BIRDS — PEINGILLIDAE — ^PINICOLA. 



409 



HESPERIPHONA VESPERTINA, B o n a p . 



Bvening Grosbeak. 



Fringilla vespertina, Cooper, Annals New York Lyceum N. H. I, ii, ]825, 220. (Sault St. Marie.)— Ann. Orn. 



Biog. IV, 1838, 515 : V, 235 ; pi. 373, 424. 

 Pringilla {Coccothrausies) vespeHina, Bon. Syn. 1828, 113.— Ib. Zool. Jour. IV, 1828, 2.— Ib. Am. Orn. II ; pi. xv. 

 Coccothraustes vespertina, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831 , 269.— Ann. Syn. 134,— Ib. Birds Amer.III, 1841, 217; pi. 207. 

 liesperiphona vespertina, Bosr. Comptes Rendus, XXXI, Sept. 1850, 424. — Ib. Conspectus, 1850, 505. 

 Coccothraustes honapartii. Lesson. Illust, de Zool. 1834 ; pi. xxxiv. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill yellowish green, dusky at the base. Anterior half of the body dark yellowish olive, shading into yellow to the 

 rump above, and the under tail coverts below. Outer scapulars, a broad frontal band continued on each side over the eye, axilla- 

 ries, and middle of under wing coverts, yellow. Feathers along the extreme base of the bill, the crown, tibiae, wings, upper tail 

 coverts, and tail, black ; inner greater wing coverts and tertiaries white. Length, 7.30 ; wing, 4.30 ; tail, 9.75. 



Hab. — Pacific coast to Rocky mountains ; northern America east to Lake Superior. 



In this species the bill is very large and thick at the base ; the upper outline nearly straight, 

 most curved at the tip. The bill resembles that of Oardinalis virginianus more than Quiraca. 

 The wing is very long and much pointed ; the outer three primaries nearly equal, and the others 

 graduating rapidly to the secondaries. The tail is short and slightly emarginate ; the feathers 

 narrow. 



The female differs in having the head of a dull olivaceous brown, which color also glosses the 

 back. The yellow of the rump and other parts is replaced by a yellowish ash. The upper 

 tail coverts are spotted with white. The white of the wing is much restricted. There is an 

 obscure blackish line on each side of the chin. 



List of specimens. 



PINICOLA, Vieillot. 



Pinicola, Vieillot, Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807, page iv, pi. i, f. 13. 

 " Strobilophaga, Vieillot, Analyse, 1816." 

 " Corythus, Cuvier, R. An. 1817." 



Ch Bill short, nearly as high as long ; upper outline much curved from the base ; the margins of the mandibles rounded ; 



the commissure gently concave, and abruptly deflexed at the tip ; base of the upper mandible much concealed by the bristly feathers 

 covering the basal third . Tarsus rather shorter than the middle toe ; lateral toe short, but their long claws reach the base of 

 the middle one, which is longer than the hind claw. Wings moderate ; the first quill rather shorter than the second, third, and 

 fourth. Tail rather shorter than the wings ; nearly even. 



But one species of this genus belongs to the American fauna, and is closely allied to if not 

 identical with that belonging to the northern portions of the Old World. 

 52 b 



