450 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



times interrupted on hind-neck), and rest of lower parts (except black 

 chest-band), white or pale buffy. Adult female: Above plain olive, 

 rather lighter on rump, the wings varied by two whitish bands across 

 tips of middle and greater coverts ; lower parts dull light olive-huffy. 

 Immature male : Variously intermediate in plumage, according to age, 

 between adult male and female, as described above, several years evi- 

 dently being required to attain the perfect plumage. Length 3.75-4.50, 

 wing 1.90-2.10, tail 1.85-2.05. Nest in bushes, composed of fine rootlets, 

 dried grasses, etc., horse-hairs, etc., very thin, sometimes semi-pensile. 

 Eggs (unknown). Hab. Lower Rio Grande Valley, in Texas, south 

 through eastern Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica. 



602. S. morelleti (BONAP.). Morellet's Seedeater. 

 a*. "Wing-coverts without lighter tips. 



6 1 . Adult male : Top and sides of head, back, scapulars, wings, upper tail- 

 coverts, tail, and band across chest black ; rump and lower parts, pos- 

 terior to black chest-band, pale tawny or cinnamon-buff; chin, throat, 

 and sides of neck white, or buffy white. Adult female: Above plain 

 grayish brown ; beneath pale grayish buffy, shaded with grayish brown 

 across chest. Immature male: Similar to adult, but back, scapulars, 

 wings, upper tail-coverts, and tail brownish gray, instead of black. 

 Wing about 2.10-2.25, tail 1.90-2.00. Hab. Western Mexico, north to 

 Mazatlan and Guanajuato, south to Tehuantepec. 



S. torqueola BONAP. Ochraceous-rumped Seedeater. 1 



6*. Adult male : Entirely black, except under wing-coverts and axillars and 

 a spot at base of quills (the latter sometimes concealed by primary 

 coverts), which are pure white. Adult female : Uniform greenish olive, 

 paler below. Wing about 2.10-2.25, tail 1.95-2.20. Hab. Eastern Mex- 

 ico (Vera Cruz) and south to Costa Rica. 



S. corvina SCL. Black Seedeater. 7 



GENUS EUETHEIA REICHENBACH. (Page 386, pi. CX., fig. 8.) 



Species. 



COMMON CHARACTERS. Above plain olive-green, beneath blackish, grayish, or 

 whitish. Adult male with head and chest (sometimes nearly whole lower parts) 

 black, the former with or without yellow markings. Adult female with the black 

 and yellow wanting, or but faintly indicated, or (in K canora') with chin and upper 

 throat chestnut-rufous and a band of yellow across lower throat, extending upward 

 behind ear-coverts to above eyes. 



* Spermophila torqueola BONAP., Consp. i. 1850, 495. 



* Spermophila corvina SCL., P. Z. S. 1859, 379. Sporophila corvina CASS., Pr. Ac. Phil. 1865, 169. 

 NOTE. A fourth Mexican species is S. parva (LAWR.), Spermophila parva LAWR., Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. ii. 



1883, 382), from Tehuantepec. I have seen the type, which is a female or young bird, and believe it to be a 

 very distinct species, the adult male of which is unknown. The type being now in Europe, I am unfortunately 

 not able to include the species in the above synopsis. 



