iS88.] Butler on a Nc-v Aiinnod ramus. 26c; 



the American Museum of Natural History. I collected at least 

 six Sparrows of this genus in the district mentioned, five of which 

 I now have before me, one of them being kindly loaned by Mr. 

 F. S. Wright, of Auburn, N. Y. 



The specimens differ much from A. saudivichcrtsis alaudi7itis^ 

 both in proportions and in being darker. In this they somewhat 

 approach A. s. bryanti^ but their large bills and brighter coloring, 

 together with the noticeable difference in the pattern of colora- 

 tion, render it easy to distinguish them. 



Ammodramus sandwichensis brunnescens, subsp. nov. 

 Plateau Sparrow. 



Subsp. Char. — Dark as in A. s. ^/-j'aw// but much browner. Bill larger 

 than in any of the subspecific forms, being only exceeded bj that of A. 

 sandiuichcush itself. 



Male. Above grayish shaded with light brown; top of head and back 

 heavily spotted with black which is edged with bright brown ; secondaries, 

 tertials, upper tail-coverts, and sometimes the primaries and outer tail- 

 feathers, edged with brown varying from cinnamon to chestnut; median 

 stripe buff, superciliary stripe creamy to pale yellow; sides of head grayish 

 brown spotted with black, sometimes a very distinct malar stripe of white 

 or pale buff, below which the black spots are arranged in a stripe; chin 

 and gular region white or light buft" almost free from spots; jugulum, 

 breast, and along the sides heavily streaked with dark brown and black 

 and generally tinged with some shade of buff. 



Female. Slightly lighter than the male; the brown edgings of the 

 black spots on the back bordered with gray; streaks on the breast and sides 

 smaller, the tinge of buff paler. 



Wing, 2.60-2.S5; average, 2.746. Tail, 1.95-2.10; average, 2.03. Tarsus, 

 .75-. So; average, .7S6. Culmen, .42-.44; average .424. Depth, .21-. 22; 

 average, .212. 



$ (No. 3, author's coll.) Valley of Mexico, Nov. 20, 1S79. 



$ (No. 29, " " ) Valley of Mexico, Dec. 8, 1S79. 



$ (No. 58, " " ) Valley of Mexico, Dec. 22, 1879. 



$ (No. 30, " " ) Valley of Mexico, Dec. 8, 1S79. 



$ (No. 792, F. S.Wright " ) Valley of Mexico, Dec. 18, 1S79. 



Hab. — In winter the Valley of Mexico. 



There are two other specimens besides the five mentioned that 

 appear to be referable to this form. One of these, a female from 

 the valley of Mexico, without date, is now in the American Mu- 

 seum of Natural History, New York. It fulfils all of the require- 

 ments except it has a peculiarly light brown tail, while in the 



