FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 449 



claw. Claws much curved, stout, and compressed. Wings very long and pointed, reach- 

 ing beyond the middle of the tail. Primaries much longer than the nearly equal secon- 

 daries and tertials ; outer two quills longest ; the others rapidly graduated. Tail slightly 

 forked; scarcely more than two thirds the length of the Avings, its coverts covering nearly 

 three fourths of its extent. Nest and eggs unknown. 



This genus is allied to tlie European Coccothi'austes, but differs in wanting 

 the curious expansion of the inner secondaries, as shown in Fig. 18,597. 

 Species are said to occur in Asia, but we have only two in America, — one 

 peculiar to Mexico {H. ahcillii), the other H. vespertina. 



The American species may be thus distinguished : — 



Species and Varieties. 



Common Characters. Wings and tail black, the tertials with more or less 

 whitish; body concolored, with more or less of a yellowish tinge. ^. Body 

 yellowish, more olivaceous above ; no white at base of primaries. 9 • Body gray- 

 ish, merely tinged with yellow ; a white spot at base of primaries. Nest and 

 eggs unknown. 



1. H. vespertina. ^. Head olivaceous-sepia, with a yellow frontal cres- 

 cent and a black occipital patch. 9 • Crown plumbeous-brown ; a dusky 

 "bridle" down side of the throat; upper tail-coverts tipped with a white 

 spot. 



Yellow frontal crescent broad, as wide as the black behind it; inner 

 webs of tertials partially black : secondaries and inner webs of tail- 

 feathei's tipped with white. Ilab. Northern mountain regions of 

 United States and interior of British America . . var. vespertina. 



Yellow frontal crescent narrow, less than half as wide as the black 

 behind it; inner webs of the tertials without any black; secondaries 

 and inner webs of tail-feathers without white tips. Hah. Southern 

 Rocky Mountains of United States, and mountains of Mexico. 



var. m o n t a n a . 



2. H. abeillii.' ^. Head entirely black, sharpl}^ defined. 9- Crown (only) 

 black; no dusky "bridle" on side of throat; upper tail-coverts without 

 white tips. Ilab. Mountains of Guatemala and Southern Mexico. 



Hesperiphona vespertina, Bonap. 



EVENING GEOSBEAK. 



Fringilla vespertina, Coori:r>, Annals New York Lj-ceum, N. H. I, ii, 1825, 220 (Sault 

 St. Marie). — AuD. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 515 ; V, 235, pi. ccclxxiii, ccccxxiv. Fringilla 

 {Coccothraustes) vespertina, Box. Syn. 1828, 113. — Ib. Am. Orn. II, pi. xv. Coa:o- 

 thraustes vespertina, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 269. — AuD. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 217, 

 pi. ccvii. Hesperiphona vesperfiim. Box. Coniptes Kendus, XXXI, Se^it. 1850, 424. — 

 Baird, Bh-ds N. Am. 1858, 409. — Cooper & Suckley, 195. —Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 

 174. Coccothraustes bonapartii, Lesson, Illust. de Zobl. 1834, pi. xxxiv. 9 (Melville 

 Lsland). Loxia bonapartii. Less. Bull. Sc. tab. xxv. Hesperipliona vespertina, var. ves- 

 pertina, EiDGWAY (new variety from Mexico and the southern Rocky Mountains). 



1 Coccothraustes abeiUii, Sci-ater, Catal. Am. B. 123 {Guiraca abeillii, Lesson). 

 57 



