BIRDS — LIOTEICHIDAE — HAEPOEHYNCHUS CUEVIEOSTEIS. 351 



HAKPOEHYNCHUS CEISSALIS, Henry. 



Harporhynchis crissalis, Henry, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phil. May, 1858. 



Sp. Ch. — Second quill about as^ long as the secondaries. Bill much curved; longer than the head. Above olive brown, 

 with a faint shade of gray ; beneath nearly uniform brownish gray, much paler than the back, passing insensibly into white on 

 the chin ; but the under tail coverts dark brownish rufous, and abruptly defined . There is a black maxillary stripe cutting oflF 

 a white one above it. There do not appear to be any other stripes about the head. There are no bands on the wings, and the 

 tips and outer edges of the tail feathers are very inconspicuously lighter than the remaining portion . Length, 11 inches ; wing, 

 4.00 ; tail, 5.80 ; tarsus, 1.25. 



Hab . — Southern Rocky Mountains . 



This species in general appearance resembles the H. redivivus, hut is smaller, and may he at 

 once distinguished by the chestnut under tail coverts in marked contrast with the brownish gray of 

 the under parts. The contrast is nearly as marked as in Mimus caroUnensis, or the cat bird, and 

 the shade of color only a little lighter. The upper parts are paler than in the other species, and 

 the tail and upper coverts are uniform with the back. There is no pectoral band, but the entire 

 under parts are uniform, without any trace of the cinnamon color. The black maxillary stripe 

 cuts off a white one, which is not the case in the other species, where the whole maxillary space 

 is dusky. The character of margination in the tail is very similar. The bill and feet are black. 

 The lateral tail feathers are about 1.35 inches the shortest. 



List of specimens. 



HARPOEHYNCHUS CUEVIEOSTEIS, Cab an is. 



Orplieuscurvirostris, Swainson, Phil. Mag. I, 1827, 369.— M'Call, Pr. A. N. Sc. IV, May, 1248, 63. 



Mimus curvirostris, Gray, Genera, 1844-'49. 



Toxostoma curvireslris, Bonap. Conspectus, 1850, 277. 



Harporhynclms curviroitris , Cab. Mus. Hein. 1851, 81. 



? Toxostoma vetultt, Wagler, Isis, 1831, 528. 



? " Pomatorhinus turdinus, Temm. PI. Col. 441." 



Sp. Ch. — Second quill equal to the eighth ; considerably longer than the secondaries. Exposed portion of the bill about as 

 long as the head ; considerably decurved . Above uniform grayish brown , or light ash ; beneath dull white ; the anal region 

 and under tail coverts tinged with brownish yellow. The under parts generally, except the chin, throat, middle of the belly 

 and under coverts, with rounded sub-triangular, quite well defined, spots, much like the back. These are quite confluent on 

 thebreast. Two narrow bands on the wing coverts, and the edges of primaries and alulae, are white. The tail feathers, 

 except the middle, are conspicuously tipped with white. Length of female, 10 inches ; wing, 4.00 ; tail, 4.55 ; tarsus, 1.20. 



Hab. — Lower Rio Grande. 



This species, with some relationships to the H. redivivus, is readily distinguished by its smaller 

 size, shorter tail, and white under parts, with distinct spots ; these, anteriorly, are rather arrow- 

 shaped, but become more rounded behind, and exhibit a tendency to confluence on the breast. 

 The sides are tinged with brown. The chin is white. The sides of the head ash color, without 

 stripes, although the feathers of the cheeks and before the eye are whitish. The edge of the shoulder 

 is white. The bands on the wing vary in extent, though that on the lower coverts is generally 

 most distinct. The white tips to the tail feathers are very conspicuous, compared with H, 



