickly streaked everywhere above, and below on breast and sides ; crown with median light 

 line and lateral dark ones ; no decided markings on tail-feathers. In most species edge of wing 

 yellow, and traces at least of yellow on head; no red, blue, or greenish. Sexes alike. Em- 

 bracing small plain streaked ground Sparrows of slender build, mostly with a touch of lemon- 

 yellow on edge of wing, long inner secondaries and pale slender legs ; one species abounding 



