FKINGILLID^E — THE FIXCIIES. 11<J 



Pipilo maculatus, var. arcticus, Swain son. 



ABCnC TOWHEE BTTNTINO. 



Pi/iyita (l'ipil(i) air/kn, Sw. F. Bor.-Aiii. II, 1831, 260. Pijii/o ardiciis, Nnr.M.L, Man. 

 I, 18;i2, 5St). — hi., (2d ed.,) 1840, 610. — Bkll, Ann. N. Y. Lye. V, 1852, 7. — Uaihd, 

 HiiiLs N. Am. isns, 514. 



Sp. Ciiah. Upper paits froiicrally, with head find nock sill round to the upper piirt of 

 the breast, black ; tlie rump u.-iually tinged with ii.-;hy. -Miildle of breast and of Ijelly 

 wliite; .sides ehe.stnut ; under tail-coverts siniihxr, but paler. Eulin; outer web.s of 

 scapuhuvs and of dorsal feathers immediately above them, and of ends of primary and 

 .secondary coverts, to the shaft, with edges of outer webs of three innermost tertials, and 

 of the second to the fifth priniarict*, eonsi)icn<iusly white. Whole outer wel) of the first 

 and ends of the first to the fourth tail-feathers, white, tiie amount diminishing not very 

 rapidly. Outermost ciuill longer than ninth, sometimes than eighth, nearly always 

 exceeding the .secondaries ; third quill longest ; fourth scarcely .shorter. Length about 

 8 inches; wing, 4.40; tail, 4.10; hind toe and claw, .74. Female paler brown instead of 

 black ; the rufous, seen in P. erijlhrophthalmus, tinged with ashy. 



IIau. High central plains of Upper Missouri, Yellowstone, and Platte ; basin of 

 Mi.ssouri River, especially west, including eastern slope of Rocky Mountains ; San 

 Antonio, Texas (Dresser, Ibis, 18G5, 402). 



P. ardieuH is siuiilar in form to P. erjjthropldludmus, which, however, 

 is readily (hstingiii.sh(;il by the entire absence of wliite on the .scapulars and 

 wing-coverts. The amount of white on the tail decreases mucli less rtipidly. 

 The diflerences between it and P. orcyonas will be found detailed under the 

 head of the latter species. 



One specimen (8,193) from Fort Ijcavenworth, witli a few white spots only 

 on the scapulars, may perhaps be considered a hybrid between ardiciis and 

 erythrophtlialmns. 



In some specimens the interscapulars are edged externally with white. 

 The feathers of throat and sides of head show occasional concealed spots 

 of white about the middle. As in crjithropldhulmns, the bases of the 

 primaries are white along the outer edge, showing under tlie primary coverts, 

 sometimes, but perhaps not generally, contlueut with the white towards the 

 end of the same web. 



The female is of a dull ashy-brown, difficult to describe, but with only a 

 slight tinge of the rufous seen in P. eri/throphthabiius, wjiich is most dis- 

 tinct on top of head ud back. There is an almost inappreciable asliy 

 superciliary stripe. 



The young bird resembles in general appearance that of merjalonyx, but is 

 lighter colored, and with the dusky streaks on the jugulum nmch narrower. 

 Tlie brown above is as light as in cri/fhrojjhthalmus, but without the reddish 

 cast seen in the latter, and not blackish, as in mcffaloui/.i: 



Habits. The Saskatchewan or Arctic (Jround Finch was first met with by 

 Sir John Richardson. It was observed by him only on the plains of the 

 Saskatchewan, where he had no doubt of its breeding, as one specimen was 



