FRINGILLID^: FINCHES, BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, ETC. 395 
tending to swell, with more decidedly curved culmen. Tail rather longer, on an average. 
Valley of the Colorado and Gila, and Lower California, common. 
PI'PILO. (Lat. pipilo or pipio, I pip, peep, chirp.) Towhee Buntings. Emhracing 
numerous species and varieties of large Fringillidce, varying much in system of coloration and 
details of form, and therefore not easy to characterize concisely. Excepting one species, all are 
over seven inches long. Bill moderate in size, conic without extremes of turgidity or compres- 
sion, hut varying much in precise shape with the species. Feet large and strong, fitted for 
ground work ; tarsus about equalling or rather exceeding the middle toe and claw ; lateral toes 
subequal, outer usually a little the longer,. its claw reaching, in some cases exceeding the base 
of the middle claw ; the claws all stout and much curved, in some species highly developed. 
Wings short and greatly rounded, about the 4th-5th primary longest, whence the quills are 
rapidly graduated to - 1st and 9tli ; 1st very short. Tail long, exceeding the wings, rounded or 
much graduated, of broad firm feathers with rounded ends. Large species, inhabiting shrub- 
bery, and partly terrestrial. They fall in 3 sections or series. I. Black Towhees : of which the 
only Eastern species is a typical example. In this, the sexes are very unlike, but the diflference 
is less in the Western varieties into which it runs : all the forms are black on head and upper 
parts, with black, white-marked wings or tail, the back also white-marked or not ; belly white, 
sides chestnut. II. Brown Towhees : variously brown above, paler, etc., below, the sexes 
alike. These are confined to the Southwest, where the numerous species stand in the same 
relation to Fringillidce that the Southwestern forms of Harporhynchus bear to Turdidce. III. 
Green Totvhees : one small species, standing alone. 
Obs. I. The black series of Pipilo ofi'ers a case nearly parallel with those of Melospiza, 
Passerella and Junco already discussed. There is one Eastern form much more distinct from 
the several Western ones than these are from one another. It is uniform black above, seldom 
with a trace of white spotting on the scapulars : the 9 distinctively brown where the ^ is 
black. The Western ones all have spotted scapulars and sometimes also interscapulars ; and 
9 9 are blackish, much like the ^ $ . (These furthermore shade into an olivaceous Mexican 
form.) P. arcticus corresponds in a way with Melospiza heermanni, Passerella schistacea, and 
Junco caniceps ; P. oregonus with Melospiza guttata or rufina, Passerella unalasc(B and Junco 
oregonus ; P. megalonyx exactly with Passerella megarhyncha. It might be more consistent 
to treat all the black Towhees as races of one incompletely specified stock ; but it is not easy 
to so far ignore the sexual distinctiveness, nor the fact that though P. erythrop)hthalmus has 
occasional spots on the scapulars, its intergradation is scarcely established. II. The Brown 
Towhees aflford one remarkably distinct species, P. aherti, to be likened to Harporhynchus 
crissalis; and others incompletely separated from each other, like H. redivivus and H. lecontii. 
Analysis of Species and Varieties. 
1. Blach Towhees. Colors of the male black, white, and chestnut in definite areas. 
No white on the scapulars or wing-coverts. Sexes very unlike. 
Eyes red in the breeding season. Eastern U. S. at large erythropMhalmus 301 
Eyes white in the breeding season. Florida, resident alieni 302 
Scapulars and wing-coverts with white spots ; sexes more alike. Western. 
Little if any white at bases of primaries ; none on outer web of outer tail-feathers except at end. 
oregonus 303 
White on wings and tail as in erythrophthalmus, but interscapulars streaked .... arcticus 304 
Like the last ; claws highly developed ; *exes nearly alike megalonyx 305 
2. Brown Towhees. Colors not definitely black, white and chestnut ; no greenish ; sexes alike. Southwestern. 
Grayish-brown, paler below, without blackish face ; throat and crissum fulvous or rufescent. 
Light ; belly whitening ; crissum yellowish-brown ; necklace of dusky streaks . . . mesoleucus 306 
Similar ; more white on throat albigula 307 
Dark ; belly only paler ; crissum cinnamon-brown; throat fulvous, speckled crissalis 308 
Grayish-brown, paler below ; face blackish ; no other decided markings aberti 309 
3. Green Towhees. Colors greenish ; sexes alike. 
Crown brown, throat white, breast ashy, edge of wing yellow, etc chlorurus 310 
