258 NORTH AMKUIUAN lUUDS. 



iip]u'r liiil-covcrtH wliiti', IuiitlmI with nifoiis. Tlirnat with 

 IiIcikIi'iI streaks of )iliiil<ish, liiis iisiinily iirciidiiiiimliiij;- ; tihiio 

 1111(1 1()W<M' taii-L'ovi'fts jiiaiii ycUowisli-whitc. Huh. Kastcni 

 Province of Xortii Ameriea, Id the Missouri plains . var. ho rfii I is. 

 Similar, but eolors iiiueii ]ia1er, tlie lower parts entirel)' pure 

 white, with little or no sjiottinf,' on the ahdonien. Tail usually 

 (leslitute ol' ihe black subterininal baml. //ah. I'lains, from 



Texas to Minnesota var. hrideri. 



Similar to th(! last, but lower jiarts strongly tinged with 

 rnfiin-s on the tibiie, and upper parts nnicli darker. Tail 

 nlwa3"s destituto of the snbtcrminal black band. Yumig not 

 distini;;uishable from that of var. culiinis. /[uh. Cape St. 



Luias var. Jucasanmt. 



Whole head, neck (except the throat), and njiper jiarts, con- 

 tinuon.sly imiforin nnvariegated brownish-bhu.'k ; that of tho 

 neck rncctinfj narrowly across the lower part of the throat, 

 leaviiifT th(! whoh," throat almost innnaculato white. Posterior 

 lower parts line, deep i)inkish-ochracc(ms ; tiliiic deep reddish- 

 oclirnccous; upper tail-coverts plain rufous, /lith. Central 

 America (from Tres Marias, Western Mexico, to Costa Rica 

 and Veraf,'na) ...... var. costarireii.ii.s, 



Tibi;e and lower tail-covcrts always with distinct transv(.'rse bars. 

 Tail often with more or le.ss complete transverse bars of black to 

 the base. Lower (larts with an excess of ochraccous and darker 

 mnrkin};s, frctiucntly wliolly lilackish. 



Varyin;r, from individuals (listingrnislinl)lo from the darker 

 examples of var. horetiti.i only by the presence of bars on tho 

 tibia; and crissinn, throufrh others with various deirrces of 

 rufous tinge and dusk}- spotting and barring beneath, to a ]ier- 

 fectly melanistic condition, in which tho bird is almost uni- 

 forndy lilack, and the tail with eontinnous, regular bars of 

 black to the base. Hah. Western Province of North America, 

 from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific . . var. calurus. 



6. B. harlani. Wing, 15.0t>- Ki.'iO ; tail, 8.80-10.50; culinen, 1.00; 

 tarsus, 2.7") - '.i.OO ; middle toe, 1.50-1.70. Lateral toes nearly equal ; 

 tiljial plumes much developed, reaching below the bases of tho toes. 

 Entirely brownish-black (exce|)t the tail), tlu^ concealed bases of the 

 feathers snowy-white. Adult. Tail confusedly mottled with du.sky 

 and white, upon a grayish ground; sometimes more or less tinged 

 with rufous. Ymiuy. Tail grayish-brown, with nine very regular, 

 .sharply dellned bands of browrish-black, about e(iual in width to the 

 gray ones. Lower parts wliolly dusky, //ah. Southwestern United 

 States, east of the Rocky Mountains, from Kansas to Texas. 



7. B. cooperl. Wing, l.").7o; tail, 9.10; culnien, 1.10; tarsus, .3.25; 

 middle toe, 1.70. Adult, Head, neck, and beneath, jmre white, the 

 head above and nape streaked with dusky ; lining of the wing white, 

 with a large black patch. Above nearly uniform dusky, the iirimaries 

 plumboou.s. Tail longitudinally mottled with light rufous, cinercou.s, 

 and dusky ; the former prevailing. I/ab. Santa Clara County, Cali- 

 fornia. 



