CARDINALIS. 441 



buffy, under tail-coverts deep tawny, and upper parts 

 deeper brownish gray, or grayish brown. 



Light or tawny cinnamon-ochraceous of throat usually 

 spotted or flecked with dusky ; top of head browner 

 than back, but not rufescent. Young : Above similar 

 to adult, but browner, the middle and greater wing- 

 coverts edged and tipped with isabella-color ; beneath 

 dull light buffy, changing to dull tawny buff posteriorly 

 and on throat, and to dull grayish brown along sides, 

 the entire fore-neck, chest, breast, etc., streaked with 

 grayish dusky. Length 8.50-9.00, wing 3.70-4.00 

 (3.87), tail 4.40-4.75 (4.53), exposed culmen .55-.62 

 (.57), tarsus 1.10-1.16 (1.13). Eggs .99 X .61, colored 

 like those of P. albigula. Hob. California. 

 591&. P. fuscus crissalis (Via.)- Califomian Towhee. 

 c*. Lores and chin dusky ; lower throat and chest plain light buffy cinna- 

 mon, or fawn-color. 



Above plain grayish brown, becoming more decidedly brown on 

 top of head ; quills edged with grayish ; lower parts nearly 

 uniform light fawn-color, paler on belly and changing to cinna- 

 mon-tawny on under tail-coverts ; length 8.50-9.00, wing 3.40- 

 3.90, tail 4.75-5.00. Eggs .99 X -70, pale greenish blue or 

 bluish white, speckled and scratched on or round larger end 

 with dark brown, sometimes mixed with madder-brown. Hab. 

 New Mexico and Arizona, north into southern Utah and Colo- 

 rado.... . 592. P. aberti BAIRD. Abert's Towhee. 



GENUS CARDINALIS BONAPARTE. (Page 382, pi. CXIL, fig. 1.) 



Species. 







COMMON CHARACTERS. Adult males bright vermilion-red, darker on upper 

 parts ; feathers round base of bill black (restricted to chin in C. phceniceus). Adult 

 females brownish above, pale tawny or buffy beneath, the crest, wings, and tail dull 

 reddish. Young much like adult female, but colors duller, the bill blackish. Nest 

 a rather frail structure of fine rootlets, strips of grape-vine bark, etc., in bushes, 

 brambles, grape-vines, or low trees. Eggs 2-4, white, greenish white, or brownish 

 white, spotted or speckled with various shades of brown and lilac-gray. 



a 1 . Culmen nearly straight to near tip, where gently curved ; upper mandible about 

 as deep as the lower, its edge slightly lobed anterior to the slight angle, 

 without grooves ; color of bill bright vermilion-red in life ; feathers all round 

 base of bill black, the throat also black. Adult females with under wing- 

 coverts pinkish red. 



b l . Feathers of crest soft, blended ; male with crest brownish red or deep ver- 



56 



