cc 



KKlN<ilLLll>.K TIIK KlNrilKS. 4411 



claw. Claws tiiucli fiirsrd. >tt>m. iiii<l <•< in 1 pi) •<,<.»•< I. Winirs vnv l<>ii«r ami |M>iiit»Ml ifarli- 

 iiirr iK.yoinl the iiiitldlc of tli«' tail. I*iimaii»'s miu-li loiiLTtT than the iitaiiy «'»|iial s«'c<.n- 

 darirs and tcrtials ; (»ut<T two (|nills lonjrost : tin* otlnTs i-apidly L'liuluatcd. Tail sli^ditly 

 (orkt'd ; s<'ari*«.'ly nini«> than two thirds the leii^'tli otth«^ winjurs, its covcrtj* covering m-ailv 

 throe fourths of its extent. Xest and e<'<rs iniknown. 



Tliis «,'('nns is allipil to the EiirojH'jiii (^onnfhnntsfr.s, luit diflVrs in waiilin;^ 

 tlie curious ex]>imsinii of tlic iiiniT secciKlaries, as slmwn in V'vj;. lS,."i«)7. 

 S|H'ci('s are said to oi-cur in Asia, l»ut we have only two in America, — one 

 peculiar to Mexico (//. nJn ilJii), the otlier //. nsjn rfina. 



The American species may be thus tlistin^uishcil : — 



Species and Varieties. 



Common CuAH.vfTKUs. Wind's and tail Ithuk. th*- tertials with more or less 

 whitish; hody cont-olored, with more or less ol' a yellowish tiniif. ^. Body 

 yellowish, more jilivaceous above; no white at l>ase of piiniaiir-;. 9- l»<'dv <riav- 

 ish, merely tinged with yellow; a white spot at luusc of primaries. Xest and 

 cjrff.s nil known. 



1. H. vespertiiia. ^. Head olivaeeons-sepia. with a yellow frontal rres- 

 eeiit an<l a l)lack ocripital ])ateh. 9- ^'rown iilumheous-hrown ; a duskv 

 '• hridle'" down side of the throat; upper tail-eoverts tipped witii a white 

 spot. 



Yellow frontal cresi-eiit Itroad, as wide as the Itlaek hehind it ; inner 

 wehs of tertials partially hlack: seeondaries an<l inner wehs of tail- 

 feathors tipped with white. Ifuh. XortluMn mountain retrions of 

 United States and interior <»f IJritish Ameriea . . var. vespertinn. 



Yellow frontal eresr'ent narrow, less than half as wide as the hlaek 

 behind it; inner webs of the tertials without any blaek ; seeondaries 

 and inner webs of tail-feathers without white tips. Huh, Southern 

 Rocky Mountains of United States, and mountains of Mexico. 



var. m o nta n a. 



2. H. abeillii.' ^. Head entirely blaek. sharply defined. 9- ^'•■^^^■»> <'^'ily) 

 black; no dusky *" bridle" on side of throat; upper tail-eovertis without 

 white tips. Ilah. Mountains of Guatemala and Southern Mexico. 



Hesperiphona vespertina, Bonap. 



EVENING OBOSBEAX. 



PrhifiiUa veajurtina. Cooper, Annals X«'W York Lyoeum, X. H. I, ii, lS2r>, 220 (Sault 

 St. Marie). — Arr». Orn. Biog. IV, 1S3S, r»ir» ; V, 235, pi. cctlxxiii, ccnxxiv. Frintjilla 

 {Coccothraustcs) vcsjyrrfhit', BoN. Syn. 1828, 113. — 1b. Am. Orn. II, pi. xv. dHvo- 

 thrmistesve^tpn-finn, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 2G9. — Acn. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 217, 

 pi. ecvii. H<:'ijh'n'j)honH ir.yterfiiio, Bon. C'omptfs IJcudus, XXXI, Sept. 1850, 424. — 

 B.\n{n, Birds N. Am. 1858, 409. — Coofkr k Si»ki.i.v, 11»5. — Coopeu, (Mn. ('al. I, 

 174. Coccofhraifsfts honapartu. Lesson, Illust. do Zoiil. 1834, pi. xxxiv. 9 (Melville 

 Island). Loxia htitnpnrtii. Less. Bull. Se. tab. xxv. Hisprriphotin imprrtiwf, var. vcs- 

 pfrtbvi, Bnn;wAY i,new variety from Mexico and the southern Rocky Mountains). 



1 Goccothraudes ahrillii, Sclatek, Catal. Am. B. 123 {Guiraca abeilliij Lesson). 

 57 



