416 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



one; the ground-color, however, so mottled with grayish, and the pale bands with 

 dusky, that they are by no means sharply denned or conspicuous, though they are very 

 regular; alula and primary coverts more sharply barred with cream-colored spots, those 

 on the former nearly white; primaries with broad auadrate spots of creamy white on 

 outer webs, these forming from seven to eight transverse bands, the last of which is not 

 terminal. Tail more irregularly mottled than the wings, and crossed by seven to eight 

 narrow, indistinct, but continuous pale bands. Eyebrows white, the feathers bordered 

 with dusky; cheeks, ear-coverts, and lower throat dull white, with transverse bars of 

 blackish; chin immaculate; upper eyelid dark brown; facial circle black; neck and jugu- 

 lum like the cheeks, but more strongly barred, and with blackish along the shaft. 

 Ground-color of the lower parts white, each feather with a median stripe of black, this 

 throwing off distinct bars to the edge of the feathers; the median black is largest on 

 sides of the breast, where it expands into very large conspicuous spots, having a slight 

 rusty exterior suffusion; the abdomen medially, the anal region, and the lower tail- 

 coverts are almost unvaried white. Tibia? and tarsi dull white, much barred transversely 

 with blackish, or pale ochraceous, more sparsely barred with dark brownish. Lining of 

 the wing creamy white, varied only along the edge; light bars on under surface of pri- 

 maries very indistinct. 



b. Rufescent plumage. 



Adult. General pattern of the preceding, but the grayish tints replaced by lateriti- 

 ous rufous, very fine and bright, often with a slight vinaceous cast; this is often uniform, 

 showing no trace of the transverse dark mottling; there are, however, black shaft-lines 

 to the feathers (these most conspicuous on the head above, and scapulars, and narrower 

 and more sharply defined than in the gray plumage). The inner webs of the ear-tufts, 

 outer webs of scapulars, and lower secondary and middle wing-coverts, are white, as in 

 the gray plumage ; those of the scapulars are also bordered with black. The secondaries, 

 primaries, and tail are less bright rufous than the other portions, the markings as in the 

 gray plumage, only the colors being different. The upper eyelid, and, in fact, all around 

 the eye, fine light rufous; cheeks and ear-coverts paler, scarcely variegated. Lower 

 parts without the transverse bars of the gray plumage, but in their place an irregular 

 clouding of fine light rufous, like the back; the lower parts medially (very broadly) im- 

 maculate snowy white; most of the feathers having the red spotting show black shaft- 

 stripes, but the pectoral spots ore not nearly so large or conspicuous as in the gray bird. 

 Tibia? fine pale ochraceous rufous; tarsi the same posteriorly, in front white with 

 cuneate specks of rufous; lower tail-coverts each with a median transversely cordate 

 spot of dilute rufous, the shaft black. Lining of the wing with numerous rufous spots. 



Young. Wings and tail as in adult; markings on head and body as in the young gray 

 bird, but white bars more reddish, and dark ones more brown. 



Two adult males obtained at Mt. Carmel, Illinois, measured, 

 when fresh, as follows : Gray specimen. Total length, 7.50 inches ; 

 extent, 19.50 inches. Rufous specimen (January 21, 1867) : Total 

 length, 8.25 inches; extent, 21.50. Two adult females from the 

 same locality measured, respectively, 9 inches in length by 21.50 

 in extent, and 9 by 23 inches. The fresh colors of the soft parts 

 were as follows: Bill pea-green or pale greenish blue, sometimes 

 with a tinge of emerald-green; iris lemon-yellow; toes and basal 

 half of claws yellowish gray, the terminal portion of the claws 

 dusky. 



