170 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



less purplish than in the male, everywhere barred with black. Tail with twelve sharplv 

 defined narrow bars of black ; the subterminal broadest, and about three eighths of an 

 inch in width. Longest primary with eleven transverse spaces of pale rufous, nearly 

 twice as wide as the dusky ones, whicli scarcely touch the edge. Beneath yellowish- 

 white, paler than in the male, breast and sides with rusty longitudinal spots. Head as in 

 the male. Wing, 7.60; tail, 5.20; tarsus, 1.50; middle toe, .90; bill, .50. Wing-formula, 

 2 = 3-4-1. 



YouiKj male (5,581, Medicine Bow Creek, Nebraska, August 7, 1856 ; W. S. Wood). 

 Exactly like the adult male, but with the rufous darker, approaching to chestnut; spots 

 beneatli inclining to a tear-shaped form, and, though more numerous, are not so well 

 defined as in the adult; also rufescent tinge beneath more general; blue of the wings with 

 scarcely any spots; white terminal band of tail tinged with rufous. Sometimes the two 

 or three outer feathers are clouded with ash, and possess indication of bars, formed of 

 irregular black spots. 



Young female (40,520, Fort Rice, Dacota; S. M. Rothhammer). G-enerally like the 

 adult, but with rufous above darker, approaching ferruginous ; the bars everywhere 

 broader, and purer black ; rufous vertical patch streaked centrally with black ; spots 

 beneath larger, darker, approaching reddish umber. 



Hab. Continental North America (only), across to both coasts, and from Arctic 

 regions to Istlnnus of Panama; not in West Indies. 



This form ranges over tlie whole of continental North America, from 

 Panama northward into the British Provinces, and from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific. Throughout the whole of tliis extensive area the bird exhibits 

 very little variation, in fact, none not of an almost individual character, 

 consisting mainly in the varying amount of ashy-white and black on the 

 lateral tail-feather, and also, to a less extent, in the depth of the ochraceous 

 tint on the breast, and the abundance and size of the black spots on the 

 sides or flanks. In the Gulf region of the United States it passes gradually 

 into var. isahdlinus through intermediate specimens. We have seen Florida 

 skins (kindly lent to us by Mr. J. A. Allen) from Miami {^ , January 29, 

 1872), Cedar Keys {S , February 28, 1871), and Florida Keys {S , February 

 14, 1871). Of these, only the first (No. 14,491) deviates noticeably from the 

 typical style ; it inclines toward var. isabellinus in sparsity of black spots on 

 flanks and restricted rufous on the crown, but in the pure light ash of the 

 crown and wings, and faint ochraceous of the breast, it resembles more the 

 var. sparverius. Wing, G.50 ; tail, 4.70. The two other specimens measure 

 as follows : No. 14,487, Florida Keys, wing, 6.90 ; tail, 5.00. No. 14,492, 

 Cedar Keys, wing, 6.90 ; tail, 5.00. The former is peculiar in having some 

 of the upper tail-coverts either partly or entirely ashy. 



Mexican specimens represent the race in the greatest purity or exaggera- 

 tion of its characteristic features, in pure and light bluish-ash of wings and 

 crown, greatest extent of rufous on crown, etc. California specimens often 

 exhibit what I have not noticed in eastern examples, though possibly 

 occurring in them ; that is, in adult males the cere and feet are of a deep 

 orange-red — almost vermilion color. 



