FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 



81 



Genus CYANOSPIZA, Baird. 



Passerina, Vieillot, Analyse, 1816. Not of Linn^us, used in Botany. 

 Spiza, Bonaparte, Synopsis, 1828. Not of 1825. 

 Cyanospiza, Baird. (Type, Tanagra cyanea, L.) 



Gen. Char. Bill deep at the base, compressed ; the upper outline considerably curved ; 

 the commissure rather concave, vv^ith an 

 obtuse, shallow lobe in the middle. Gonys 

 slightly curved. Feet moderate ; tarsus about 

 equal to middle toe; the outer lateral toe 

 barely longer than the inner, its claw falling 

 short of the base of the middle ; hind toe 

 about equal to the middle without claw. 

 Claws all much curved, acute. Wings long 

 and pointed, reaching nearly to the middle of 

 the tail ; the second and third quills longest. 

 Tail appreciably shorter than the wings; 

 rather narrow, very nearly even. 



The species of this genus are all of very 

 small size and of showy plumage, usually blue, red, or green, in well-defined areas. The 

 females plain olivaceous or brownish; paler beneath. 



Cyanospiza amctna. 



Species. 



A. Head all round uniform blue ; eyelids not different, commissure distinctly sin- 

 uated. 



, a. Lower parts blue ; no white bands on wing. 



1. C. cyanea. Entirely deep ultramarine-blue, more purplish on the 

 head, somewhat greenish posteriorly. Female dull umber above, grayish- 

 white beneath, the breast with obsolete darker streaks. Hah. Eastern 

 Province of United States, south, in winter, to Panama. 



h. Lower parts white, the breast rufous. One broad and distinct, and a 

 narrower, more obsolete white band on the wing. 



2. C. amoena. Head and neck, all round, and rump, bright greenish- 

 blue ; back, wings, and tail more dusky ; a narrow wliite collar between 

 rufous of the breast and blue of the throat. Female grayish-brown 

 above, the rump tinged with blue. Beneath dull whitish, the breast 

 and jugulum more buffy. Hah. Western Province of United States. 



B. Head party-colored ; eyelids different from adjoining portions. Commissure 

 hardly appreciably sinuated, or even concave. 



a. Back and breast similar in color. Upper mandible inuch less deep than 

 lower, the commissure concave. 



3. C. versicolor. Back and breast dark wine-purple, occiput and 

 throat claret-red, forehead and rump purplish-blue. Eyelids purplish- 

 red. Female fulvous-gray above, uniform pale fulvous below. Hah. 

 Northern Mexico, and adjacent borders of United States ; Cape St. 

 Lucas. 



h. Back and breast very different in color. Upper mandible scarcely less 

 deep than the lower, the commissure straight, or slightly sinuated. 



4. C. ciris. Lower parts vermilion-red. Back green, crown blue; 

 rump dull red; eyelids red. Female dull green above, light olivaceous- 



VOL. II. 11 



