166 ARCTIC GROUND-FINCH. 



riorly with seven scutella; toes rather large, scutellate above, the first 

 stronger, the lateral nearly equal, the third and fourth connected at the base. 

 Claws rather long, moderately arched, slender, compressed, laterally grooved, 

 acute. 



Plumage full, soft, and blended. Wings of ordinary length, the fourth 

 quill the longest, the third and fifth next and nearly equal, the second shorter 

 than the sixth, the first seven and a half twelfths of an inch shorter than the 

 fourth. Tail long, rounded, of twelve strong feathers. 



Bill brownish-black. Iris red. Feet and claws reddish-brown. The 

 general colour of the plumage is black, that colour extending over part of 

 the breast, the sides and lower tail-coverts orange-red, the central part of the 

 breast and abdomen white, the feathers of the tibiae dusky, margined with 

 whitish. An elongated patch on the outer web of all the scapulars; a small 

 terminal spot of the same on the first row of small coverts and on the 

 secondary coverts, and a large patch at the end of the inner web of the outer 

 three tail-feathers on each side, white. 



Length to end of tail 8^ inches, bill along the ridge T 7 2, along the edge of 

 lower mandible -ff ; wing from flexure 3^; tail 4 T \; tarsus 1 ^; hind toe jw , 

 its claw y| ; middle toe f| , its claw T 3 2. 



Adult Female. 



The female is smaller. The parts which are black in the male, are black- 

 ish-grey, which on the fore part and sides of the neck is tinged with reddish- 

 brown. In other respects there is not much difference in the plumage. 



Length to end of tail S inches; bill along the ridge ^ wing from flexure 

 3^; tail 4; tarsus 1; hind toe y|, its claw -ff ; middle toe -ff, its claw -ff. 



The male above described was shot b^^iMffowxsKxn on the Columbia 

 river, on the 14th of May, 1S35; the H ^the 11th of October, 1S34. 



In form, size, and colour, this bird^PWost closely allied to the Towhe 

 Finch, Fringilla erythrophthalma of Linnaeus, from which, however, it is 

 at once distinguishable by the spots of white on the scapulars and wing- 

 coverts which are wanting in that species. The latter on the other hand has 

 a patch of white on the basal part of the outer webs of the primaries, that 

 part being black in the present species. 



