FRINGILLID.E - THE FINCHES. 533 



quill almost longest. The legs are long, the oatstretclied toes reaching to 

 the end of the tail ; the lateral toe considerably shorter than the middle, 

 which is not much longer than the hinder. The tail is short, narrow, and 

 emarginate ; the feathers acute. 



Species and Varieties. 

 CoMiMON Charactkrs. Above grayish-brown, beneath white ; whole upper 

 surlace, as well as the breast and sides, streaked with dusky. A light super- 

 ciliary stripe, and a whitish maxillary one, the latter bordered above and below 

 by stripes of coalesced dusky streaks. 



A. Bill small, the culmen slightly concave in the middle portion ; a median 

 light stripe on the crown. 



1. P. savanna. Superciliary stripe yehow anteriorly; streaks on the 

 back blackish, sharply defined. 



Throat and vpi^er 2mrt of abdomen unstreal-ed ; vertex-stripe uith- 

 out yellow tinge. 



Bill .34 from forehead and .25 in depth at the base; wing, 2.85; 

 tail, 2.30. Colors deep ; outer surface of wing (in spring) decidedly 

 reddisli. i^aft. Eastern Province of North America . yhi: sav a niia. 



Bill, .32 and .20, or less; wing, 2.75; tail, 2.10. Colors very pale; 

 outer surface of wing (in spring) pale ashy. Hab. Western Prov- 

 ince of North America, except coast of California, where replaced 

 by var. anihinus var. alatidi n v s. 



Bill. .37 and .27, or considerably more; Aving, 3.10; tail, 2.40. 

 Colors as in savanna. Hab. Northwest coast of North America 



var. s a n d iv ich ensis. 



Throat and upper part of abdomen streaked; vertex-stripe strongly 



tinged ivitli yellow. 

 Bill, .33 and .19; wing, 2.50; tail, 1.90. Colors darker than var. 

 savanna, the ground-color more uniform, and the black streaks 

 heavier and more numerous. Hab. Coast of California, var. an thin us. 



2. P. princeps. Superciliary stripe white anteriorly ; streaks on the 

 back sandy-brown, badly defined. Wing, 3.25; tail, 2.60; bill, .45 and 

 .23 ; tarsus, .95 ; middle toe, .80. Hab. Eastern Massachusetts (north- 

 ern regions in summer?). 



B. Bill robust, the culmen arched ; no median light stripe on the crown. 

 Superciliary stripe white anteriorly; streaks on the back sandy-brown, 

 obsolete. 



3. P. rostratus. 



Bill, .43 and .30; wing, 2.90; tail, 2.25. Ground-color above 

 fulvous-gray, beneath white ; the streaks, above and below, sandy- 

 brown. Colors much as in P. princeps. Hab. Coast of Cali- 

 fornia, to the mouth of the Colorado River ; Cape St. Lucas in 

 winter var. rostratus. 



Bill, .33 and .22; wing, 2.55; tail, 2 00. Ground-color above 

 plumbeous-gray ; beneath white ; streaks blackish-brown. Hab. 

 Cape St. Lucas (resident?) xav. gn t tatus. 



A careful examination of the veVy large series of Passcrculm allied to 

 savanna in the museum of the Smithsonian Institution, recently made, 



