416 V. S. p. E. E. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GBNEEAL EEPOET. 



slightly to tlie exterior. There is no indication of red on the edges of wing and tail, whidh are 

 pale whitish brown. There is a faint trace of narrow lightish hands across the wings. The 

 streaks on the belly, sides, and under tail coverts are narrow, long, and well defined. The red 

 gloss on the back is confined to the middle of the interscapular region ; the middle of the crown 

 and the nape have the feathers tipped with crimson like the crown, obscuring the outline of the 

 frontal and superciliary band. The loral region, space immediately around and under the eye, 

 the ear coverts, and thence along the sides of the neck, are grayish brown, the lores lighter. 

 The red extends for about .15 of an inch along the upper edge of the lower jaw, then passes 

 obliquely to the throat, leaving the ear coverts untouched. 



In 6432 the red on the rump is wanting ; the superciliary stripe better defined, owing to the 

 greater lack of red tips to the feathers of the crown. In 6434 the' shade of red in the crown is 

 the same, that on the throat paler, that on the rump entirely different, being more of a rose 

 color. In 6433 the red on the head and throat is much more orange. In No. 4085 (Monterey, 

 Mexico, April 16, spring plumage) the red, instead of being bright crimson, is almost a dark 

 purple red ; every where of the same tint. No. 5547, from Petaluma, California, is precisely 

 similar in color. 



In some full winter specimens the rump is more rosy ; the crown more mixed with red ; the 

 back considerably glossed with the same. 



I have been a good deal perplexed in the determination of the small California Oarpodaci in 

 the series before me. These, as a general rule, have the middle of the crown rather more 

 thickly filled with red ; in one, indeed, (6428, from Los Angeles,) this color is almost as con- 

 tinuous as in G, purpureus. No. 5547, fi'om Petaluma, California, is somewhat similar in this 

 respect, but the red is much more purple. In both there is a strong tendency to red on the side 

 of the head and neck. In one specimen (5548) there is a very close resemblance to C. purpureus 

 in the shade of red, and this extends to the upper part of the belly. The middle of the crown 

 is strongly tinged with red ; the entire sides of the head, too, are as red as in 0. purpureus. 

 The bill, wings without any reddish, &c., are those of C. frontalis. Other specimens, from 

 Santa Clara, California, are similar, but the red does not extend as far on the belly ; nor is it 

 seen on the sides of the head. 



It would seem very probable that in the gradual transition in California specimens from the 

 peculiar characters of G. purpureus or C. californicus to those of G. frontalis, we may have 

 hybrids between the two, where they are associated, like those ef Golaptes auratus and mexicanus, 

 on the Upper Missoxiri and Yellowstone. If there be a third permanent species, I am unable 

 to fix its characters. 



The Erythrospiza frontalis of Audubon seems larger than that from the upper Kio Grande, 

 and I am inclined to think that his figure and description were taken from a specimen now 

 before me, (2886,) marked as received from Mr. J. Gould, probably from Mexico. This lacks 

 the wings, but the tail is much longer, measuring 3.30 inches instead of less than three ; the 

 feathers, too, are considerably broader. It resembles California more than New Mexican skins. 



A specimen from the city of Mexico (2706) is larger than New Mexican ones, and has the red 

 more restricted to the upper part of the breast. The red of the frontal and superciliary stripes is 

 better defined, as also that of the rump, which is unusually extended. A skin (4568) received 

 from Dr. Hartlaub, of Bremen, as the Fringilla haemorrhous of Lichtenstein, from Mexico, has 

 the red of the crown, throat, and rump, much brighter, deeper, and very sharply defined -and 

 restricted. That on the throat is confined to it, and does not extend at all on the breast. The 



