350 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS.— PASSEBES— OSCINES. 



grasses, hair, feathers, etc. ; eggs 3-4, 0.75 X 0.57, pale greenish, spotted and dotted ahout 

 larger end with dark purplish-brown, with lavender shell-markings. 

 aoo. L. c. mexica'na. MEXICAN Cross-bill. Like the last ; the bill larger, 0.75 or more long, 

 the under mandible especially more robust. Southern Rocky Mtsi and southward on the table 

 lands of Mexico. 

 67. UEUCOSTIC'TE. (Gr. Xeumj, iewSos, white ; oTi/crij, «fete, varied. Fig. 215.) EosyPinches. 

 Bill small, conic-acute, ruffed at base with autrorse plumules meeting over culmen and con- 

 cealing the short nasal fossas and small nostrils. Side of under mandible (in typical species) 

 with a sharp ridge running obliquely upward and forward. Culmen ridged between two slight 

 depressions parallel with itself, gently convex throughout. No obvious angulation of commis- 

 sural edge of upper mandible ; that of lower with decided bend ; gonys straight. Wings long, 

 folding beyond middle of tail, tipped by first 3 primaries, 4th shorter. Tail of moderate length, 

 forked, its feathers rather broad, its coverts reaching about ^ way to end. Tarsus not shorter 

 than middle toe without claw ; lateral toes unequal, inner shorter, its claw not reaching base 

 of middle claw. Hind claw about as long as its digit, more curved and longer than middle 

 claw. Sexes somewhat dissimilar. Coloration peculiar ; usually chocolate-brown, enriched 

 with rose or carmine, shaded with silvery-gray or black ; one species mostly silvery-gray. The 

 American representative of the Old World genus MontifringiUa. TeiTCStrial, highly gre- 

 garious ; nest on ground ; eggs immaculate white. Numerous species of this very interesting 

 genus are scarcely stable ; I present the forms that are usually recognizable. The nearest 

 American relative is ^giofhus ; the general economy is more that of Plectrophanes. 



Analy&is of Species. 

 Under mandible lidged. Body-color chocolate-brown or darker. 



No ash on head (Colorado) australis 202 



Ash on head confined to the top. 



Coloration blackish (Colorado) atrata 201 



Coloration chocolate (W. America) tephrocotis 203 



Ash spreading on sides of head. 



Smaller ; -wing 4.20. (W. America) litoralis 204 



Larger: wing 4.60. (Alaska) . griseinucha 205 



Under mandible smooth. 



Dusky-purplish and silvery-gray, with rosy a/rctoa 206 



'801. li. atra'ta. (Lat. atrata, blackened.) Eidgwat's Eost Finch. Sexes unlike. ^, in 

 April : Pattern of coloration and distribution of tints as in tephrocotis proper (see beyond) ; 

 nasal tufts white, and occiput ashy, as in that species, but the chocolate-brown of tephrocotis 

 replaced by black, deepest anteriorly and on under parts, sooty-brovmish on the back. Bill 

 black (April) or yellow (September). Size of tephrocotis. ?, in April: Black of $ repre- 

 sented by dark slate-gray, more brownish on back, the rosy markings duller and more restricted ; 

 size rather less. This form occurs in the mountains of Colorado and Utah. We know neither 

 the summer nor winter plumage of this bird ; no vrinter plumage nor whereabouts of australis ; 

 nor young nor breeding plumage of tephrocotis ; — points to be ascertained before we can decide 

 the status of several alleged species of the genus. 



1J02. It australis. (Lat. oMsimfo, southern.) Allen's EosY Finch. Sexes unlike. ,y, breed- 

 ing plumage : Rich chocolate or umber-brovm, the feathers of the back with darker shaft-lines 

 and paler edges, those of the under parts darker and somewhat purplish-brown. Red parts of 

 the body heightened to intense crimson, extending farther forward than in t^hrocotis, some- 

 times skirting all the feathers of the under parts ; especially strong on the wing- and tail-coverts 

 and belly. No pure ash whatever on head; whole pileum black or blackish, purest anteriorly, 

 duller behind. Nasal tufts white. Bill and feet black. Length 6. 75 ; wing 4.00-4.40, aver- 

 aging in 69 specimens 4.30; tail 2.80-3.35, average 3.10; bill 0.46 ; tarsus 0.76. When not 

 in highest feather, carmine toned down to more pink or rosy. In winter, bill yellow, changing 

 to black through various cloudings. ? , in summer : While generally like $ , having black 



