BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 621 



Genus PHEUCTICUS Reiehenbach. 



Pheuclims Kbichenbach, Av. Syat. Nat., 1850, pi. 78, fig. 15. (Type, Pitylus 

 aureo-venlris Lafresnaye and D'Orbigny. ) 



Large thick-billed arboreal Fringillidae with long and rather pointed 

 wings, rather short, slightlj^ rounded or nearly even tail, and exposed 

 nostrils, the plumage chiefly black and yellow with more or less of 

 white on wings. 



1 Bill very large (culmen from base nearly or quite as long as tarsus), 

 with superior and lateral outlines strongly convex, much deeper than 

 broad at base, where the depth is nearly or quite equal to the length 

 of the exposed culmen ; gonys straight or even perceptibly concave, 

 decidedly shorter than distance from nostril to tip of maxilla; maxilla 

 shallower than the mandible, its tomium slightlj'' notched near tip, con- 

 vex in the middle, then (immediately beneath nostril) deeply notched 

 and deflected obliquely downward in a nearly straight line to the 

 rictus; sides of maxilla swollen immediately anterior to the subbasal 

 notch; mandibular tomium convex for more than the terminal half, 

 then shallowly notched and abruptly toothed and deflected obliquely 

 in a straight line to the rictus. Nostril exposed, small, nearly circular, 

 with rather broad superior and posterior membrane. Rictal bristles 

 weak, inconspicuous. Wing long (at least four and a half times as 

 long as tarsus), rather pointed (eighth to sixth primaries longest, the 

 ninth longer than the fifth); primaries exceeding secondaries by mare 

 than the length of the tarsus. Tail less than three-fourths to more 

 than four-fifths as long as wing, slightly rounded, more than half hid- 

 den by the upper coverts. Tarsus longer than middle toe with claw; 

 lateral claws reaching to base of middle claw; hind claw much shorter 

 than its digit. 



Colors. — Chiefly black and yellow (or black and orange), with more 

 or less of white on wings (sometimes on tail also). 



Bange. — Western Mexico to Peru and Bolivia. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF PHEUCTICUS. 



a. Middle and greater wing-coverts with white terminal spots; adult males with a 

 broad white tip to lateral rectrices; sexes very different in coloration. 

 h. Under parts, etc., yellow. (Western and south-central Mexico.) 



Plieuotictis clirysopepliis (p. 621) 



bb. Under parts, etc., orange. (Guatemala.) Pheucticus aurantiaous (p. 623) 



aa. Middle and greater wing-coverts wholly black; adult male without white tip to 

 lateral rectrices; sexes aUke in coloration. (Costa Rica and Veragua. ) 



Fheacticns tibialis (p. 623) 



PHEUCTICUS CHRYSOPEPLUS (Vigors). 

 VIGORS' S GROSBEAK. 



Adult male. — Head, neck, median portion of back, lower back, rump, 

 and under parts uniform bright yellow (varying from deep lemon 



