]2 NORTH AMERICAN- BIRDS. 



W'iii.i:-, 11.70-1'i.iiil; tail, 4.S0-,').'Ji); laisiis, 2.40- 2.7'). Tail moiv cvc'.i, 

 aii<l lij;litt'r coliircil ; tliL' diuk linis iimi rowci', lunl iikh-i' sliarply (liii.i'.l. 

 ("oldis ^'('iR'rally iialcr. and iiuh'c jirayisli. //ah. Sniiili .\iijrfiiM (i;r:i/il, 

 flc ^ ............ v:ir. ji <■ r I II I a,^ 



Will,;.', 12.00- lli.r.il; tall. .'>.fiO-(i.()(l; ciiIiikmi. .S.") -.!!.') ; tai-sns, 2.70 - 2..'^."i; 

 iniililli' toe, 1.45- l.()0. Culiir.-* as in var. jn'rlufa, liiil ,'*c<M)ii(lari('.s anil lail 

 nearly white, i" alinipt coiiti-ast tu the ailjaecnt pai't.s ; tail n-siuiUy without 

 hai's. /Jiih, \Ve.<t Indies (('nlia and .laniaiea, Mils. S. I.) . . \t\v. /ii real ii .^ 



\\"u\<s, 11.00; tail, .'j.OO; cnhnen, alioul .S.") ; lai'snti, 2.O.") - 2. 1.") ; middle 



shafts. The tail has I'enr nithci' ilistinct <,'rayish li.nnls. The facial cii'cle is ochiacpous, snnic- 

 wliat (iaiker across the fereiiciK- ; the face white, with tln' antc-mhital sjint elaict-lirown. Kiitire 

 lower parts iininaeulate pure white. Wiiig-foriuida, 'J, 1 = 3. Wiiii^, ii.'M) ; tail, a. .1(1 ; cid- 

 nieii, .7(1 ; tarsus, '2.7^ ; niiihlle toe, 1. t.'i. 



No. •J4,'jsy, Niearaf,'na, (Captain .1. M. Dow,) is like the specimen just ileserihed, in the unifona 

 dark wasji of tlie upjier pait.s, liut tliis is deeper ; the lower part.s, however, an; ([uite diU'eieiit, 

 heiii;; oi'hraeeous-oraii^e, in.stead of pure white. 



The iviiiainiiij; live speeitiieiis (from ."^aii Salvador, Costa liica, and Xicarai,'iia) are alike, and 

 dill'er froin northern liirils in the deeper daik mottliii<; of ilie upper [larls ; the winte spii'ks 

 Very conspicuous, and iisiially sau'ittate. The facial einde deeji black where it crosses the fore- 

 neek. The lower parts vary in color from nearly pure while to deei> oraiifje-nifous ; the dark 

 markings of the lower surface are larger, more angular, and more transv<'rse than ni true y/cK- 

 tiiimhi. Tlie wing measures 11.30-13.0(1; tarsus, 2.;").") - 2. !•.">. The northern I'orni varies 

 from ]2.."i(l- 13.(1(1 (wing) ami 2.50- 2.8') (tarsn.-;). It is thus seen that while these soiitliern 

 liirds avi'iage smaller in general dimensions, they have actually larger feet, tlie average length of 

 tlie tarsus lieing 2.8(1 in the Central American .scries, and only 2.()0 in the northern series. Tliis 

 exactly coincides with the ease of Sluruclht, the .V. iiinijiiii var. mcxicuHU of the same region being 

 smaller liodied and shorter'winged than var. iiiikjiih of the United States, hut vitii much 

 larger feet, .see ]>. 



' SIri.i' JhiiitiKcii, yiu: pcrlfila. Sh-i.i' prr/nln, Liciir. Vcr/. Douhl. aO, 1S23. — T.scilfDl, Av. 

 Consj). AViegm. .\rcliiv. 2(17, 1844. — HAirrr. Syst. Iiid. .\/aia. y. d. — .Max. IJeitr. Ill, 203 

 (e.\cl. syii.). -- Sriiieia,. Orn. .Syn. I, ISa.'i, 18(i (e.xcl. syn.K ,Sy/-(.i\//«/(i(/i('(, Daiiwix, Zool. 

 Heag. 34. — ScirnMii. A'erz. Faun. Hrit. (luiaii. p. 732. — Si'ix, Av. Ihas. I, 21. 



This is a still further dilferentiated or nion' aiipreciahly modilied race. It dilh'is in .smaller 

 size (wing, 11.7(1- 12.. "i(i ; tail, 4.8(1-5.20 ; tarsus, 2.40-2.7.")) ami more .sipiare tail, wliile the 

 colors also present constant dilh'reiiees. Tlie tail is much lighter comiiared with the wings, the 

 hands nnrrower and more sharjily delineil, tlioiigli tlie same in iiumhcr. 



- S/n'r jliiiiiiiifn, vtu: fiimihi. Sh-lr fiimdii, Tic.MM. I'l. Col. 432, 1838. — D'Ollu. Hist. Xat. 

 Cuha Ois. )i. 34. Huh. West Imlii's (Ciilia and .lamaica). 



This form is the most distimtly eharactcri/cd of all the races of .V. fliinuiwt which we have 

 examined. It has the general plumage deiidcdly lighter and less rufous, while the .secondaries 

 and tail are alinijitly lighter than tlie tidjaciait parts, and usually free from hands, though there 

 are sometimes traces of them. 



All the .\iiicricaii races of Slrir Jhini/iini dill'er vi'iy decidi'dly from the Kuropean form (var. 

 fliniiiiii-ii) in much larger size. The diircreiiees in color arc not .so ap|ircciahle, and there is 

 hardly any certain diUcrcnce in this respect. The extri'iiie phases, however, ajipear to he darker 

 in the var. Ihniiiiiiui than in the var. jirntinfn/d. The snjipo.scd dilleiences in the character 

 of the feathers flinging the operculum, insisted on hy .Macdillivray (History of Itriiish liirds, 

 HI, 1840, p. 473), I am unable to appreciate, for 1 c^aniiiit find that they dilFer in the least in 

 the two races. That excellent ornitliologist states that in the American " species " the feathers 

 of the operculum are redueed to a simple tiilie, having neither tilaineiits nor shaft, while in the 

 iMiropean bird they are perfect feathers, with all their parts complete. Though this may liavu 

 been the case witli the one or more specimens of prdliiu-d/ii examiueil hy Mr. .\bie(iillivray, I 

 have yet to .see ai> American specimen which has not the feathers of the oiieruiilum just as per- 

 fectly developed as in Kuroiieaii examples. 



