BIRDS — FRINGILLIDAE CHRYSOMITKIS MEXICANUS. 



423 



List of specimens. 



CHKYSOMITRIS MEXICANA, B o n a p . 



Black Goldfinch; Mexican Goldfinch. 



Carduelis mexkanus, Swains. Syn. Birds Mex. Phil. Mag. 1827, 435.— Wagler, Isis, 1831, 525. 



Chrysomilris mexicanus, Bp. Consp. Av. 1850, 516. (Quotes Aud. tab. 427.) 



Astragalinus mcxicantis, Cab. Mus. Hein. 1851, 159, 



Fringilla melanoxantha, (Licht.) Wagi.er, Isis, 1831, 525. 



? Fringilla catotol, Gm Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 914. 



Fringilla texensis, Giraud, 16 Sp. Birds Tex. 1841 ; pi. v, f. 1. (Gives white belly.) 



Sp. Ch. — Upper parts continuously and entirely black ; the feathers of the rump white subterminally, and showing this 

 through the black ; a few of the feathers with greenish yellow between the white and black ; a few, perhaps, without black 

 tips. Tlie bases of the third to seventh primaries, and the ends of the tertiaries externally white. The tail is black, except 

 the outer three feathers, in which the outer webs and tips only are this color ; the rest white. Inside of wino- black. Under 

 parts of body pale yellow. Female with the black of the head and body replaced by olive green. Length, 4.12 inches ; wing, 

 2.25 ; tail, 2.00. 



Hab. — Mexican side of the valley of the Rio Grande, southward ; Copper Mines of the Gila. 



All our Chrysomitris have the concealed white on the rump, but it is more hidden ; where 

 the black tips are wanting, the greenish is broader, and comes to the surface. There is a little 

 black on the side of the breast under the wings ; the axillaries also are mostly black. The 

 black of the nape and neck is first greenish and then whitish within the black tip. There is 

 a yellow spot below the eye. 



The bill of this species is stouter than in C. tristis, the wing shorter and more rounded, the 

 tail less deeply forked. The third quill is longest ; then the second and fourth ; the first is 

 appreciably shorter. 



The female of this species resembles very closely that of O. psaltria ; the bill is shorter and 

 more obtuse^ however ; the white spot at the base of the primaries more conspicuous. In the 

 imperfect character of the specimens before me I am not prepared to state the differences in 

 coloration, although the under parts appear of a brighter yellow. 



There is a closely allied species from South America (C. columUanus^) which is laro-er, the 

 bill especially. There is, however, no white on the tail nor on the wing, except at the base of 

 the primaries. The yellow of the under parts is much deeper. 



'Chrysomitris columbianup, Baird. 



Astragalinus colunihianus. Cab. Mus. Hein. 1851, 159. 



Chrysomitris xanthogastra, Ddbos, Bull. Acad. Belg. XXII, i, 1855, 150. 



