1920] Swarth: Revision of Avian Genus Passerella 87 



schistacea (Rocky Mountain district of the United States and British 

 Columbia), niegarhynchus (Sierra Nevada, California), and stephensi 

 (hig'h mountains of southern California), 



In 1910, Grinnell described Passerella iliaca sinuosa, from the 

 Prince William Sound region, Alaska. The same year the third edition 

 of the American Ornithologists' Union check-list was also published, 

 giving recognition to all the forms of Passerella iliaca recognized by 

 Ridgway except annectens, Avhich is here lumped with insularis. In 

 1911, Riley discovered Passerella iliaca altivagans, in the interior of 

 British Columbia and Alberta. 



In 1917, Grinnell and Storer described Passerella iliaca moiocnsis, 

 from the east slope of the central Sierra Nevada, California. In 1918 

 Mailliard named Passerella iUaca hrevicauda, an interesting form that 

 had long been confused with stephensi. In the same year, and as a 

 result of the studies upon which the present report is based, Swarth 

 described Passerella iliaca niariposae (previously lumped with megar- 

 hynchus), Passerella iliaca fulva (previously lumped by different 

 authors, sometimes with inegarhynchus, sometimes with schistacea), 

 and Passerella iliaca oanesccns (previously lumped with schistacea) . 



Not many synonyms have been published of the subspecies of 

 Passerella iliaca. Frinejilla ferruginea Gmelin (1788, p. 921), Frin- 

 gilla rufa Wilson (1811, p. 53, pi. 22, fig. 4), and Passerella ohscura 

 Verrill (1862, p. 143) are regarded by Ridgway (1901, pp. 388-389) 

 as synonyms of Passerella iliaca iliaca. The present writer has made 

 no attempt at a critical study of variation within this subspecies. 

 Eniheriza {Zouotrichia) rufina Kittlitz (1858, p. 200) is by the same 

 authority placed in the synonjany of Passerella iliaca townsendi. 

 Aside from these the only conflicting names are Fringilla meruloides 

 Vigors (1839, p. 19), from Monterey, California, and Passerella iliaca 

 annectens Ridgway (1900, p. 30), from Yakutat, Alaska, the respective 

 claims of which are treated at length elsewhere in this paper. 



Variation in Passerella iliaca 



In this species variation due to age, sex and season of the year 

 is extremely slight. The juvenal plumage is essentiall.v the same as 

 in the following stages, with regard to color and markings, the dis- 

 tinguishing features of the first mentioned being mainly due to the 

 different texture of the feathers. Where color differences are con- 

 cerned as of subspecific value, the young birds show these differences 



