66 CouES's History of the Eveniyig Grosbeak. 



at once the far-away land of the dipping sun, and the tuneful ro- 

 mance which the wild bird throws around the fading light of day. 

 Clothed in the most striking coloi'-contrasts of black, white, and gold, 

 he seems to represent the allegory of diurnal transmutations ; for 

 his sable pinions close around the brightness of his vesture, just as 

 the night encompasses the golden hues of the sunset ; while the 

 clear white space enfolded in these tints foretells the dawn of the 

 morrow. 



not New England). — Sumioh., Mem. Bost. Soc. I, 1869, 550 (near City of 

 Mex.). — ?Coop., Am. Nat. Ill, 1869, 75 (Montana). —Coop., B. Cal. I, 1870 

 174. _ CouES, Key, 1872, 127.— AiK., Pr. Bost. Soo. XV, 1872, 199(Wyoming). 

 — Ames, Bull. Minnesota Acad. 1874, 58. — ? Coop., Am. Nat. VIII, 1874, 

 17. —CouEs, B. N. W. 1874, 104. — B. B. & E., N. A. B. I. 1874, 449, pi. 

 22, f. 1. — Hensh., Rep. Orn. Specs. 1874, 108 (Arizona). — Hensh., List B. 

 Ariz. 1875, 158. -Hensh., Zool. Expl. W. 100 Merid. 1875, 239. — Breweh, 

 Pr. Bost. Soc. XVII, 1875, 451 (Essex Co., N. Y., in winter). — Snow, B. 

 Kans. 3d ed. 1875, 6 (Kansas, in November ; common). — Tiffany, Amev. Nat. 

 XII, July, 1878, 471 (Minneapolis, Minn. ; habits). 



Hcsjxriphona vespertina var. montcma, Ridg., apud B. B. & R., N. A. B. 

 I. 1874, 449, pi. 22, f. 4. — Ridgw., Bull. Essex Inst. V, 1873, 181 (Colorado). 

 Coccothraustcs boiwqKirtii, Les.s., " lllust. de ZoiJl. 1834, pi. 34 (5, Melville 

 Isl.)." 



Loxia honcqMrtii, Less., "Bull. Sc. pi. XXV." 



d" adult. General color sordid yellow, overlaid with a sooty-olive shade, 

 deepest on the fore parts, the crown becoming quite black, clearest on the under 

 parts behind. A frontal patch prolonged into a short streak over each eye, the 

 scapulars, and rump, quite pure yellow. Wings and tail black ; several of the 

 inner secondaries, with the inner half of the series of greater wing-coverts, 

 white. Lining of wings partly black, partly yellow. A narrow black line 

 around base of upper mandible. Tibire black. Bill greenish-yellow. Feet 

 apparently dusky flesh-color. Length, 7^- Scinches ; wing, 4 - 4J ; tail, 2^ - 

 3 ; bill, f long, § deep, and f broad at the base. 



$ adult. Brownish ash-color, paler below, and whitening on the belly, irregu- 

 larly mixed or patched with yellowish. Liningof wings and axillars bright yellow. 

 White speculum on the wing incomplete, the feathers being partly black, and 

 sometimes having the white part tinged with yellow ; the primaries, which are 

 entirely black on the male, having also large white areas on the inner webs, 

 and being sometimes tipped with white. 



The adult males differ much in the shade of the yellow, and degree to which 

 it is obscured by the sooty-olive. Taking age and sex also into account, the 

 range of variation in color is wide, but the remarkable species cannot be mis- 

 taken for any other. 



Specimens from the Southern Rocky Mountain region and southward are 

 said to have the bill less turgid, the yellow frontlet narrower, and less white on 

 the wings. Such constitute Mr. Ridgway's variety montana, a typical example 

 of which I have seen from Illinois. 



