356 U. S. P. E. E. EXP. AND SUEVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENEEAL EEPOET. 
CATHERPES, Baird. 
Ch Bill longer than the head, slender ; all the outlines nearly straight to the tip, then gently decurved, gonys least so ; nostrils 
linear ; tarsus short, abuut equal to the middle toe, which reaches to the middle of the middle claw. Outer toe considerably 
longer than the inner, reaching beyond the base of the middle claw. Wings a little longer than the tail ; the exposed portion 
of the first primary about half that of the fourth and fifth. Tail feathers vnry broad and perfectly plane ; tail nearly even ; the 
two lateral graduated ; the outer about eleven-twelfths of the middle. 
This genus agrees with Salp>inctes in the broad, plane tail feathers, but the bill is much 
longer, the nostrils linear, not oval, the feet much stouter, the outer toe rather longer ; the 
tarsus shorter, being equal to the middle toe, not longer ; the hind toe much longer than the 
outer lateral, instead of equal to it. The wings are but little longer than the tail, and less 
pointed and shorter than in Salpinctes. 
Cabanis, in establishing this genus on the broad tail feathers and long wings, includes S. 
obsoletus and mexicanus. In this, however, he overlooks the remarkable differences in the feet 
and wings of the two species. His type being obsoletus, the new genus belongs to mexicanus. 
Comparative measurements of species. 
Catal. 
No. 
Species. 
Locality. 
Sex. 
Length. 
Stretch 
of'wings. 
Wing. 
Tail. 
Tarsus. 
Middle 
toe. 
Its claw 
alone. 
Bill 
above. 
Along 
gape. 
Specimen 
measured. 
3969 
do. 
Cathcrpes mexicanus. 
New Leon, Mex , .. 
8 
5.70 
6.50 
5.00 
5.75 
5.76 
5.74 
5.12 
2.48 
2 50 
2.36 
2.37 
2.74 
2.78 
3.00 
2.38 
0.74 
0.74 
0.20 
0.92 
1.20 
Skin .... 
Fresh ... 
Skin ... 
Fresh ... 
Skin .... 
Skin .... 
Fresh... 
7.75 
Patos,Coahui]a,Mex 
2,40 
0.70 
0.70 
0.20 
0.80 
0.96 
do. 
7157 
7158 
do. 
7.37 
Salpinctes obsoletus.. 
8 
9 
2.36 
2.24 
0.79 
0.76 
0.70 
0.18 
0.18 
0.72 
0.70 
0.92 
0.86 
8.00 
CATHERPES MEXICANUS, Baird. 
White- throated Wren. 
Tlmjothorus mexicanus, Swainson, Zool. Illustrations, 2d series, I, 1829, pi. xi. Real del Monte. 
Salpinctes mexicanus, Cabanis, Wiegmann's Archiv, 1847, i, 323. — Ib. Mus. Hein. 1851, 78. — Bon. Consp. 1850,224. 
Troglodytes mexicanus, Gray, Genera, I, 1847, 159.— Heermann, J. A. N. Sc. 2d ser. II, 1853, 263.— Cassin, 
Illust. I, vi, 1854, 173 ; pi. xxx. 
"Troglodytes albicollis, Cuvier, Gal. de Paris, Cah. No. 3." — "Lesson, Compl. VI, 1829, 188." 
?" Troglodytes murarius, Licht. Deppe & Schiede, Preis Vera." (I cannot find that any description was published.) 
7 Salpinctes murarius, Cabanis, Nomenclator Av. Mus. Berol, 1854, 35. 
Certhia albifrons, Giraud, 16 Sp. Texan Birds, 1841 ; pi. viii. 
Thryolhorus guttulatus, Lafresnaye, Rev. Zool. 1839,99. 
Sp. Ch. — Bill considerably longer than the head ; claws large. Head and neck above dark ashy brown, passing gradually 
into light rusty brown on the rump ; the sides of the body, belly, and under tail coverts similar, all these regions marked with 
small rounded white and dusky spots, the latter in the form of waved bars on the feathers of the back ; an obscure white line 
over the eye. Chin, throat, and upper part of the breast pure white. Tail feathers rusty red on both sides, with six or eight 
narrow transverse bars of black. 
Length, 6.50 ; wing, 2.50 ; tail, 2.50. (3969.) 
Hab. — Valley of Rio Grande, Colorado, and Gila, (but not on the coast of California ?) South into Mexico. 
This species, first added to the fauna of the United States by Dr. Augustus L. Heermann, 
is the most handsomely marked of all the American wrens. In addition to the characters given 
above, it may be stated that the rufous color of the upper and under tail coverts is of about the 
