BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 



575 



SPOROPHILA MORELLETI (Bonaparte). 

 MORELLET'S SEEDEATER, 



Adult male. — Pileum, sides of head, hindneck, back, scapulars, wings, 

 upper tail-coverts, tail, and broad band across chest, uniform deep 

 black; chin, throat, sides of neck, under parts posterior to black jugular 

 area, axillars, under wing-coverts, basal portion of reniiges, tips of 

 middle and greater (sometimes also of lesser) wing-coverts, spot at base 

 of sixth to first primaries, bases of secondaries (mostly concealed by- 

 greater coverts), and broad tips to feathers of rump, white; bill black 

 or dusky; legs and feet dusky brownish; length (skins), 93.47-112.27 

 (101.35); wing, 47.75-54.61 (51.05); tail, 40.13-47.24 (43.69); exposed 

 culmen, 8.13-9.14(8.64); depth of bill at base, 6.86-8.13 (7.37); tarsus, 

 14.22-16.61 (15.49); middle toe, 10.41-12.19 (11.18).' 



Adult female. — Above plain olive-brown or olivaceous hair brown, 

 slightly paler and browner or more buffj' on rump; wings duskj^ with 

 brown edgings, the middle and greater coverts tipped with white or 

 buffy, forming t-no distinct bands; beneath uniform light buffy wood 

 brown or dull buffy; axillars and under wing-coverts pale buff}' or 

 buffy whitish; bill brown, the mandible paler; legs and feet brownish; 

 length (skins), 94.49-108.71 (101.35); wing, 48.01-51.31 (49.78); tail, 

 38.61-45.21 (42.42); exposed culmen, 8.13-8.89 (8.64); depth of bill 

 at base, 7.37-8.13 (7.62); tarsus, 15.24-16.00 (15.49); middle toe, 

 10.67-11.43 (10.92).' 



' Forty-seven specimens. 



^Ten specimens. 



Average measurements of specimens from different districts are as follows: 



Locality. 



Thirteen adult males from Texas and Tamaulipas. 



Nine adult males from Vera Cruz 



Two adul I males Jrom Chiapas 



Five adult males from Guatemala 



Six adult males from Yucatan 



Six adult males from Honduras 



Six adult males from Costa Rica 



Four adult females from Texas and Tamaulipas. 



Three adult females from Vera Cruz 



One adult female from Guatemala 



One adult female from Honduras 



One adult female from Costa Rica 



Wing. 



51.56 

 50. 55 

 50.80 

 62.07 

 49.53 

 50.55 

 52.32 



50.55 

 48.77 

 60.04 

 49.28 

 50.80 



Tail. 



Culmen. 



44.70 

 42.67 

 43.43 

 44.48 

 42.16 

 42.93 

 43.94 



43.94 

 42.42 

 38.61 

 42.16 

 42.93 



Depth of 

 bill at 

 base. 



7.37 

 7.37 

 7.37 

 8.13 

 7.37 

 7.62 

 7.62 



7.62 

 7.62 



Tarsus. 



16.49 

 15.76 

 14.99 

 15.75 

 14.99 

 15.49 

 16.00 



15.76 

 15.75 

 15.49 

 15.75 

 15.24 



Middle 

 toe. 



11.18 

 11.18 

 11.43 

 11.43 

 10.92 

 11.43 

 11.94 



11.18 

 10.92 

 10.67 

 11.18 



I find myself unable to subdivide this species satisfactorily. It is true specimens 

 representing the fully adult male plumage described above are wanting in the series 

 from the State of Tamaulipas and the adjacent parts of Texas; but males from that 

 district agree exactly in plumage with immature males from more southern localities, 

 and I believe that fully adult males have simply not yet been taken in the region 

 designated. 



