408 
U. S, P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS-ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
ture; claws attenuated towards the point and acute. Lateral toes about equal. Wings usually 
almost one-half longer than the tail, which is deeply forked. 
a. Points of mandibles overlapping . 
Curvirostra. —Tarsi shorter than middle toe. Bill much compressed, elongate 
falcate, with the points crossing like the blades of scissors. Claws very large ; 
lateral extending beyond the base of the middle. Tarsi shorter than the middle 
toe. Colors red. 
b. Points of mandibles not overlapping. 
Aegiotiius. —Tarsi equal to the middle toe. Bill very acutely conical; outlines 
with commissure perfectly straight. Lateral toes reaching beyond the base of 
the middle one. No ridge on the side of the lower mandible. Colors reddish. 
Leucosticte. —Culmen slightly decurved ; commissure a little concave. Bill 
obtusely conical; not sharp pointed. A conspicuous ridge on the side of the 
lower mandible. Claws large; the lateral not reaching beyond the base of the 
middle one. Colors red and brown. 
D.—Hind claw much the largest; decidedly less curved than the middle anterior one. Tarsi 
longer than the middle toe. Lateral toes equal; reaching about to the base of the middle claw. 
Hind toe as long or longer than the middle one. Bill very variable ; always more or less 
curved and blunted. Tail slightly emarginate or even. Wings one-half longer than the tail. 
First quill as long as the second. 
Plectropiianes. —Colors black and white. With or without rufous nape or elbows. 
HESPERIPHON A, Bonaparte. 
Hesperiphona, Bonap. Comptes Rendus, XXXI, Sept. 1850, 424. Type Fringilla vespertina. 
Ch.—B ill largest and stoutest of all the United States fringilline birds. Upper mandible much vaulted ; culmen nearly straight, 
but arched towards the tip ; commissure curved. Lower jaw very large, but not broader than the upper, nor extending back, as 
in Guiraca ; considerably lower than the upper jaw. Gonys unusually long. Feet short; tarsi less than the middle toe ; lateral 
toes nearly equal, and reaching to the base of the middle claw. Claws much curved, stout, and compressed. Wings very long 
and pointed, reaching beyond the middle of the tail. Primaries much longer than the nearly equal secondaries and tertial; outer 
two quills longest; the others rapidly graduated. Tail slightly forked ; scarcely more than two-thirds the length of the wings. 
The essential character of the genus among its allied North American forms consists, chiefly, 
in the enormous vaulted bill, .85 of an inch long and half of an inch broad. The wings lack 
the curious expansion of the tertiaries seen in the European Coccothraustes. The secondaries are 
em,;rginated at the end, and in some of them there is seen a short thread projecting from the 
bottom of the notch. This, at first, appears like the mucronate tip of the shaft, but it is, really, 
a supplementary pennule springing from the under surface of the wing, a short distance from 
the end. 
Species of the genus are said to occur in Asia. 
Comparative measurements of species. 
Cat’l 
No. 
Species. 
Locality. 
Sex. 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings 
Wings. 
Tail. 
Tarsus. 
Middle 
toe. 
Its claw 
alone. 
Bill 
above. 
Along 
gape. 
Specimens 
measured. 
6371 
Hesperiphona vespertina ... 
Port Vancouver.. 
2 
7.20 
4.08 
2.86 
0.84 
0.88 
0.24 
0.80 
0.76 
Skin .... 
do. 
7.25 
12.75 
Fresh... 
1874 
Columbia river .. 
7.10 
4.25 
2.76 
0.80 
0.88 
0.24 
0.79 
0.82 
Skin .... 
