1896.] new Species of Grosbeak. 135 



hended under one head, Temminck proposes to subdivide them 

 into three sections, characterized by the forms of their bills, 

 viz. laticones, brevicoiies, and loiigicuties. This simple arrange- 

 ment appears preferable to the multitude of artificial genera 

 which some nomenclaters have attempted to establish; or it 

 would perhaps be more convenient to consider these sections as 

 subgenera, under the names of Coccothraustes, Friiigilia, and 

 Carduelis, as suggested by Mr. Charles Bonaparte, in his 

 judicious Observations on the 'Nomenclature of Wilson's Orni- 

 thology.* The first of these comprises nearly all the Loxia of 

 authors which are not Crossbills, and to it must be referred the 

 species which is the subject of this notice. 



Fringilla vespertina, (nobis.) 

 F, fronte Jiavo : vertice alis cauddque nigris ; macula alarum 

 alba. 

 Description. Length 8J- inches : bill yellow ; strong, co- 

 nical, swelling, pointed^ depressed above at the base where it 

 forms an angle m the feathers of the front ; the upper mandible 

 turning a little downwards at the point, and shghtly notched, 

 edges of both sharp and cutting : nares roundish, partly con- 

 cealed by the black vibrissge : a narrow black line surrounds the 

 base of the upper mandible : front and a band passing over and 

 behind the eyes yellow ; croivn of the head black : cheeks brown : 

 throat and iieck olive-brown passing downwards into yellow, 

 which is the colour of the back and all the under parts of the 

 body, flanks and tail coverts : lesser wing coverts, primaries and 

 Jirst secondaries black : greater wing coverts and inner secondaries 

 white on their lower half, forming a large white spot on the 

 wing;. the first three primaries of equal length and longer than 

 the rest : tail of 12 feathers, slightly forked, entirely black : feet 

 light brown. 



Cabinet of the Lyceum. 



Observation. In the natural series of American species, 

 this bird should be arranged as the first of the series; being 

 intermediate between the F. coccothraustes of Europe and the 

 F. cardinalis. To the former of these, which is the type of the 

 subgenus, it is nearly allied, but is considerably larger, besides 

 other differences, as the description given will show. 



The specimen from which this description is taken, was sent 

 to the Lyceum from Sault Ste. Marie, near Lake Superior, by 

 Mr. H. R. Schoolcraft, and is labelled Faushknndamo, the 

 name given it by the Chippewa Indians. Mr. Schoolcraft has 

 since favoured me with the following account. It is a little 

 singular that the meaning of the Chippewa name should so 



• Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences, vol. iv. p. 3a. 



