298 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



In colors, however, they differ entirely ; the P. mfaustus having the head 

 darker than the body, and uniform (instead of the contrary), and in having 

 the lower primary and lower feathers of the greater coverts, as well as the 

 greater part of the tail, bright rufous. 



A. Dusky nuchal hood reaching forward to, or in front of, the eyes ; plum- 

 beous-black. 



Dorsal feathers with tvhite shafts in old and young. Tail-feathers not 

 distinctly paler at ends. 



1. White frontal patch narrower than length of the bill ; blending gradually 

 with the blackish of the crown. Upper parts umber-brownish. Wing, 5.50 ; 

 tail, 5.40 ; bill, .90 and .30. Young. Entirely plumbeous-brown, feathers of 

 head above bordered with paler. Beneath paler, whitish brown. Ilab. 

 Oregon, Washington Teritory, British Columbia, etc. . . var. obscurus. 



Dorsal feathers without white shafts in old or young. Tail-feathers 

 broadly tipped with dull tvhite. 



2. White frontal patch much broader than length of bill ; abruptly defined, 

 with a convex outline behind, against the dusky of the occiput. Upper 

 parts plumbeous, with a slight brownish cast. Wing, 5.25 ; tail, 5.80 ; bill, 

 .95 and .35. Young. Entirely uniform dark plumbeous. Hah. Canada, 

 Maine, and Labrador to the Yukon ...... var. canadensis . 



B. Dusky nuchal hood not reaching to the eyes, but confined to the nape ; 

 bluish-plumbeous. 



3. White frontal patch covering whole crown, melting gradually into the 

 ashy of the nape; upper parts bluish-ashy. Wing, 6.00; tail, 6.00 ; bill, 1.00 

 and .31. Young. Bluish-plumbeous, inclining to ashy-white on the crown 



and cheeks. Huh. Rocky Mountains of United States . . var. capitalis. 



In the more slender form, longer and narrower bill, and paler tints 



with a predominance of 

 the light colors, of the 

 var. capitalis, compared 

 with the typical, or 

 standard, var. canaden- 

 sis, we see the pecu- 

 liar impression of the 

 middle region ; while 

 in the var. obscurus, the 

 more dusky tints, and 

 predominance of dark- 

 er colors, the influence 

 of the well-known law 



Perisoreus canadensis. 



affectinff colors in birds of the northwest coast region is seen. 



