FlikNGILLlDj: — TIIK FINCHES. I07 



I'rom (.lie to tl;o otlior is so ^tjuIusiI tliat a pousiiU'raltle ]»«>rroiit,ij^o of tlio. col- 

 lection can scarcely ))e assij^nicd satista('tf»rily ; and even if tliin vere })ossil>lt', 

 the diH'erences after at! are oidv siuli as are caused l»v a slii»lit clianj:*' in 

 the proportion of Idack, aiid tlic varvin«< development of feet and \vinus. 



Takinj^' hUfrn/iffuH as it occurs in tlie cential jtortion <>f its w idc ti«'M of 

 distribution, with win^^-sjiots of avera,L!e si/e, we tind tliesc s]m»is slii^litly 

 bordered, or at least often, with l)lack, and the ininiarics t'dLied externally 

 with white only towards the end. The exterin/ web of lateral tail-fcaliicr is 

 edged mostly with white ; the terminal white ]>atci."s of outer featlicr ab .ut 

 an inch long; that of inner web usually sej»arate(l fr(»'n the ouur Ity a black 

 shaft-streak. In more northern si»ecimens the Ic'S are nntre duskv than 

 usual. The tail is variable, but longer gimerallv than in the other races. 

 The claws are enorniouslv larne in manv, but not in all sixm iniens, varvinir 

 considerably; and the fourth primary is usually longest, the fhst eipial to 

 or shorter than the secondaries. Tiiis is the race descril)ed as I*, nnt/'f/nntf 

 and characterizes the Middle Province, between the Sierra Nevada of Cali- 

 fornia and the eastern Ifocky Mountains, or the great interior basin of the 

 continent ; it occurs also near the head uf the llio (irande. 



On the Pacific slope of California, as we proceed westward, we find a change 

 in the species, the divergence increasing still more as we jaoceed norili- 

 ward, until in Oregon and Washington the e:vtreme of range and alteration 

 is seen in P. oirf/onus. Here the claws are much smaller, the white markings 

 restricted in extent so as to form (piite small spots bordered externally l>y 

 black ; the S})ots on the inner webs of tail much smaller, and even bordered 

 along the shaft with black, and the outer web of the lateral entirely l»lack, 

 or with only a faint white edging. The concealed white of the head an^l 

 neck has disappeared also. 



Proceeding eastward, on the other hand, from our start ing-]»oint, we find 

 another race, in I\ oreticu>i, occu])ying the western slope of the ^Fissouri 

 Valley and the basin of the Saskatchewan, in which, on the contrary, the 

 white increases in (piantity, and more and more to its eastern limit. The 

 black borders of the wing-patches disapi)ear, leaving them white externally; 

 and decided white edgings are seen for the first time at the bilges of primaries, 

 as well as near their ends, the two sometimes confluent. The terminal tail- 

 patches are larger, the outer web of the exterior feather is entirely white 

 except toward the very base, and we thus have the; oi»posite extreme to P. 

 orcgonns. The wings are longer ; the third primary longest ; the first usually 

 longer than the secondaries or the ninth quill. 



Finally, proceeding southward along the table-lands of Mexico, and 

 especially on their western slope, we find P. macHlafcs (the first described 

 of all) colored much like the females of the more northern races, except that 

 the head and neck are black, in decided contrast to the more olivaceous back. 

 The wing fonnula and pattern of markings are nnich like mcfjalonyXy the 

 claws more like arcticus. Even in specimens of mcgaIoiiy.'\ from the south- 



