352 



ALECTORIDES. 



Synopsis of the North American Species. 



Com. Char. Above, olive or ashy, with more or less distinct broad longitudinal stripes of 

 darker ; beneath, cnncolored anteriorly, variegated with bars on the flanks and crissum. Breast 

 more or less reddish ; flanks and crissum with brown and white transverse bars ; a supraloral light 

 stripe. Wing-coverts usually more rufesoent than back. 



A. Size large (wing more than 5 inches). 

 a. Axillars and flanks dusky, with wide white bars (bars about .15 of an inch wide on flanks). 

 1. R. elegans. Back and scapulars ochraceous-olive or yellowish drab, sharply and conspicu- 

 ously striped with black ; breast deep cinnamon. Wing, 5.90-6.80 ; culmen, 2.10-2.50 ; 

 least depth of bill, .22-35 ; tarsus, 1.90-2.40 ; middle toe, 1.70-2.10. Hah. Fresh-water 

 marshes of Eastern North America. 





•aK 





R.e, 



Axillars and lining of wing dark brown, narrowly barred with white ; flanks dark brown 

 distinctly barred with lioth white and blackish, the l)ar.s of the former about .05-.07 of an 

 inch widi'. 



2. R. Beldingl. Above, deep olive-brown, distinctly but not sharply striped with brownish 



black ; brea.st, etc., ricli cinnamon. Wing, 5.70 ; tail, 2.50 ; culmen, 2.15 ; least depth 

 of bill, .30 ; tar.sus, 1.92 ; middle toe, 1.80. Hah. Gulf of California (Espiritu Santo 

 Island). 

 Axillars and flanks lirowiii.sh gray, witli narrow white bars (bars about .10 of an inch wide 

 on flanks). 



3. R. obsoletus. Back and scapulars grayish olive, indistinctly striped with dusky ; breast 



deep cinnamon. Wing, 6.40-6.60 ; culmen, 2.25-2.50 ; least depth of bill, .32-35 ; 

 tarsus, 2.10-2.25 ; middle toe, 2.00-2.15. Hah. Salt-water marshes of California. 



4. R. longirostris. Back and scapulars brownish gray or ashy, obsoletely striped with 



brown (in (.lulf coast specimens distinctly striped with dusky) ; breast pale buft' (in Gulf 

 coast specimens dull cinnamon). Wing. 5.20-6.00; culmen, 2.0.5-2.50; least depth of 

 bill, .22-35; tarsus, 1.85-2.10; middle toe, 1.75-2.00. Hah. Salt-water marshes of 

 Eastern United States, We.st Indies, and Northeastern South America. 

 Size small (wing les.s than 4.50 inches). 



5. R. virginianus. Similar to R. elegans, but rather more deeply colored. Hah. North and 



Middle America. 



