418 FEINGILLIDiE. 



pogonio interno terminatis, crisso albo intermixto ; rostro plumbeo, pedibus corylinis. Long, tota 6-3, 

 alse 3-5, caudse 2-7, rostri a rictu 0'7, tarsi 0'95. (Desor. maris ex Am. septr. Mus. nostr.) 

 5 supra fusea aigricante-fusco striata, superciliis indistincte albidis ; subtus alba fusco striata, hypochondriis 

 bninnescentibus ; alis fusoo-nigris, remigibus extus anguste albido limbatis, tectrioibus intermediis cervino- 

 albis. (Descr. exempl. ex Mexico. Mus. Brit.) 



Eah. NoETH Ameeica, Central Plains to Kocky Mountains, Texas ^. — Mexico, Sonera, 

 Espia {Kennerly ^), Guaymas {Beldinff ''), Guanajuato (Dug^s ^). 



This peculiar bird is only found within our limits along the northern frontier ^ and 

 southwards through Central Mexico to Guanajuato^. In the States it is a well-known 

 species from the high central plains to the Eocky Mountains, and thence it occurs 

 more sparingly to the Pacific Ocean and to Lower California. 



In Sonora and at Espia the naturalists of the U, S. Boundary Survey state ^ that 

 C. bicolor occurred in large flocks in the valley of the Rio Grande in the early morning 

 and the members of which feed in the hills during the greater part of the day amongst 

 bushes, seeds being their apparent food. 



The notes of C. bicolor are described as very pleasing, and when singing the male is 

 wont to mount in the air after the manner of the Sky-Lark. 



Its nest is placed on the ground, and constructed of loosely arranged dry grasses. 

 The eggs are of a uniform light blue like those of Spiza america/na. 



Dr. Stejneger's name melanocorys ® for this bird has recently been adopted by North- 

 American ornithologists ^, Townsend's title Fringilla bicolor being supposed to clash with 

 Fringilla bicolor of Linnaeus, It may have done so between the years 1837 and 1838, 

 but the difiiculty was wholly removed when Bonajjarte proposed the genus Calamospiza 

 for the present bird in the latter year. We are not aware that any dijEculty on this 

 score has occurred in using the names Calamospiza bicolor and Phonipara bicolor for two 

 totally distinct Finches for nearly fifty years, and none is likely to arise that we know 

 of, unless, indeed, ornithologists in a synthetic mood merge Calamospiza and Phonipara 

 in the same genus : melanocorys will then come in usefully, but in the meantime 

 bicolor answers its purpose. 



CALCAKIUS. 



Calcarius, Bechstein, Tasch. Yog. Deutschl. i. p. 130 (1803) ; Stejn. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 23 ; 



Check-List N. Am. B. p. 263. 

 Plectrophanes, Meyer, Vog. Liv- u. Estl. p. xii. 

 Centrophanes, Kaup, Entv. eur. Thierw. p. 158. 



That Calcarius is the right generic name to employ for the Lapland Bunting, C. lap- 

 ponicus (Linn.), and its allies, we think is still open to doubt, for Bechstein first used this 

 name in a sectional or subgeneric sense. For many years both Plectrophanes and Centro- 

 phanes have been largely employed both in Europe and America as the generic name for 

 C. lap-ponicus and its allies. 



The genus contains three, or, if Bhynchophanes maccowni be included, four, well- 

 marked species, of which G. ornatus alone occurs within our limits in Central Mexico. 



