294 CHARA.DRIlD.aE. 



with a white base, and inclining to blackish towards the end of the 

 leathers, forming a band, which diminishes in size towards the 

 outside ones, where it becomes confined to the inner web and dis- 

 appears altogether on the outer feathers, which are pure white ; crown 

 of head pale greyish browD like the back, separated from the mantle 

 by a broad white collar ; forehead white, succeeded by a narrow 

 band of black, which extends from eye to eye ; a tolerably well- 

 marked white eyebrow ; ear-coverts pale greyish ; lores, feathers 

 below the eye, cheeks, and under surface of body pure white, with 

 a large patch on the sides of the fore-neck, not quite meeting in the 

 centre, though a few of the feathers have black margins ; under 

 wing-coverts, axillaries, and quill-lining pure white: " bill orange 

 at base, tipped with black ; feet orange-yellow " (Baird, Brewer, $• 

 Ridgway). Total length 6-5 inches, culmen 0*55, wing 4 - 5, 

 tail 1-9, tarsus 0-85. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, but apparently never putting 

 on a complete prsepectoral collar. Total length 6-4 inches, 

 wing 4-85. 



Adidts in winter plumage. Similar to the summer plumage, but 

 wanting the black line across the fore part of the crown, and having 

 the patch on the sides of the fore-neck ashy brown, becoming 

 gradually mixed with black and lastly entirely black as the season 

 advances. The bill is wholly black. 



Young. Similar to the adults in winter plumage, but with ashy- 

 fulvous margins to the feathers of the upper surface ; the brown 

 patches at the side of the fore-neck scarcely developed. 



Mr. Ridgway has separated two races of this bird, which he de- 

 fines as the true j?E. meloda, chiefly from the Atlantic coasts of the 

 United States, north to Southern Labrador, and to the West Indies 

 in winter, and -M. meloda circumcincta, from the Mississippi Valley 

 north to Lake Winnipeg. This last race has the black band con- 

 tinuous across the chest ; but I do not see any reason for supposing 

 that this is any more than the sign of a very old bird, for every in- 

 termediate link is shown in a series in the Museum. Thus we 

 have two fully adult birds from the 49th Parallel Survey, one with 

 a complete band, and one without, and the same thing is found in 

 birds from Waukegan, Illinois. Winter birds from Texas show 

 every possible gradation. 



Bab. North America, wintering to the south. Bermudas ; Baha- 

 mas ; Cuba ; Jamaica. 



