BIRDS — FRINGILLIDAE — ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHRYS. 459 



Sp. Ch. — Head above, upper half of loral region from the bill, and a narrow line through and behind the eye to the occiput, 

 black ; a longitudinal patch in the middle of the crown, and a short line from above the anterior corner of the eye, the two confluent 

 on the occiput, white. Sides of the head, fore part of breast, and lower neck all round, pale ash, lightest beneath and shading 

 insensibly into the whitish of the belly and chin ; sides of belly and under tail coverts tinged with yellowish brown. Interscapular 

 region streaked broadly with dark chestnut brownish. Edges of the tertiaries brownish chestnut. Two white bands on the 

 wing. 



Female similar, but smaller ; immature male with the black of tlie head replaced by dark chestnut brown, the white tinged 

 with brownish yellow. 



Length, 7.10 inches; wing, 3.95. 



Ilab. — United States from Atlantic to the Rocky mountains, where they become mixed up with Z. ga7nbelii. Greenland, 

 Rcinhardt. 



The white of the crown separates two black lines on either sides, rather narrower than itself. 

 The black line behind the eye is continued anterior to it into the black at the base of the bill. 

 The lower eyelid is white. There are some obscure cloudings of darker on the neck above. The 

 rump is immaculate. No white on the tail, except very obscure tips. The white crosses the 

 ends of the middle and greater coverts. 



Eastern specimens of this, species vary considerably in size, while the smallest are from 

 southern Texas and California. Even here, however, specimens are occasionally as large as 

 those from Pennsylvania. Oregon skins are generally as large as those from the last mentioned 

 State. 



The only difference I can detect between eastern and western skins is, that in the former there 

 is a short black line from the upper side of the anterior canth'us of the eye to the black stripe on 

 each side of the crown, the white superciliary stripe being cut off by this from the whitish gray 

 of the lores, while in all from the Pacific coast the superciliary white is continuous with the 

 grayish lores. Whether this is constant throughout I cannot say. The specimens from Texas 

 and east of the Kocky Mountains are like those from Pennsylvania. Of two specimens from the 

 Mimbres, one (6199) has this line ; the other (C198) is without it. A specimen from San 

 Elziario, Texas, is also without it. Some California specimens appear to have the tarsus yellower, 

 and a little longer. 



The specific name of gambelii has been assigned to the western white-crowned sparrow, on the 

 strength of its inferior size, and will answer very well for it, if really distinct. 



Note. — Since writing the preceding paragraph, the examination of many additional specimens 

 has substantiated the indications of differences between eastern and western birds. Of fifty 

 specimens from the west, all have the superciliary stripe continuous from the bill, while all the 

 eastern have it interrupted. Immature specimens, however, can only be distinguished by the 

 more hoary lores. 



