488 
U. S. P. R. R, EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY GENERAL REPORT. 
This section embraces a single North American genus, chiefly characterized by the remarkable 
elongation of the lateral toes, as well as by the peculiar shape and great size of all the claws ; 
the lateral, especially, are so much lengthened as to extend nearly as far as the middle. The 
only approach to this, as far as I recollect, among United States Conirostres, is in Pipilo mega- 
lonyx, and Agelaius icterocephalus. 
PASSERELLA, Swain son. 
Passerella, Swainson, Class. Birds, II, 1837, 288. Type Fringilla iliaca, Merrem. 
Ch. — Body stout. Bill conical, not notched, the outlines straight; the two jaws of equal depth; roof of upper mandible 
deeply excavated, and vaulted ; not knobbed. Tarsus scarcely longer than the middle toe ; outer toe little longer than the 
inner, its claw reaching to the middle of the central one. Hind toe about equal to the inner lateral ; the claws all long, and 
moderate ly curved only ; the posterior rather longer than the middle, and equal to its toe. Wings long, pointed, reaching to 
the middle of the tail ; the tertials not longer than secondaries; second and third quills longest ; first equal to the fifth. Tail 
very nearly even, scarcely longer than the wing. Inner claw contained scarcely one-and-a-half times in its toe proper. 
Color. — Rufous or slaty ; obsoletely streaked or uniform above ; thickly spotted with triangular blotches beneath. 
The following species constitute the known members of the genus from the United States : 
Back, breast, and sides of neck and body streaked distinctly with light brownish red ; of 
which color are the wings and tail P. iliaca. 
Wings and tail dark brownish rufous; rest of upper parts uniform olivaceous rufous. Under 
parts with thickly crowded, more or less confluent, spots of the same P. townsendii. 
Wings and tail dark brownish rufous ; rest of upper parts uniform slate gray. The under 
parts with distinct triangular spots of the same P. schistacea. 
Comparative measurements of speck 
Catal. No. 
Species. 
Locality. 
CO 
Length. 
Stretch of 
wings. 
Tail. 
Tarsus. 
Middle toe. 
Its claw 
alone. 
Hind toe 
and claw. 
Hind claw 
and toe. 
Bill above. 
■< 
Specimen 
measured. 
831 
Passerella iliaca 
9 
6.34 
6.82 
6.50 
3.32 
3.42 
3.46 
3.00 
0.90 
0.28 
0.70 
0.34 
0.42 
0.53 
do. 
11.00 
1323 
3 
3.10 
0.96 
0.92 
0.70 
0.36 
0.47 
0.50 
do. 
7.42 
11.25 
3.50 
2874 
6241 
10277 
Passerella townsendii.. 
do 
9 
3 
3 
6.70 
2.94 
3.46 
3.04 
3.24 
0.91 
1.00 
1.02 
6.95 
1.01 
1.00 
0.32 
0.38 
0.78 
0.83 
0.79 
0.42 
0.47 
0.42 
0.46 
0.51 
0.61 
0.50 
Passerella schistacea ? . 
Fort Tejon, Cal 
6.90 
0.35 
0.50 
0.60 
10280 
9 
3 
6.82 
6.80 
3.26 
3.08 
3.66 
3.40 
0.90 
0.94 
1.00 
0.87 
0.40 
0.26 
0.50 
0.50 
0.56 
10279 
0.73 
0.38 
0.50 
0.56 
PASSEEELLA ILIACA, Swainson. 
Fox-colored Sparrow. 
Fringilla iliaca, Merrem. " Beitr. zur besond. Gesch. der Vogel, II, 1786- '87, 40 ; pi. x."— Gut. Syst. Nat. I, 
1788, 923. — Aud. Orn. Biog. 11, 1834,58: V, 512; pi. 108.— Ib. Syn. 1839.— Ib. Birds Amer. 
Ill, 1841, 139 ; pi. 186. 
Passerella iliaca, Sw. Birds, II, 1837, 288.— Bon. List, 1838.— Ib. Conspectus, 1850, 477. 
Fringilla rvfa, Wilson, Am. Orn. Ill, 1811, 53 ; pi. xxiv, f. 4.— Licht. Verz. 1823, No. 248. 
Fringilla fcmiginea, Wilson, Catalogue, VI, 1812.— Hall's ed. Wilson, II, 255. 
" Emberiza pralensis, Vieill." Gray. 
Sp. Ch. — Middle of the back dull ash, each feather with a large blotch of brownish red ; top of head and neck, with rump 
similar, but with smaller and more obsolete blotches. Upper tail coverts, with exposed surface of wings and tail, bright rufous. 
