452 



U. S. p. E. K. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENEEAL EEPOET. 



List of specimens. 



COTUENTCULUS LECONTII, B o n a p . 



Ijeconte's Bunting. 



Embenza lecontii, AuD. Birds Amer. VII, 1843, 338 ; pi. 488. 

 Cotumiculus lecontii, Bon. Conspectus, 1850, 481. 



Sp. Ch. — " Bill much more slender than in Emberiza henslowi. First quill the longest, the rest diminishing rapidly. Tail 

 emarginate and rounded, with the feathers acute. Upper parts light yellowish red, streaked with brownish black ; the margins 

 of the feathers and scapulars pale yellowish white. Tail feathers dusky, margined with light yellowish. Lower parts, with 

 the cheeks and a broad band over the eyes, fine buff. Medial line yellowish white. The buff extending to the femorals and 

 along the sides, streaked with brownish black . Throat, neck, and upper parts of the breast without any streaks, and plain 

 buff." 



Hab. — Mouth of Yellowstone . ^ 



" Length, 4.40 ; wing, 2.13, first quill longest ; tail, 1.90 ; bill along ridge, .37, along edge, 

 nearly .50 ; both mandibles dark blue, lighter along the edges. Eyes brown. Legs, feet, and 

 claws dull flesh color. Tarsus,-. 56; middle toe, .50; its claw, .12; hind toe, .24, its claw 

 rather more than .25."_ 



I am obliged to copy the description of this rare sparrow from Mr. Audubon, as I have no skin 

 at hand. The type of the species was presented to me many years ago by Mr. Audubon, but 

 it has somehow been mislaid. I do not feel sure that it is not an Ammodramua rather than a 

 Goturniculus. 



AMMODROMUS, Swainson. 



Ammodramus, Swainson, Zool. Jour, III, 1827. Type OHolus caudacutus, Gm. 



Ch. — Bill very long, slender, and attenuated, considerably curved towards the tip above. The gonys straight. The legs 

 and toes are very long, and reach considerably beyond the tip of the short tail. The tarsus is about equal to the elongated 

 middle toe ; the lateral toes equal, their claws falling considerably short of the base of the middle one ; the hind claw equal 

 to the lateral one. Wings short, reaching only to the base of the tail ; much rounded ; the secondaries and tertials equal, and 

 not much shorter than the primaries. The tail is short, and graduated laterally ; each feather stiffened, lanceolate, and acute. 



Color. — Streaked above and across the breast ; very faintly on the sides. 



The essential characters are the slender and elongated bill, more so than in any other Nortb 

 American sparrows ; the long legs reaching considerably beyond the tail, with the lateral claws 

 falling considerably short of the middle one ; the very short rounded wings, and the cuneate 

 tail, with its stiffened and lanceolate feathers. 



A species, A. samuelis, is closely related, although more densely streaked below, and with 

 less stiffened and lanceolate tail feathers. It is, in some points, more like Fringilla palmtris. 



Synopsis of species. 



Bill blue ; a yellow spot in front of the eye ; above nearly uniform olivaceous ; a white max- 

 illary stripe, with a black one below it ; breast with obsolete plumbeous streaks.... J. maritimus. 



