354 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PASSEBES— OSCINES. 



shorter. Tarsus about as long as middle toe with claw ; lateral toes of equal lengths, their 

 claws reaching base of middle claw; hind claw shorter than its digit. Everywhere thickly 

 streaked. No red. Sexes alike. Habit gregarious. Nest in trees. Eggs speckled. 



212. C. pi'nus. (Lat. pmus, a pine. Fig. 218.) Pine Linnet. Pdste Finch. American Sis- 

 kin. $ 9 , adult : Continuously streaked, above with dusky or dark olivaceous-brown and 

 flaxen or whitish, below with dusky and whitish, the whole body usually suffused with yellowish, 



"N ^ most evident on the rump. Wings dusky, the basal 



B ^^ fc= portion of all the quOls and their inner webs for some 



■/^V ^^^^ distance sulphury-yellow, usually showing externally 



as a spot just beyond the coverts, sometimes restricted 



and hidden. Outer webs of the quills also narrowly 



edged vrith yellow, separated from the basal yellow 



faj§|3&-.ij^rf i* *^^S^^ patch by a blackish interval. Tail dusky, its basal 

 'j^ l^.^" ^& half yeUow, and outer webs edged with yellow. Bill 

 b •* . and feet brown. Length about 4.75; extent 8.75; 



!^^* ' f" rfj;j'**'' wing 3.75; tail 1.75. Very variable in yellowness of 



UtJM'W "^ iou6, sometimes quite bright, again plain streaky, 



dusky and whitish or flaxen ; but the yellow colora- 

 tion of the wings and tail is distinctive. Young birds 



have the markings diffuse, with a general buffy- 



FiG. 218. -Phle Finch, reduced. (Sheppard brownish suffusion. N. Am. at large, breeding 

 del. Nichols sc.) northerly, ranging in flocks in the winter through 



most of the U. S., abundant. Nest high in trees, preferably conifers; eggs pale greenish, 

 speckled with brown ; about 0.70 X 0.50. Flight undulatory ; voice querulous. 

 71. ASTRAGALI'NUS. (Gr. ao-T-payaXii/os, asira^iaMMOS, name of some bird.) American GOLD- 

 FINCHES. Like Chrysomitris. Bill stouter, less acuminate, without extreme lateral com- 

 pression, culmen rather convex, gonys quite straight ; commissure strongly augulated ; upper 

 mandible usually showing longitudinal striae. Nasal ruff evident, though short. Wings and 

 tail as in Chrysomitris; feet smaller ; toes shorter ; lateral digits of unequal lengths ; outer claw 

 rather overreaching, inner not reaching, base of middle claw. Coloration massed, not streaky ; 

 yellow, olive, black and white, nn red. Sexes unlike. Eggs white. 



Analysis of Species ^K 



ij yellow (in summer) with black cap, wings and tail, the ~~^H^ ^f— 



two latter white-mai'lced (Eastern) trisHs 213 \ .^w«>^ ' <^Mfc_ 



if gray, varied with yellow on back, breast, and wings, ^ \ J^iW»j iv^^BpS-^^^^ 



with black face, wings, and tail, latter white-marked ^i-4 v Yti /"^i^iKlE. ^T 



(Western) ': lawrencii 214 ^^' wtuiHHB^0!Mg' b 



(J above olive or black, or mixed with both ; yellow below ; ** ('^SSK^S^^^Sr JS ^ 



wings and tail black, white-marked (Western). "Kt^sMSt^StKFiiM-. 



Back olive; crown black, not beluw eyes; large white ^ ifi^^^HB^r^ ^S^'y v 



tail^pots . . psaltria 215 \ V jfrj^Sp^^*^ '^^jfl& j^ ' 



Back mixed olive and black; crown black; moderate ^MSP^^^^^ • ^JW tWPs jJ ^ 



white tail-spots arizona 216 ^S^'\i ■' ( f-*^ ^£ ^^^& *' \l. 



Back and crown black, to below eyes; small white -\MJmJ^^" " "^^N(k 



(f yellow, with black yellow-spaced wings and tail, and /^wKmmr^S)^ '/iIwL^S^SRIk 



whole head black. (Mexico, etc ) . . . . Tiotatm 218 ^i' y/^ ^^lZ i/ K^BlSS^Sfi^ * 



213. A. tris'tis. (Lat. «rwfe, sad ; from its note. Fig. 219.) V'^f v3t^S|2^4E ,^ 

 American Goldfinch. Yellow-bird. Thistle- ' i.^ , — ^^V '^ i ^^' 



BIRD. <?, in summer: Rich yellow, changing to j.^^. 219. -'American Goldfinch, <j, in 



whitish on the tail-coverts; a black patch on the summer, reduced. (Sheppard del. Nichols so.) 

 crown; wings black, more or less edged with white; lesser vidng-coverts white or yellow; 

 greater coverts tipped with white ; taU black, every feather with a white spot ; bill and feet 



