392 SYSTEM A TIC SYNOPSIS — PA SSEIiES — OSCINES 



no whitisli wing-bars; upper mandible blackish, lower pale, with the black stripe just 

 nieutioucd, — this is a pretty constant feature, and will distinguish the species from any of our 

 Eastern little brown birds. Young ^ : Like the 9 , but soon shows blue traces, and afterward 



is blue with white variegation below. 

 Size of the foregoing. Eastern U. S., N. 

 to Maine and Canada; W. to Kansas, 

 Indian Territory, and Texas; winters 

 wholly extralimital ; breeds throughout 

 its N. A. range. Abundant in fields and 

 open woodland, in summer ; a well mean- 

 ing but rather weak vocalist, whose low 

 rambling strain is delivered as if the little 

 performer were tired or indifferent. Nest 

 in the crotch of a bush, large for the size 

 of the bird, and not at all artistic ; eggs 

 usually 4-5, averaging 0.72 X 0..52, white 



■n, ^.„ T J. ^. J , , with a faint blue shade, and nonnallv 



Fig. 253. —Indigo-bird, reduced. (Sheppard del. Nichols sc.) , • ..^ ■, ^ i^ v...i ^^ , 



plain, though not seldom a little speckled. 



02. SPERMO'PHILA. (Gr. airepjia, spernia, seed; c^tXo?, philos, loving.) Pygmy Finches. 

 Bill like that of a bullfinch in miniature, short and extremely turgid ; swollen in all directions, 

 culraen convex nearly in the sextant of a circle ; cutting edge of upper mandible very concave ; 

 gonys short, about straight in outline. Wings short and greatly rounded ; 2d-4th quills 

 longest, 1st, 5th, and even 6th, little shorter, and secondaries nearly covering primaries in the 

 closed wing. Tail rather shorter than wings, slightly rounded, with abruptly pointed tips of 

 the feathers. Tarsus equal to middle toe and claw, and lateral toes to each other, their claws 

 about reaching base of middle claw. A large C. and S. Am. genus of pygmy finches, one of 

 wliich reaches our border; our most diminutive fringilline (but Plionipara is about the same). 

 (296. S. morelet'i. (To one Morelet.) Morelet's Pygmy Finch. Little Seed-eater. $ : 

 Top and sides of head, back of neck, broad band across upper part of breast, middle of back, 

 wings, and tail, black ; chin, upper throat, neck nearly all around, rump, and remaining under 

 parts, white, the latter often tinged with pale buff ; two wing-bands, and bases of all the quills, 

 also white, that on the secondaries hidden by the coverts, that on the primaries forming an 

 exposed spot ; inner secondaries usually edged with white ; tail-feathers sometimes with 

 obscurely whitish tip. Bill blue-black ; feet dark. 9 olivaceous-brown above, brownish- 

 yellow or dull buff below ; wings with whitish bars, but no white bases of quills ; bill brown ; 

 feet dark. Length about 4.00 ; wing 2.00-2.10 ; tail 1.90 ; tarsus 0.60. Mexico to Texas, in 

 the Lower Rio Grande valley. 



93. PHONI'PARA. (Gr. (^toKij, jj/iowe, sound, voice ; Lat. jpano, I produce : badly formed.) Grass 

 Quits. Bill small, acute, culmen slightly convex, commissure about straight to the angulation 

 at base. Wings short, rounded, 2d-5th primaries subequal and little longer than 1st, 6th, 7th. 

 Tail still shorter, about even. Tarsus if anything shorter than middle toe and claw ; lateral 

 toes subequal to each other in length, scarcely reaching base of middle toe. A West Indian 

 genus of diminutive finches, one of which occurs in Florida. 



S97. P. ze'na. (Vox barb.; pcrliaps proper name.) Black-faced Grass Quit. ^, adult: 

 Upper parts, including exposed surfaces of wings and tail, dull olivaceous, passing on the face, 

 throat, and breast, into sooty-black, fading on other under parts into olive-gray, more or less 

 A'aried with whitish ; wings and tail unmarked ; no decided demarcation of colors anywhere. 

 BiU blue-black ; feet dark brown. 9 lighter olivaceous, passing to olive-ashy where the ^ 

 is black; bill pale below; feet light brown. Length about 4.00 ; wing 2.00-2.10; tail 1.75. 

 West Indies and Florida. One of the common house finches in various West Indian Islands ; 



