ME. GAMBEL ON THE BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA. 51 



the western coast, and in the winter season congregate in very large flocks frequenting 

 the brushy plains, neighbourhoods of the towns, hedges and gardens. The young 

 have the bill of a cinnamon colour ; in the adult the bill is yellow ; upper mandible, 

 towards the tip and over the nostrils dusky ; point of the lower dusky also ; feet pale. 



92. Z. AUROCAPiLLA, (Nutt ) Gamb. Yellow-crowned Finch. 



FringiUa atricapilla, Aud. non Lath. 



This fine species, the companion of the former, is almost equally abundant in 

 California. The resemblance to the GamheJii is very great, so much so, that unless 

 we looked at the markings of the head and its larger size, it is almost impossible to 

 distinguish them : this is particularly the case with young birds. 



93. Z. QUERULA, (Nutt.) Gamb. Mourning Finch. 



FringiUa querula, Nutt. Man. Orn., vol. 1, p. 555, 2d edition. 

 jP. Harrisii, Aud. 



This fine species is abundant on the frontiers of Missouri, and on the prairies as 

 far as the Rocky Mountains. Its notes are slow, solemn, and singing like those of 

 the Z. leucophrys, which it also resembles in its manners. 



Plate IX, Fig. 1. 



94. Z. chlorura? (Aud.) Gamb. Green-tailed Finch. 



FringiUa Blandingiana, Gamb. Proceed. Acad. Nat. Scien., vol. 1, p. 260. 

 F. chlorura ? Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. 5, p. 336. 



Above greenish olive; front, line over the eye, ears, line on each side of the throat, and breast 

 cinereous ; head rufous red ; throat and abdomen white ; sides yellowish brown. A white line 

 extends from the angle of the mouth along the sides of the neck ; also a whitish spot or line from the 

 nostrils to the eye. Wings and tail dusky ; upper part of back, wing coverts, margins of the primaries 

 and secondaries, exterior webs of tail feathers, and general tinge of the under surface of the tail, pale 

 green ; shoulder yellowish green ; tertiarles margined with brownish white. 



Length 6a inches, tail rounded 3j inches; feet and legs stout, brownish; tarsus |ths of an inch, 

 wing from flexure 3 inches ; bill above dusky, below paler. Irids hazel. 



I discovered this species in the Rocky Mountains of the interior in September ; it 

 was flitting about among the bushes near a small stream, with the usual manners of 

 the sparrows, and uttering a simple chip. 



It may, perhaps, be the bird which Audubon described and called chlorura from 

 Mr. Townsend's imperfect notes, taken from a young bird; but as no measurements 

 are given, it is probable that it may be different, disagreeing as it does in several 

 particulars. 



