262 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



vex subbasally and concave anteriorly, without subterminal notch, the 

 slightly deflected rictal portion nearly or quite concealed by loral 

 feathers; mandibular tomium nearly or quite straight to the subbasal 

 angle, where moderately deflected. Nostril small, roundish, in ante- 

 rior end of nasal fossae; rictal bristles rather distinct. "Wing rather 

 long (about three and a quarter to three and a half times as long as 

 tarsus), slightly rounded (ninth primary equal to fourth or third, 

 eighth to fifth quills longest); primaries exceeding secondaries by 

 decidedly more than length of exposed culmen; tertials not longer than 

 secondaries. Tail rather long (nearly equal to wing, a little more than 

 three times to more than three and a half times as long as tarsus), 

 rounded or double-rounded (difl'ei'ence between longest and shortest 

 rectrices not more than length of maxilla from nostril), the rectrices 

 broad and rounded at ends. Tarsus decidedly longer than middle toe 

 with claw, its scutella distinct; lateral claws falling decidedly short 

 of base of middle claw; claws all normally curved, strong, the hind 

 claw a little shorter than its digit. 



Coloration. — Plain gi-ayish or grayish brown above, the back some- 

 times narrowlj' streaked with black; tail blackish, the outermost retrix 

 usually with more or less conspicuous white or otherwise light-colored 

 edging, sometimes with a white spot at end of inner web; underparts 

 white medially, the chin, throat, and chest sometimes black. 



Although I at one time referred several Mexican species to this 

 genus, I am now satisfied that only one species besides the type can 

 properly be referred to it. A. helli (with its several geographic 

 forms), while agreeing with the type species in the lengthened wing- 

 tip and most other characters, has the wing relatively shorter and tail 

 longer than in ^1. hilMieata, the wing being but little more than three 

 times as long as the tarsus, instead of more than three and a half times 

 as long. It is a more terrestrial bird, and carries the tail elevated at 

 a considerable angle. 



Considerable doubt attaches to the position of " Zonotriclvia''' quin- 

 queatriata, which some authors (myself among the number) have placed 

 in Ainphispiza. Its style of coloration so strongly resembles that of 

 A. hilineata that it seems almost unreasonable to place it in a different 

 genus, but the wing-formula certainly agrees much better with that of 

 Aimophila, the outermost (ninth) primary being shorter than the first, 

 instead of equal to or longer than the third. Should it be finally 

 decided to place this species in Ampliixjjmi., the generic characters of 

 the latter would of course have to be modified in order to admit it. 



KEY T15 THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OP AMPHISPIZA. 



o. A conspicuous white superciliary stripe; sides and flanks not streaked; adults with 



chin, throat, and part of chest black. (Amphhpiza biUneata.) 



h. Smaller (averaging wing 62.48, tail 58.67), with larger white spot at tip of inner 



web of lateral tail-feather (averaging 14.73 in length) . (Northeastern Mexico 



to western Kansas. ) AmphiBpiza bilineata bilineata (p. 263) 



