COLLUttlO. 441 



base of upper mandible to gape, black ; this color extending as a broad stripe 

 through the eye, and behind it to nape, involving the ear coverts, and forming 

 a conspicuous and continuously deep black stripe, excepting a few white 

 feathers on lower eyelid (sometimes a well-marked crescentic sjiot), and an 

 almost inappreciable lightening among the loral feathers, the black of oppo- 

 site sides, however, not meeting on the forehead as in L. excubitoroides. The 

 black involves only the upper eyelid, but is quite broad below the eye. The 

 forehead and space above the black stripe, almost to its posterior extremity, 

 are hoary white, shading into the ash of crown ; the rump and ends of scapular 

 feathers are similarly colored, though perhaps less purely white ; the ends 

 of upper tail coverts becoming also more ashy. Wings and tail black, the 

 tips of the secondaries and the bases of the primaries white, this increasing 

 in amount on the latter from the outermost, and showing externally as a 

 white patch (but hardly appreciable, especially on outer webs in first and 

 second). Secondary quills whitish along inner edge, and full half of the 

 inner web tinged with grayish, but without abrupt definition. Outer tail 

 feather, with basal half of inner web, and a narrow stripe in the outer web 

 along the shaft, as well as the shaft itself nearly to end, black; the black 

 advancing more and more in the other feathers till on the 4th there is only a 

 narrow tip of white ; the 5tli and 6th entirely black ; all the feathers with 

 small basal white patch, except on inner web of Gth. Bill and feet pure 

 black. 



Female birds in the breeding season are much duller than the males, the 

 ash of upper parts much tinged with ochrey brown, the black stripe through 

 the eye more or less obsolete, the white of wing much less conspicuous. 



(No. 19,545, %,.) Fresh specimen : Total length, 10.00 ; expanse of wings, 

 14.50; wing from carpal joint, 4.70. Prepared specimen : Total length, 10.00 ; 

 wing, 4.50; tail, 4.70; exposed portion of 1st primary, 1.65, of 2d, 2.90, of 

 longest (measured from exposed base of 1st primary), 3.40; length of bill 

 from forehead, .85, from nostril, .60, along gape, 1.05 ; tarsus, 1.05 ; middle 

 toe and claw. .88, claw alone, .33 ; hind toe and claw, .63, claw alone, .35. 



The plumage of the male, in the breeding season, as indicated 

 above, has not been before described. As met with during its more 

 winter abode in the United States, G. borealis is duller in plumage, 

 and though sometimes quite pure ashy, alwaj^s has a tinge of brown- 

 ish ; and the stripe on the side of the head is only well defined Ixdiind 

 the eye. There is generally a better marked clear white crescentic 

 spot below the eye, and a blackish spot anterior to its upper half; 

 the feathers along the base of upper mandible, from nostrils to gape, 

 are black ; but the rest of the pre-ocular region is grayish, clouded 

 somewhat by the blackish bristly points and shafts of some of the 

 feathers. The bill, instead of being pure black, is much paler, and 

 almost whitish at the base, especially of lower mandible. The dark 

 lines below are more distinct, and extend more on the throat, as 

 well as a'lOng the sides. 



Other specimens of females, or immature males probably, are 



