FinNCILMD.K — TIIK riXCFIKS?. 



503 



forwanl fniin tin* l()\v«'r posterior anirk' of tin* sidf id" tlio lowt-i- maii<lil)l«\ nearly parallel 

 with llu' {^oiiys. Tarsus about <'quul to tli«- miilijle toe ami elaw. Inner toe almost the 

 lonj^er, its eluw not n'aeiiinjj; heyond the hase of the middle one. Hind toe latiier longer, 

 its elaw lonj,'er than the di^'ital portion. Win^^s very lon^'; tirst (piill lon^'est; all the 

 primaries longer than the secondaries. Tail Ibrkeil. 



This oreims differs from .Kfjiof /(>'.■< in the more obtuse aiuLcuived hill, the 

 less (leveh)|)nient of bristly i'eatheis at the hase, the lidj^'e on tlu* lower inan- 

 dihle, the lateral toe not reaehin*' hevond tlie hase of tlie middle (»ne, and 

 possibly a longer hind toe. Its relationship to the other allies will he found 

 expressed in the syno}»tical table of VonvthriiHstiinv. 



The number of American si)ecies, or at least races, of tli's genus has been 

 increased considerably since tlie publicaticm of Birds of North Anunica, five 

 now belonging to the American fauna, instead of tlie three there mentioned. 

 Of the species usually assigned to the genus, one, L. mrtoa, is ([uite ditlerent 

 in form, lacking the ridge of tlie mandible, etc., and in having the ends of the 

 secondaries graduated in the closed 

 wing, instead of being all on tlie same 

 line. The colors, too, are normally 

 different ; in ardoa being dusky, 

 with silvery-gray wings and tail, 

 without rose tips to the leathers of 

 the posterior part of body ; and in 

 Lcucostictc proper, the wings and tail 

 being dark-brown narrowly edged 

 with whitish, or more broadly, like 

 the ends of the feathers of the body 

 behind, with rose-color. For the 



I^resent, however, we shall combine the species, not having before us any 

 American specimens of L. arctoa. 



From the regular gradation of each form into the other — the extremes 

 being thus connected by an unbroken chain of intermediate forms — it seems 

 reasonable to consider all the North American forms as referable to one spe- 

 cies (Z. tqjhrocotw, Sw\, 1831) as geographical races. They may be distin- 

 guished as follows : — 



Common Characters. Body anteriorly chocolate-brown ; posteriorly tinged 

 with rose-red. Wing-coverts (broadly) and (piills edged with the same. Head 

 above light ashy or silvery-gray, as are also the feathers around the base of upper 

 mandible; the forehead and a patch on crown blackish. Tinoat dusky. 



Additional Characters. The chocolate-colored feathers and the secondary quills, 

 sometimes the tail-feathers and greater wing-coverts, edged with pale brownish- 

 white or fulvous ; the interscapulars with darker centres. Rose of nimp and 

 upper tail-coverts in form of transverse bands at end of feathers, that of abdomen 

 more a continuous wash. Lining of wings and axillars white, tinged with rose 

 at ends of feathers. Feathers of crissum dark brown, edged with whitish, some- 

 times tinged with rose. Bill generally reddish or yello\vish, with blackish tip. 



Lfucostirte Uphrocotis. 



