FRINGILLID^: FINCHES, BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, ETC. 375 



feathers, sometimes spreading almost to extiuction of the ashy ; and the brown also varying in 

 shade from a kind of purplish-bay to light rusty-brown, apparently according to wear and tear 

 of the plumage. Wings and tail dusky, witli varying amount of reddish-brown edgings of tlic 

 feathers. Under parts dull whitish, strongly shaded with olive-gray or olive-brown, paler o.i 

 belly, quite whitish on throat, which latter is bounded by strong black maxillary stripes. Sizi- 

 of P. cassirii, or rather less. Young : Crown like back ; under parts streaked with dusky, 

 especially the breast. California. Nest and eggs still unknown. 



256. P. r. boucar'di. (To Adolphe Boucard, a French collector.) Boucard's Summer Finch. 

 From the typical Californian ruficeps the Arizona bird is said to differ in being darker, more 

 brownish-plumbeous than olive-ash, the dorsal streaks scarcely rufous, and with black shaft- 

 streaks. Few sparrows, if any, vary more than the species of Peuctea, according to mere wear 

 of the feathers, independently of any moult, and to some extent of season. Birds of very 

 diflFerent aspect result, and it is not clear how the present alleged variety differs from ruficeps 

 proper. Obs. P. r. eremaca Brown, Texas, seems scarcely different. Peuccea seems to be, 

 like Junco, Melospiza, Passerella, etc., still unstable in its specific differentiations — to be 

 " making species," in fact. 



357. P. carpa'lis. (Lat. carpalis, relating to the carpus, or wrist-joint.) Bay- winged Summer 

 Finch. Belonging to the section without yellow on edge of wing. Lesser wing-coverts 

 chestnut, forming a patch as conspicuous as in Pocecetes or Auriparus. Strong black maxillary 

 stripes. Whole crown rufous, or dull bay, divided on forehead by a short pale stripe, and 

 bordered with a pale grayish-ash superciliary stripe. Cervix like crown, but mixed with ashy- 

 gray. Middle of back and scapulars grayish-brown, mixed with a little bay, and sharply 

 streaked with blackish ; lower back gray, with little or no black or brown. The general effect 

 of the upper parts, crown, and back, is like that of Spizella socialis. Wings and their greater 

 coverts dusky, with grayish-fulvous edging and tipping ; primaries and tail-feathers with 

 whitish edging ; one or two outer tail-feathers white-tipped. Under parts white, shaded on 

 breast and sides with ashy, the throat pure white, bounded on each side by a sharp black 

 maxillary stripe, above which is another dark line from angle of mouth. Bill apparently 

 reddish flesh color below, dusky above ; feet pale brown, the toes rather darker. Length about 

 6.00; extent 8.50; wing 2.25-2.50; tail 2.75, graduated about 0.50; bill 0.40; tarsus 0.67. 

 Less mature : Crown less different from back, being streaked with ashy, blackish, and rufous. 

 Very young : No chestnut on wing-coverts, and under parts streaked with dusky ; thus much 

 like the earliest stage of Spizella socialis; after this first stage the chestnut bend of the wing is 

 always conspicuous. Arizona ; a very distinct and curious species, lately discovered. Farther 

 peculiar in nesting in bushes and laying a greenish egg, all the other PeuccBce, as far as known 

 nesting on gi-ound and laying pure white eggs. (P. ruficeps, however, is not yet kno\vn in 

 this particular.) Eggs 4-5, 0.72X0.58, June-September; nest in a fork of bush, deeply 

 cupped, of grasses, rootlets, and hairs. 



81 . AMPHISPI'ZA. (Gr. d/x^t, arnphi, on both sides ; amCa, spiza, a finch : alluding to the close 

 relation of the genus to those about it.) Sage Sparrows. Bill moderate, conical, not peculiar. 

 Wings folding considerably beyond the base of the tail, without elongated inner secondaries ; 

 point of wing formed by 2d-5th quill, the 1st between 6th and 7th. Tail not shorter than wings, 

 of rather broad firm feathers, rounded at ends. Tarsus longer than middle toe and claw ; lateral 

 toes of unequal lengths, the outer (longer) not reaching to base of middle claw. Embracing two 

 Southwestern species, with rounded blackish tail not shorter than the wings, plumbeous-black 

 bill and feet, and few decided streaks, or none. These do not particularly resemble each other, 

 and might not necessarily be associated ; nor is the genus well characterized, though different 

 from the exotic Poospiza to which the species were fonnerly referred. The larger one of the 

 two species, A. belli, is sometimes placed in the genus Zonotrichia. 



