BIRDS — FRINGILLIDAE — PIPILO MEGALONYX. 



515 



List of specimens. 



PIPILO MEGALONYX, Baird. 



Sp. Ch. — Sioiilar to P. arcticus in amount of white on the wings and scapulars, thougii tliis frequently edged with blacls. Outer 

 edge of outer web of external tail feather white, sometimes confluent with that at tip of tail. Concealed white spots on feathers 

 of side of neck. Claws enormously large, the hinder longer than its digit ; the hind toe and claw reaching to the middle of the 

 middle claw, which, with its toe, is as long, or longer, than the tarsus. Inner lateral claw reaching nearly to the middle of middle 

 claw. Length, 7.60; wing, 3.40; tail, 4.25 ; hind toe and claw, .90. 



Ilab. — Southern coast of California and across through vallies of Gila and Rio Grande. 



This form, if not a distinct species, constitutes so strongly marked a variety as to be worthy 

 of particular description. The general appearance is that of P. arcticus, which it resembles in 

 the amount of white spotting on the wings. This, however, does not usually involve the whole 

 outer web at the end, but, as in oregnnus, has a narrow border of black continued around the 

 white terminally and sometimes externally. There is not quite so much of a terminal white 

 blotch on the outer tail feather, this being but little over an inch in length, and the outer web 

 of the same feather is never entirely white, thougli always with an external white border, 

 which sometimes is confluent with the terminal spot, but usually leaves a brown streak near the 

 end never seen in arcticus, which also has the whole outer web white except at tlie base. From 

 oregonus the species differs in the much greater amount of white on the wings and the less 

 rounded character of the spots. Oregonus, too, has the whole outer web of external tail feather 

 black, and the terminal white spot of the inner web less than an inch in length. I have never 

 seen in oregonus any of the concealed white spotting on the sides of the head. 



The greatest difference between this species and the two others is in the stout tarsi and 

 enormously large claws, as described, both the lateral extending greatly beyond the base of 

 the middle one, the hinder toe and claw nearly as long as the tarsus. The only North American 

 Passerine birds having any approach to this length of claw are those of the genus Passerella. 



A Pipilo macronyx of Swainson appears to have a similar development of claws, but is 

 described as olive with black head and throat, the light marks on the wings and tail yellow. 

 The P maculatus has the body olivaceous ; the head and throat black. 



