FRINGlLLIDvE — THE F[XCIIES. 



47 



about as loii.tr as tlio win;rs. much giwluateil ; the feathers rather narrow, linear, and 

 elliiitically roinidod at tlu^ end; the outer welis more than nsually hroad in proportion to 

 the inner, being more than one third as wide. The upper parts are ohve-green, the under 

 whitish. 



The position of this genus is a iniittor of consideriihle unccrtiiinty. On 

 some accounts it wouUl bo hotter phicetl among the <S)jc('/(<>'. 



There are numerous tropical species of this genus ; none of them are 

 nearly allied, however, to the single North American species. 



Embemagra ruflvirgata, Lawrence. 



TEXAS SPABROW. 



Embcrnngm nifivirgnta, Lawiien-ui;, Ann. N. Y. Lye. V, May, 1851, 112, ph v, f. 2 (Texas). 



— Sci.ATKU, I'r. Zo(il. Sue. 185G, yoo. - Haiim., Birds X. Am. 1853, 487, pi. Iv. f. 2. 



— Ib. Mi'x. Jiouud. 11, Birds, 16, pi. xvii, f. 2. Zouotrichia plebeja, Liuirr. Box. 

 Comptes Rend. 43, 1850, 413. 



Sr. Chak. Above uniform olivaceous-green. A stripe on each side of the head, and 

 one behind the eye, dull brownish-rnfous, an 

 ashy superciliary stiipe whiter anteriorly. Un- 

 der part.'^ brownish-white, tinged with yellowish 

 posteriorly, and with olivaceous on the sides; 

 white in the middle of the belly. Edge of 

 wing, under coverts, and a.xillaries bright yel- 

 low. Young with the head-stripes obsolete. 

 Length, S.oO; wing, 2.G0; tail, 2.70. 



IIab. Valley of the Rio Grande, and prob- 

 .ibly of Gila, southward ; Mazatlan, Mexico. 

 Oaxaca, April (Sei,. lS,-)9, .380) ; Cordova ; 

 A'era Cruz, temperate and hot region.s, breed- 

 ing (Sr.\f. M. 15. 8. I, Sni) ; Yucatan (LAwn. 



1a, 201). £mtiemagra rttjiiirgata^ Liiwr. 



In this species the bill is rather long ; the wings are very short, and much 

 rounded ; the tertials equal to the primaries ; the secondaries rather shorter ; 

 the first quill is .65 of an inch shorter than the seventli, which is longest. 

 The tail is short ; the lateral feathei-s nnich graduated ; the outer half an 

 inch shorter than the nuiKllo. 



All tlie Mexican specimens before us have the bill stouter than those 

 from the Ifio fJrande of Texas, the stripes on tlie head api)arently better 

 defined. The back is darker olive ; the ila.iks brighter olive-green, not olive- 

 gray , the wings are apparently shorter. The t cs is not surticiently perfect 

 to show other differences, if any e.xist. 



Haiut.s. In regard to tlie liabits and distribution of this species we are 

 entirely without any information, other tlian that it has been met with in tin; 

 valley of the Rio Clrande, and at various places in Mexico. Specimens were 

 obtained at New Leon, Mexico, by Lieutenant Couch, and at Ringgold Bar- 



