FUINGILLID.K — Till] FINTIIES. 107 



from one tft the otlier is so {j;ni(liml tliat a (M»iiHi(U'riil)le ])nrrontaf!n of the col- 

 hietioii can scarcely be assijjiied satisfactorily ; mid even if tills were jmssilih', 

 tiie ilill'ereiices after all are only .;iu'h as are caused liy a slii^lit cliaii^e in 

 t! ])roi)ortiou of iilack, and the varyinj,' develo]iinent of feet and wiiii;s. 



'liikint; morii/iifiis as it occurs in tiie isentral jiortion of its wide iidd ef 

 distribution, with \viiii,'-spots of avorajie si/e, we iind these sjiuts slightly 

 bordered, or at least often, with black, and tlie ]niniaries iMJ^ed externally 

 with V e only towards tiie end. The exterior web of lateral tail-fealiiei' is 

 edged mostly with wiiite ; the terminal white patches of outer I'eatiier ab(jut 

 an inch htn<^; that of inner web usually separated from the outer liy a black 

 shaft-streak. In more nnrtliern sjtecimens tlie ley:s are more dusky than 

 usual. Tlie tail is varial>le, Init lonij;er <ienerally tlian in tiie otiier races. 

 Tiie claws are enormously large in many, but not in all siM-cimeiis, vaiyiiii; 

 considerably; and the fourth ])riniary is usually longest, the first equal to 

 or shorter than the secondaries. Tliis is the race described as /'. )iiri/ii/ii,ii/.f 

 and characterizes the Middle Province, between tlie Siena Xevada of Cali- 

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

 continent ; it occurs also near the head of tlie Itio (Jrandc. 



On the Pacific slojie of California, as we proceed westward, we find a chant;e 

 in the species, the divergence increasing still more as we ])id('eed iKjrlJi- 

 ward, until in Oregon and Washington the CAtrcme of range and alteration 

 is seen in P. om/oiuis. Here the claws are much smaller, tlie white markings 

 restricted in extent .so as to form ipiite small spots bordered externally liy 

 black ; the sjiots on the inner wel)s of tail much smaller, and even bordered 

 along the siiaft with black, and the outer web of the lateral entirely Idack, 

 or with only a faint white edging. The concealed white of the head and 

 neck has disappeared also. 



Proceeding eastward, on the other hand, from our starting-point, we find 

 another race, in J\ arctivun, occuj)ying the western slope of tlie ^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. Tlie 

 black l(orders of the wing-patclies di.sapi)ear, leaving tlieiuMhite externally; 

 and decided white edgings are seen for the tir.st time at the bases of primaries, 

 as well as near their ends, the two sometimes confluent. Tlie terminal tnil- 

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

 except toward the very base, and we tlius have tlie o])posite extreme to P. 

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

 longer than the secondaries or the ninth quill. 



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

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

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

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

 The wing formula and pattern of markings are much like mnjalouyx, the 

 claws more like arcticus. Even in specimens of itm/nJunip; from tlie south- 



