THE HEPBURN LEUCOSTICTE. "7 
however, only scanty crumbs of information have come to us concerning this 
most interesting and widely distributed race of Highlanders. 
The Gray-crowned Leucosticte is considered the central figure of the 
genus, shading*, as it does, into L. atrata of the Bitterroots and L. australis 
of Colorado, into L. ¢t. littoralis of southern British Columbia, Washington 
and Oregon, and (perhaps thru littoralis) into griseonucha of the Aleutians. 
This assumes for the species a center of distribution in the Rocky Mountains 
of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan where the bird is known to 
occur. And so because of the greater severity of the winters in its normal 
haunts this form is found to be the greatest wanderer of its group, being 
frequently driven in the fall far out upon the central eastern plains or down 
the “inside passage’ between the Rockies and Sierras. 
It was in this fashion, probably, that a colony of this species became 
established in the southern Sierras of California, where it now maintains a 
vigorous existence separated, as we suppose, by at least a thousand miles 
from the parent stock in British Columbia. 
No. 28. 
HEPBURN’S LEUCOSTICTE. 
A. O. U. No. 524a. Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis (Baird). 
Synonyms.—Rosy Fincu. Hepsurn’s Rosy Frncu. Bairp’s Rosy Fincu. 
Description——Adult male in swnmer: Forehead and fore-crown black; 
occiput, broadly, and sides of head, clear ashy gray, color sometimes encroaching 
on chin and throat; nasal plumules grayish white; remaining plumage in general 
chestnut, chocolate, or rich vandyke brown, sharply contrasting with ashy gray on 
hind-neck and sides of head, inclining to blackish on throat, streaked with dusky 
on back and with more or less admixture of dusky on feather tips, especially on 
wings and flanks; feathers of upper and under tail-coverts, rump and flanks 
broadly and distinctly tipped with pink (of variable shade); wings and tail 
blackish ; lesser and middle coverts broadly tipped with pink, the greater coverts, 
primary ‘coverts and part of the flight feathers edged with pink or light carmine; 
rectrices with more or less edging of pinkish gray or light brown; bill black; feet 
and legs black. Adult fe male: of somewhat paler and “duller coloration. Adults 
in winter; Feathers of back and scapulars edged with light brown; pink edgings 
of wings, etc., paler, and body plumage, especially on breast, with more or less 
pale skirting ; bill yellow with dusky tip (this character is assumed as early as 
ee cater): Length of adult male: 6.15 (156.2); wing 4.00 (101.6); tail 2.60 
(66) ; bill .45 (11. 4); tarsus .75 (19). 
Recognition Marks.—Sparrow size; plumage warm brown with rosy skirt- 
ings ; ashy gray on sides of head as distinguished from L. tephrocotis. 
a. By “shading” here is not meant subspecific relationship, altho this does obtain as regarding both 
griseonucha and littoralis, but rather suggestive relationship, assumed divergence from a common stock. 
