FRIXdILLID.E: FINCHES, BUNTINGS, SPARROWS. 



41i 



pale ochraceous. Young, first pluiiiai^e : Gniyisli-browii i)revailiiiji,' above, streaked with 

 black, streaks broadest on middle of back; below pale fulvous, shaded on sides, where alsf> 

 sparsely streaked with black. Confined to coast of Texas, as far as known ; resident at Corpus 

 Christi, breeding abundantly in marshes 

 of Nueces Bay. Allen, Auk, July, 

 1888, p. 28G ; Coues, Key, 4th ed. 181)0, 

 p. 89l> ; Chapm. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. 

 Hist, iii, 1891, p. 323 (liabits); A. (). U. 

 List, 2d ed. 1895, p. 228, No. 550 h. A. 

 scnnetti Ciiapm. Auk, Jan. 1899, p. 3, 

 pi. i, lower fig. 



A. nigres'cens. (Ijat. nifjrescens, grow- 

 ing black. Fig. 270.) Florida Sea- 

 side Finch. Du.skv Seaside Spar- 

 row. Like maritimiis; rather smaller 

 bodied, though members not shorter, and 

 conspicuously different in color, being 

 almost entirely black and white. Upper 

 parts sooty-black, slightly variegated 

 with slate-colored edgings of the feathers, 

 and some pale gray edgings of interscap- 

 ulars. Below white, heavily streaked 



Dusky Seaside Sparrow. 



with blackish everywhere excepting on throat and middle of belly. A bright yellow loral spot, 

 and Ix'ud of wing bright yellow (both very consjiicuous in the black plumage). Wing-f(uiils 

 bhickish, inuer secondaries quite black ; all narrowly edged with brownish. Tail black, with 

 gray edgings of the feathers, these edgings tending to form scallops witli the black central field, 

 liill and feet as in mariUmus. A curiously localized si)ecies, resident in Florida, on the Atlan- 

 tic side, discovered by C. J. Maynard near Titusville, March, 1891. A. m. nigrescens of 2d-4th 



eds. of Key, now rated as a distinct species. 

 A. melunoleucus Mayn. Am. Sportsm. v, 

 1875, p. 248; Birds of Eastern N. Am. 1881, 

 p. 119, pi. V. 



MELOSPI'ZA. (Gr. /xAof, mchs, song, 

 melody, and (TiriCa, spiza, name of some Finch 

 in Aristotle.) SoNG Sparrows. Bill mod- 

 erate, conic, without special turgidity or com- 

 pression, outlines of culmen, commissure, 

 gonys, and sides nearly or about straight. 

 Wings short and much rounded, folding little 

 beyond base of tail; l.st primary quite sliort; 

 point of wing formed by 3d, 4th, and 5th, sup- 

 ported clo.sely by 2d and Gth : inner .seconda- 

 ries not elongated. Tail long, about equalling 

 or rather exceeding wings, much rounded, with 

 Fw. 277. - Lincoln's Song Sparrow, reduced. (Shep- fi'"'" f'^fUhers broad to their rounded ends. Feet 

 parddel. Nichols sc.) moderately .Stout ; tarsus scarcely or not longer 



than middle toe and claw ; lateral toes slightly unequal, outer the longer, it.s claw scarcely or 

 not reaching base of middle claw. Embracing a large number of middle-sized and large Spar- 

 rows, without a trace <jf yellow anywhere, and of ])rowni.sh -yellow only in Uncolni ; upper 

 parts, including crown, thickly streaked; under parts white or ashy, thickly .streaked across 



■■-iJ^ 



I Song Sparrow, reduced. (Shep- 



