FRINGILLID^ — THE FINCHES. 119 



Pipilo maculatus, var. arcticus, Swainson. 



ARCTIC TOWHEE BUNTING. 



Pijnjita {Pipilo) arctica, Sw. F. Bor.-Am. II, 1831, 260. Pipilo arcticus, Nuttall, Man. 

 I, 1832, 589. —Ib., (2de(i.,) 1840, 610. — Bell, Ann. N. Y. Lye. V, 1852, 7. — Baird, 

 Birds N. Am. 1858, 514. 



Sp. Char. Upper parts generally, with head and neck all round to the upper part of 

 the breast, black ; the rump usually tinged with ashy. Middle of breast and of belly 

 white; sides chestnut; under tail-coverts similar, but paler. Entire outer webs of 

 scapulars and of dorsal feathers immediately above them, and of ends of primary and 

 secondary coverts, to the shaft, with edges of outer webs of three innermost tertials, and 

 of the second to the fifth primaries, conspicuously white. Whole outer web. of the first 

 and ends of the first to the fourth tail-feathers, white, the amount diminishing not very 

 rapidly. Outermost quill longer than ninth, sometimes than eighth, nearly always 

 exceeding the secondaries ; third quill longest ; fourth scarcely shorter. Length about 

 8 inches ; wing, 4.40 ; tail, 4.10 ; hind toe and claw, .74. Female paler brown instead of 

 black ; the rufous, seen in P. erythrophthalmus, tinged with ashy. 



Had. High central plains of Upper Missouri, Yellowstone, and Platte; basin of 

 Missouri Eiver, especially west, including eastern slope of Eocky Mountains ; San 

 Antonio, Texas (Dresser, Ibis, 1865, 492). 



P. arcticus is similar in form to P. erythrophthalmus, which, however, 

 is readily distinguished by the entire absence of white on the scapulars and 

 wing-coverts. The amount of white on the tail decreases much less rapidly. 

 The differences between it and P. orcgonus will be found detailed under the 

 head of the latter species. 



One specimen (8,193) from Fort Leavenworth, with a few white spots only 

 on the scapulars, may perhaps be considered a hybrid between arcticus and 

 erythrophthalmus. 



In some specimens the interscapulars are edged externally with white. 

 The feathers of throat and sides of head show occasional concealed spots 

 of white about the middle. As in erythrophthalmus, the bases of the 

 primaries are white along the outer edge, showing under the primary coverts, 

 sometimes, but perhaps not generally, confluent with the white towards the 

 end of the same web. 



The female is of a dull ashy-brown, difficult to describe, but with only a 

 slight tinge of the rufous seen in P. erythrophthalmus, wliich is most dis- 

 tinct on top of head and back.' There is an almost inappreciable asliy 

 superciliary stripe. 



The young bird resembles in general appearance that of mcgalonyx, but is 

 lighter colored, and with the dusky streaks on the jugulum much narrower. 

 The brown above is as light as in erythrophthalmus, but without tlie reddish 

 cast seen in the latter, and not blackisli, as in mcgalonyx. 



Habits. The Saskatchewan or Arctic Ground Finch was first met with by 

 Sir John Eichardson. It was observed by him only on the plains of the 

 Saskatchewan, wliere he had no doubt of its breeding, as one specimen was 



