270 BIRDS or ILLINOIS. 



knoblicd. frvi slniiliT: liirsiin rather lonRi'r than the niidtlU- tui'; tlio hliuli-r lop n Utile 

 hniBiT than lln' out-r hitrral. whli-li xllehtly cxct-oils the Inner: the outer ehiw 

 reaohiiit; the liase of the miildle one, and half at. UmeaHitstoe. Claws moderately eurved. 

 Tertiurles and seoondarli-s nearly eiinal: wInK simiewhat pointed, renehlni; not unlti- 

 to the middle of the tail. First quill a lit lie shorter than the seeond and equal to the fifth ; 

 third loiifc'ist. Tail rather lone, moderately forked, and divarieated at the tip; the feathers 

 rather narrow. liaekstccakuU; rumpand beneath inimaeulate. Youncstreaked beneath. 



"This genus differs from Zmiotrich'ui principally in the smaller 

 size, and longer and forked instead of rounded tail. 



"Birds of the year of this genus are very difficult to distinguish, 

 even by size, except in moiiticoUi. The more immature birds are also 

 veiy closely related. In these the entii-e absence of streaks on a 

 plumbeous head point to <itrifi)il(irts; the same character in a red- 

 dish cap, and a reddish upper mandible, to })usillti; a dusky loral 

 spot, with dark streaks, and generally a nifous shade on top of head, 

 to sodalis. S. hreucri, with a streaked head, lacks the dusky lore 

 and chestnut shade of feathers. S. pallida generally has a median 

 light stripe in the cap, and a dusky mandibular hne." (Hist. N. 

 Am. B.) 



With a single exception, all the known species of this genus are 

 North American, though one of them (S. atrignlaris) barely comes 

 within our borders in Arizona and southern Califoniia. The single 

 purely extnilimital species is S. pinctorum '&m.\ts, of the Guatemalan 

 highlands. It is closely related to S. socialis, but is evidently distinct. 



Leaving out S. (tt)-i(^ularis and S. worthcni* the species inhab- 

 iting the United States may be characterized as follows : 



Common Charactebs. Baek brownish, sharply streaked with Iduok: rumi> plain 

 Krayish; wings with two liBht bands; lower parts unstreaked. except in young. 



A. Crown rufous in adults. 



a. Miixilla l>lii.k, {h<: mandible yellow; a dusky spot on the jugulum. 



1. S. monticola. Ailnll: Crown and outer webs of scapulars and tertials. bright 

 rufous; two ilistin<'t white hands on the wing; sides of head and neek ash-gray, 

 lighter on throat; a pale gray suporoiliary stripe. Whitish anteriorly; a rufous 

 pnstoeular stripe; a ilusky spot in middle of the jugulum. 

 h. Bill wholly bhiek or reddish brown. 



;!. S. pnsilla. Hill wholly light reddish brown. Crown dull rufous: bai'k dull 

 rufous, the feathers edged with grayish anil streaked eentrally with hlaek; 

 outer eilgi's of tertials pale grayish brown; sides of head pale asli-gray. with a 

 dull rufous stnak beliind the eye; wing with two iudistini't bamls. lomii;; 

 Crown and baek dull grayish brown, without rufous; lireasi narrowly and in- 

 ilistiietly streaked with dusky. 



:i. S. socialis. liill wliolly blaek in adults; ilull re, Idisli brown in young. Crown 

 bright rufous, bei'oming blaek anteriorly; a whitish supen'iliary slripis a 

 Idai'kish streak behind theeye; enr-eoverts. sides of neek and runip.ash-gray. 

 Voung: Crown and baek brown. broadly streaked with blaek; breast and sides 

 thii'kly streaked with dusky. 



• SpUella icortheni KiDow. Proo. r. S. Nat. Mu.s. vli. Aug. 22. liW4. 259. Silver City, 

 New Mexico. (Dcdieated to Mr. Chas. K. W'ortheu.uf War.suw. Illinois.) 



