518 NORTH AMKRICAN BIItD.S. 



red, aiic! at tinios alin(»st Mack. In souil*, Wnv nlivc-lunwii dots cover the e;;;g 

 so completel us tn make it ajn»ear as of i>ue imilnrin «let'p coIjm'. In others 

 the l>ri>\vii is lighter and more of a reddish liiif, and ii^aiii in others the 

 markings are in irre^uhir distrilailion, and ol dillerent shades. They meas- 

 ure .Sli hv .(»(► <>t" an ineli. 



Xes. with euus (7414}, coUeeted on Anih'rson IJiver, Franklin liay, dune 

 27, hv \l. MaeFarlane, was huilt on the -ground, and i> deejdy saucer-shaped, 

 nieasuiin^ *>.7.") in external and '2.'M) in internal diameter ; the depth -.75 

 exteriorlv and l.r>(> interiorly. It is composed ot" coarse wiry ;;ra.ss-stems, 

 and sol'tly lined with leathers ol Ltf'/njHis. The e^^'s, five in nund)er, have 

 the gr( und-color liuht und»er-drai», this faintly Motched with di-eper livid 

 .slate, and with a few stniugly hlack lines, much as in certain httrulo and 

 in Chondcstis. They nieitsure .80 of an inch in length hy .0;) in l)readth. 



Plectrophanes pictus, Swainson 



SMITH'S BTTNTINO ; FAINTEO LONOSPUB. 



Einhriza {Plrcfrophnh's) j)icf<i, S\v. K. li. Am. II, IS'U, 2.'»0, pi. 49 (.sprin^>. — XuTT. 

 Mail. II, r.M>. l'I>ctn>i>hiiiuf< />ictiis, Ari». Syii. lN:ilt, 1»1». — lii. Birds Am. HI, 1841, 

 52, pi. cliii (liitlumlMurs siHciiiu'u). — Haiku, r>ii<ls N. .\m. 1?>.'.8, 434. — Dall & 

 Hanmstki;, Tr. ("li. A. S. I, iStJ'.t, 283 (Alaska). Kniherizn pir/it. Aid. Orii. liio^r. V, 

 18;il», i»l, pi. (tec. Ct iifi-npft'iiiis iurtii<<, ('ah. Mus. Ilcin. l>r»l, 127. I'ltctropluiacs 

 smitlii, Ari>. lUnls .\iii. Vil, 1844, 3;>7, pi. crcilxxxvii ovint«r). 



Rp. (^HAH. }fiilp. SjniiiL''. T<>]> and sides of lit-ad Mat-k. A line frion l»ill over the 

 eye. lores, lower and posterioi- Imrder of the hlaek ehetk.*:, ears (eiieireled l>y hlack), ami a 

 small pateh in the nape, white. Kntire under pait.s. and (^xtendinir rouinl neck to napo 

 (where it lionnds ahrnptly the lilaek of head), hnll" or huht einnanion-yellow ; th(.' under 

 tail-eoveit paler: the inside of win^s. \vhii<'. Feathers of upper surfaces hlaek, cd;.;ed 

 with vellowish-frrav : slioujilers or le>s('r coverts and the mvater hlack : middle white, 

 forniinir a eonspieuous j»ateh. (Quills edijed externally with white, this involvinir the 

 whole outer weh of outenn<»st priniai'v. Whole of oiiter and most of .second tail-tl-ather 

 white. IJill dusky; lower niandil»le and Ici^s yellowish. Len^'th, 5.50; wiuL'. ."J.oU ; 

 tail. 2.75; Kill. .45. 



FcntdJe. The niarkinirs of male faintly indicated, hut the l»lack and l)ufl' wantinjr. 

 Head al>ove hrown. streak»'tl centrally with paler. A narrow dark line on each sith? the 

 throat, and hrownish streaks across the juirulum, an<l aloriLr si<les of hody. Traces visihle 

 of the white marks of the head. Bil! and feet as in the male. 



IIab. Prairies of Illinois and Missouri Plain-s in winter; in summer north to the 

 Arctic Ocean. 



This .s])ecie.s i.s quite similar in form to P. Inpponicns, althongh with slen- 

 derer bill, and perluips Ioniser hind claw. While the colors of adult males 

 are verj' diti'ereiit, the females have a decifled re.semblance ; they may, how- 

 ever, be distinguished in all stages by the black or dusky legs of lapponiciis 

 and the yellow of pictus, and perha])S by the more dusky upper mandible of 

 the latter. 



