360 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSEEES—OSCINES. 



pure white ; lining of wings white. All the tail-feathers, except the middle pair, and bases 

 and tips of iutcruicdiate ones, white, ending squarely across both webs. Bill blackish-plum- 

 beous, pale at base below; feet brownish-black. Length about 6.00; extent 11.00-11.50; 

 wing 3.30-3.60; tail 2.25; bill 0,50; tarsus 0.67; middle toe and claw rather less. 9 , in 

 breeding plumage: Upper parts, wings, and tail as in the $ — coverts with at least a trace of 

 chestnut, and tail displaying the rectangular shape of the white area ; crown like back in- 

 stead of black ; no black maxillary stripes, and breast-crescent slaty-gray ; throat whitish ; bill 

 and feet yellowish-brown, more or less obscured. The seasonal changes of plumage, as well as 

 the sexual differences, are parallel with those of P. ornatus; there is the same veiling of black 

 parts by gray, etc. Though so different fi'om ornatus in full dress, the bird is very similar in 

 other conditions, age for ago, and sex for sex : but larger; no trace of chestnut on nape ; trace 

 at least on wing-coverts ; and peculiar pattern of tail-feathers shown as soon as they sprout 

 and never lost. Very young birds have curved edgings of the feathers of the upper parts ; 

 the under parts quite purely white, with some dusky streaks, and a buff suffusion on the breast. 

 Region of the upper Missouri and its tributaries; N. to the Saskatchewan ; not known W. of 

 the Rocky Mts. ; S. to Texas and Mexico; E. to Kansas and probably Iowa and Missouri. 

 Breeds in profusion on the prairies fi-om Colorado northward, in parts of Dakota and in 

 Montana associated with P. ornatus; winters from Colorado southward. Its habits and man- 

 ners are the same as those of P. ornatus. It has the same soaring singing flight, and para- 

 chute-like descent, " sliding down on the scale of its own music ; " nesting the same; eggs re- 

 sembling the paler varieties of P. ornatus; 0.80 X 0.60. 

 76. PASSER'CULUS. (Lat. passerculus, a little sparrow ; diminutive of passer, a sparrow.) 

 Savanna Sparrows. Ground Sparrows. Bill rather slenderly conical, culmen, commissure 

 and gonys about straight (bill more turgid in P. rostratus and guttatus). Wings longer than 

 taU, point formed by outer 4 primaries, of nearly equal lengths ; inner secondaries enlarged and 

 flowing, reaching nearly or quite to end of primaries in the closed wing. Tail short, nearly even 

 or little 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 claAA^ 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. Embracing small 

 plain streaked ground sparrows of slender build, mostly with a touch of lemon-yeUow on edge 

 of wing, lon^ inner secondaries and pale slender legs ; one species abounding in the East, others 



of more special distribution. 



Analysis of Species and Varieties. 



Bill typical. Crown with median light stripe. Inner secondaries seldom quite equalling primaries. No 

 decided lemon-yellow on edge of wing. Top of head with two black stripes, and suflused with rich 



brownish-yellow bairdi 224 



Bill typical. Crown with median light stripe. Inner secondaries at full length. Edge of wing with 

 lemon-yellow ; same shade on head, if any. Upper parts much variegated ; under white, with sharp 

 streaking. 

 Large, pale; little or no yellowish; length 6.00 or more; wing 3.25. Coast of New England princeps 225 

 Large, dark, with decided yellow; length about 6.00; wing 3.00. Northwest coast . . sandvicensis 226 



Medium, of average coloration; length about 5.50; wing 2.75. N. Am. at large savana 227 



Medium ; pale ; size of snrana proper. Interior and western alaudinus 229 



Small, dark; yellow very decided. Length about 5.25; wing 2.50. West coast anthinus 228 



Bill enlarged, turgid, with convex culmen. Crown-stripe obsolete. No yellow on head or wing. 



Larger: bill 0.50. Length 5.30; ^ving near 3.00. Pale brownish-gray, with obsolete streaking; the 



streaks below light brown. Coast of California rostratus 230 



Smaller : bill 0.33. Length 5.00; wing 2.50. Darker, the streaks below dusky. L. Gala. . guttatus 231 



324. P. baird'i. (To Prof. S. F. Baird. Fig. 226.) Baird's Savanna Sparrow. $ 9 , adult, in 

 breeding plumage : With a general resemblance to P. savana. Inner secondaries less elon- 



