116 NORTH AMEUICAN BIRDS: 



Generally similar to tlio male. Heiid iilmve fnnspiciiouslv streaked, but the iliisky prc- 

 vailiiij,'. Aliove llie transverse biimls are less reijjiilar ami (.'onlinuons, anti-riorly the plinn- 

 beoiis larj;vly prevailing ; posterior portions, however, as in tlie male, Imt on the rnmp 

 the hands arc more distinct. Beneath, the niarUiiii;s are more numerous, larfjer, and 

 broader; thos(! on the jugnlnm linear; those ol' the alnlomen medially elliptical; laterally 

 they are transversely eordale, and on the tlanUs in I'oiin ol' broad ti'ansveise spots, or 

 broad bars; on the tibiicand lower tail-coverts thej' I'orm rcfrular transverse bars, — on the 

 latter, <|nitc distant. \Vin;,'-formula, 2-3-4,1. Win.n', 15.50; tail, 9.50; tar.su.s, 'J.15 

 and .80; middle toe, 1.95. 



Jin: ((J, 55,400. Alaska, Xulato, February 10, 1803; W. II. Dall). Above phnubeous- 

 nmber, precisely as in young' of islnndivua, but on the riunp having a decided ashy cast. 

 No while edges to the leathers, a.s in hlumUcus, but, instead, nnniorous irregular tiansverse 

 spots or obsolete ragged bars of cream-coliu' or ])ale ochraeeou.«-bufi"; the whole ujiper 

 surliice is quite thickly variegated with these irregular nnuking.s. Tail cro.ssed wilh 

 thirteen narro'v bands of creamy-white, these .so thickly mottleil wilh du.sky on llie outer 

 ■webs as to bo obscure, but on inner webs they are regular and .sharply defiued ; the 

 last is terminal. Primaries i)lain dn.sky, .skirted obscurely with paler, and marked toward 

 ba.-;es with obsolete mollled s[)ots of cream-color. Head streaked wilh dusky and creamy- 

 ■white, the f'.rmcr j icdominating on upper surface, along ujjper edge of car-coverls, and 

 ncro.ss the cheeks, on the latter Ibrming ii nnistaclie ; the white prevails over the I'ar-cov- 

 erts in a broad supra-oral stripe, and on the forehead and lon-s. Beneath, soft dull white; 

 chin and upper part of throat only, iunnaculate; each feather with a broad medial .^ti'ipc 

 of clear daik phnnbeou,s-brown, on the Hanks and tiliiiu ]ireviiiliiig, the whitish a.^^sumiug 

 the form of roundish spots; lining of the wing .similarly marke<l ; prevailing aspect of 

 under surface of ])riinaries white, cros.sed with narrow l)ars of ash}-, fifteen m number 

 on the longest. Wing-fonnnla, 2, 3-1 =4. Wing, 14.00; tail, 8.40. 



Had. Interior regions of Arctic America; Anderson River, Midvenzie, Yukon, and 

 Sev(Mn River region.s. Breeding abundantly in the former district, whence numerous 

 specimens of skins and eggs have been received by the Smithsonian Institution. 



Tn tlie young specimen described, tliere are one or two new feathers 

 appearing on the rump and upper tail-coverts, ])recisely as in tiie bhie 

 phimage, and proving conclusively their relationsliip. The .specie's is as dii- 

 ferent from the Iceland bird in the young stage as in the mature. The most 

 readily apparent diderences are, lack of sharp white edges of feathers aljove, 

 and in their stead numerous ragged transverse spots of yellowish ; dark aspect 

 of head above, etc. 



Specimens vary considerably in the shades of color and distril)ution of 

 the marking.^, but tiie types of the above descriptions arc the lightest of the 

 series. The darkest e.xamjde is No. 43,144J- (" 9 and eggs "), Fort .Anderson, 

 ]\[ay 22, 18(54. In this the whole head and neck (except underneath) are 

 continuous blackish-plumbeous, only the middle of the auriculars being 

 faintly streaked ; the back is nearly ))lain dusky, and even on the wii\gs the 

 bars are very obscure and much reduced in width. The rump is plain ashy- 

 blue, the darker bars being nearly obsolete. The longitudinal markings on 

 the pectoral region are enlarged into con.«;])icuous slrijjes, while on the sides 

 and llaid<s the transverse bars form heavy spots. The tninsverse liars on 

 the tibiu' are ashy-blue ; those on the crissuni clear idiimbeous, and regularly 

 transverse. W'ug, 15.75 ; tail, 9.30. Upon com])aring this specimen with 



