1S90.I Bendire on Pipilo fuscus mesoleucus and Pipito aberti. 2 3 



road expedition along the 35th Parallel, on Bill Williams Fork, 

 Arizona, February 5, 1854, and was shortly afterwards described 

 by Prof. Spencer F. Baird, as Pipilo mesoleucus. In the A. O. 

 U. Code and Check-List it is placed as one of the races of the 

 Brown Towhee ( Pipilo fuscus} . These, besides the bird in ques- 

 tion, are Pipilo fuscus albigula, found in Lower California, and 

 Pipilo fuscus crissalis in California proper. 



If eggs counted for anything in the relationship of birds, Pipilo 

 fuscus mesoleucus then would certainly have to be classed as a 

 distinct 'species from the other two forms, and I always held that 

 it should till recently, after examining a series of skins of these 

 three forms in the National Museum collection, I found that 

 the California race, P. fuscus crissalis, was the darkest colored, as 

 well as the largest in size, showing more of a rufous tint generally. 

 P. fuscus mesoleucus comes next in size, but is much paler than 

 the former, especially about the throat, and has a distinct reddish 

 cap on the head. P. fuscus albigula is the smallest of the three, 

 has the reddish cap also, and is generally still paler colored 

 throughout than P. fuscus mesoleticus, but comes very close to 

 this in general appearance, and if a number of unmarked skins of 

 these two forms were mixed together, it would certainly be difficult 

 to tell where one race began and the other ended. Now one might 

 reasonably presume that the eggs of the last two races at least 

 would resemble each other closely, but they do not. 



The eggs of P. fuscus crissalis and P. fuscus albigula re- 

 semble each other both in their ground color and in markings. 

 The ground color is a light greenish blue, very similar to that of 

 the eggs of Agelaius phozniceus. They are sparsely spotted or 

 blotched with a very dark brown, almost a black, the markings 

 being principally confined to the larger end of the eggs ; occa- 

 sionally these spots are connected with fine hair-like lines ; there 

 are also a few lighter colored shell markings of lavender and 

 purple to be found in most of the specimens. Their shape varies 

 from ovate to elliptical ovate. The average measurement of fifty 

 specimens of P. fuscus crissalis is .98 X .72 inch, the largest 

 egg measuring 1.03 X .78 inch, the smallest .91 X .70 inch. 

 The average measurements of twenty-three specimens of Pipilo 

 fuscus albigula are as follows : average size .90 X -66, largest 

 e SS -98 * '691 smallest .80 X .64 inch. In the eggs of the 

 Saint Lucas Towhee, the ground color is a trifle paler also, due 

 no doubt to fading out by age. For the purpose of better com- 

 parison I gave the description of the above races, although not 



