BROWN SONG SPARROW. 23 



Fringilla cinerea, G-mel. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 922. — Lath. Ind. Oruith. vol. i. 



p. 445. 

 Cinereous Finch, Arct. Zool. vol. ii. No. 260. 



Adult Male. Plate CCCXC. Fig. 4. 



Bill short, stout, conical, compressed toward the end ; upper man- 

 dible with the dorsal line very slightly convex, at the base and toward 

 the tip, the ridge narrow, and extending a short way on the forehead, 

 where it tapers to a point, the sides rounded, the edges inflected, the 

 tip pointed, the gape-line nearly straight, a little deflected at the base ; 

 lower mandible of the same breadth as the upper, with the angle very 

 short and broad, the dorsal line ascending and straight, the back broad 

 at the base, the sides rounded, the edges involute, the tip pointed. 



Head of moderate size, ovate ; neck short ; body full. Feet of 

 moderate length and rather stout ; tarsus rather short, compressed, an- 

 teriorly covered with seven scutella, posteriorly with two longitudinal 

 plates meeting so as to form a very sharp edge ; toes moderate, the first 

 strong, the lateral equal ; claws rather long, slender, much compressed, 

 laterally grooved, moderately arched, very acute. 



Plumage soft and blended, the feathers ovate. There are no dis- 

 tinct bristles at the base of the upper mandible. Wings short, con- 

 cave, broad, much rounded ; the first quill fovir-twelfths and three- 

 fourths shorter than the fourth, which is the longest, the rest very little 

 graduated, the outer secondaries slightly emarginate, the inner not 

 elongated. Tail rather long, slender, much rounded, the lateral feathers 

 being five-twelfths of an inch shorter than the longest. 



Bill dusky, the lower mandible reddish-brown toward the base. 

 Feet and claws dusky reddish-brown. The general colour of the upper 

 parts is dark olivaceous brown, all the feathers dusky in the centre ; the 

 wing-coverts, inner secondaries and tail-feathers more or less tinged 

 with red on the margins. Over the eye is a dusky greyish line ; on 

 the cheek a whitish line, and beneath it a dusky brown band ; the throat 

 and fore part of the neck white, with longitudinal brown streaks, the 

 middle of the breast brownish-white, the sides dark greyish-brown, as 

 are the lower tail-coverts. 



Length to end of tail 6 inches ; extent of wings 8 ; bill along the 

 ridge || ; wing from flexure 2{'^ ; tail 2^| ; tarsus H ; hind toe ^, its 

 claw W ; middle toe ||, its claw ||. 



The Female is similar to the male. 



