BIRDS — FRINGILLIDAE — PASSERELLINAE. 



487 



EMBERNAGRA, Lesson. 



Embemagra, Lesson, Trail? d'Ornith. 1831. (Agassiz.) Type Soi(«(or ririiZw, Vieillot. 



Ch. — Bill conical, elongated, compressed ; the upper outline considerably curved, the lower straiglit ; the commissure slightly 

 concave, and faintly notched at the end. Tarsi lengthened ; considerably longer than the middle toe. Outer toe a little longer 

 than the inner, not reaching quite to the base of the middle clawf. Hind toe about as long as the middle without its claw. 

 Wings very short, and much rounded ; the tertials nearly equal to the primaries ; the secondaries a little shorter ; the outer 

 four primaries much graduated, even the second shorter than any other quill. The tail is moderate, about as long as the wings, 

 much graduated ; the feathers rather narrow, linear, and elliptically rounded at the end ; the outer webs more than usually 

 broad in proportion to the inner, being more than one-third as wide. The upper parts are olive green, the under whitish. 



The position of this genus is a matter of considerable uncertainty. On some accounts it 

 would be better placed among the Spizinae. 



EMBERNAGRA RUFIVIRGATA, Lawrence. 



Embemagra rufivirgata, Lawrence, Ann. N. Y. Lye. V, May, 1851, 112 ; 

 Soc. 1856, 306. 



pi. v, f. 2. Texas. — Sci.ater, Pr. Zool. 



Sp. Ch.— Above uniform olivaceous green. Sides of the hood, and a stripe behind the eye, dull brownish rufous, not very 

 conspicuous ; an ashy superciliary stripe rather yellowish anteriorly. Under parts brownish white, tinged with yellowish 

 posteriorly, and with olivaceous on the sides ; white in the middle of the belly. Edge of wing, under coverts, and axillaries, 

 bright yellow. Length, 5.50 ; wing, 2.60 ; tail, 2.70. 



Hab. — Valley of the Rio Grande, and probably of Gila, southward ; Mazatlan, Mexico* 



In this species the bill is rather long ; the wings are very short, and much rounded ; the 

 tertials equal to the primaries ; the secondaries rather shorter ; the first quill is .65 of an inch 

 shorter than the seventh, which is longest. The tail is short ; the lateral feathers much grad- 

 uated ; the outer half an inch shorter than the middle. 



A specimen of this species from Mazatlan, in the collection of the Philadelphia Academy, 

 has the bill rather stouter at the base, and the stripes on the head much better defined. Those 

 on the crown are continued, though less distinctly, down the back of the neck to the upper part 

 of the back. This is probably a male, and No. 6246 a female. 



List of specimens. 



Sub-Family PASSERELLINAE. 



Ch. — Toes and claws very stout ; the lateral claws reaching beyond the middle of the middle one ; all very slightly curved. 



Bill conical , the outlines straight; both mandibles equal ; wings long, longer than the even 

 tail, reaching nearly to the middle of its exposed portion. Hind claw longer than its digit ; the 

 toe nearly as long as the middle toe ; tarsus longer than the middle toe. Brown above, either 

 uniformly so or faintly streaked ; triangular spots below. 



