446 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS— ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
PASSERCULUS ALAUDINUS, Bo nap. 
Passerculus alaudinus, Bp. Comptes Rendus, XXXVII, Dec. 1853, 918, California.— Ib. Notes Ornithologiques 
Delattre, 1854, 18. (Reprint of preceding.) 
Sp. Ch. —Similar to P. savanna, but smaller ; the bill rather slenderer and elongated. Little of yellow in the superciliary 
stripe, (most distinct anteriorly); the rest of the head without any tinge of the same. General color much paler and grayer 
than in P. savanna. Breast with only a few spots. Length, 5.25 ; wing, 2.75 ; tail, 2.30. 
Hab .—Coast of California, and Lower Rio Grande of Texas and Mexico. 
This species, if really distinct from P. savanna , differs in the rather smaller size, although 
the difference is not great, and in the considerably paler colors. The superciliary stripe shows 
a very faint trace of yellow, especially anteriorly, near the hill. In some specimens, as 4342, 
there is none at all. The spots on the fore part of the breast are rather few and not large. The 
hill is slenderer and more attenuated. 
List of specimens . 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When col¬ 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. 
No. 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
6332 
88 
5.50 
8.50 
Iris brown; bill and feet brownish flesh color. 
5554 
A 
1856 . 
124 
4340 
Feb. —, 1853 
4.75 
7.75 
2.50 
4311 
s 
Tainaulipas, Mexico.... 
Mar. —, 1853 
80 
5.25 
9.00 
2.25 
Eyes dark brown; bill slate ; feet whitish ... 
4344 
5.00 
8.50 
2.50 
PASSERCULUS ROSTRATUS, Baird. 
Embtriza rostrata, Cassin, Pr. A. N. Sc. VI, 1852, 348. 
Jhnmodramus rostratus, Cassin, Ill. I, 1855, 226 ; xxxviii. 
Sp. Ch. —Bill very long, (.55 of an inch above). Whole upper parts and sides of ead and neck pale grayish brown, nearly 
every feather with a darker central blotch, darkest along the . A scarcely appreciable central stripe in the crown, and an 
obscure yellowish white superciliary, and a whitish maxillary one. Under parts pure white ; streaked on the breast and 
the sides of throat and body with dark brown, (the streak paler externally). Under tail coverts unspotted white. Tail and 
wing feathers and wings margined with the color of the back ; the edges of tertiaries rather paler. Length, 5.30 ; wing, 2.90 ; 
tail, 2.30. 
Hab .—Coast of California, near San Diego. 
The hill of this species is very long and conical, the cutting edge nearly straight. The wings 
are rather long, the tertiaries nearly as long in the closed wing as the primaries ; the second, 
third, and fourth quills longest, the first rather longer than the fifth. The tail is short and 
emarginate, the feathers narrow, acute, and moderately stiff. The tarsi are long ; the claws 
little curved. 
This species resembles the Passerculus savanna rather more than any of the other sparrows 
with spotted breasts ; the bill is, however, very much longer and larger, exceeding any of our 
American species of its size. Its colors are much paler, and it lacks the yellow on the head 
and wing. The much shorter tail and entire absence of rufous distinguish it from the spotted 
Melospizas. The shape of the bill is like that of Ammodramus caudacutus, but larger; the 
head lacks the yellow, &c. 
