446 



U. S. p. E. K. EXP. AND SURVEYS— ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



PASSERCULUS ALAUDINUS, Bonap. 



Passerculus alaudinus, Bp. Comptes Rendus, XXXVII, Dec. 1853, 918, California. — Ib. Notes Ornitliologiques 

 Delatlre, 1854, 18. (Reprint of preceding.) 



Sp. Ch. — Similar to P. soronjio, but smaller ; the bill rather slenderer and elongated. Little of yellow in the superciliary 

 stripe, (most distinct anteriorly); the rest of the head without any tinge of the same. General color much paler and grayer 

 than in P. savanna. Breast with only a few spots. Length, 5.25 ; wing, 2.75 ; tail, 2.30. 



Hab. — Coast of California, and Lower Rio Grande of Texas and Mexico. 



This species, if really distinct from P. savanna, diifers in tte rather smaller size, although 

 the difference is not great, and in the considerably paler colors. The superciliary stripe shows 

 a very faint trace of yellow, especially anteriorly, near the bill. In some specimens^ as 4342, 

 there is none at all. The spots on the fore part of the breast are rather few and not large. The 

 bill is slenderer and more attenuated. 



List of specimens. 



PASSEECULUS ROSTRATUS, Baird. 



Ewieriza roslrala, Cassin, Pr. A. N. So. VI, 1852, 348. 

 ^mmodramus rostratus, Cassin, 111, I, ]855, 326 ; pi. xx.xviii, 



Sp. Ch. — Bill very long, (.55 of an inch above). Whole upper parts and sides of head and neck pale grayish brown, nearly 

 every feather with a darker central blotch, darkest along the shaft. A scarcely appreciable central stripe in the crown, and an 

 obscure yellowish white superciliary, and a whitish maxillary one. Under parts pure white ; streaked on the breast and 

 the sides of throat and body with dark brown, (the streak paler externally). Under tail coverts unspotted white. Tail and 

 wing feathers and wings margined with the color of the back ; the edges of tertiaries rather paler. Length, 5.30 ; wing, 2.90 ; 

 tail, 2.30. 



Hab. — Coast of California, near San Diego. 



The bill of this species is very long and conical, the cutting edge nearly straight. The wings 

 are rather long, the tertiaries nearly as long in the closed wing as the primaries ; the second, 

 third, and fourth quills longest, the first rather longer than the fifth. The tail is short and 

 emarginate, the feathers narrow, acute, and moderately stiff. The tarsi are long ; the claws 

 little curved. 



This species resembles the Passerculus savanna rather more than any of the other sparrows 

 with spotted breasts ; the bill is, however, very much longer and larger, exceeding any of our 

 American species of its size. Its colors are much paler, and it lacks the yellow on the head 

 and wing. The much shorter tail and entire absence of rufous distinguish it from the spotted 

 Melospizas. The shape of the bill is like that of Ammodramus caudacutus, but larger ; the 

 head lacks the yellow, &c. 



