454 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
AMMODROMUS MARITIMUS, Swainson. 
Sea-side Finch. 
Fringilla maritima, Wilson, Am. Orn. IV, 1811, 68 ; pi. xxxiv, f. 2. —Auo. Orn. Biog. 1, 1831 ; pi. 93. 
Jlmmodramus maritimus, Sw. Zool. Jour. Ill, 1827, 328. (Type.) — Bonap. List, 1838.— Ib. Consp. 1850,482.— Aud. 
Synopsis, 1839, 110.— Ib. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 103 ; pi. 172. 
Fringilla ( Jlmmodramus) maritima , Nott. Man. I, (2d ed.) 1840, 592. 
Fringilla macgillivrayi, Add. Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 285 : IV, 1838, 394 : V, 1839, 499 ; pi. 355. 
Jlmmodramus macgillivrayi, Bon. List, 1838.— Ib. Conspectus, 1850,482.— Aud. Syn. 1839.— Ib. Birds Amer. Ill, 
1841, 106; pi. 173. 
Fringilla ( Jbnmodromus) macgillivrayi, Ndttall, Man. I, 2d ed. 1840, 593. 
Sp. Ch.— Above olivaceous brown ; beneath white ; the breast and sides of body yellowish brown, obsoletely streaked with 
plumbeous. Sides of head and body, a central stripe on the head above, a maxillary stripe, and indistinct longitudinal streaks 
on the breast, ashy brown ; the sides and the breast tinged with yellowish. The maxillary stripe cuts off a white one 
above it ; a superciliary stripe is bright yellow anterior to the eye, and plumbeous above and behind it. Edge of wing 
yellow ; bill blue. Length, about 6 inches ; wing, 2.50. 
Hub .—Atlantic coast as far at least as Long Island. 
The appearance of streaks on the breast is caused by the feathers being plumbeous, and edged 
with dirty brownish yellow. The scapular feathers are edged with grayish, the wing coverts 
and tertial with rufous. The region around the eye is dark brown ; the sides of the head above, 
and the back of the neck faintly streaked with blackish. 
A bird in the collection of the Philadelphia Academy, labelled Ammodramus macgillivrayi, 
has much the appearance of a young bird of A. maritimus. The bill, feet, wings and tail 
are almost exactly the same. The chief differences are in the less distinctness of the yellow at 
the base of the bill, the edge of the wing being white, instead of yellow ; the under parts dirty 
white, with sharply defined narrow dusky streaks across the breast, instead of the obscure 
dusky broad centres of maritimus. This, however, is common in young sparrows, even where 
the adults are unspotted beneath, and the looseness of the plumage, and its downy character 
are such as to render it very probable that the full plumage has not been attained. It is 
different from A. caudacutus in the larger size, especially of the bill, and the lack of the brownish 
yellow on the sides of the head, as of the light edges of the doisal feathers. Another specimen, 
(4362,) from Beesley’s Point, New Jersey, and unquestionably very young, as the bill is not 
fully grown, has the back and head conspicuously streaked with dark brown, without lighter 
edges ; the streaks on the breast and sides as well defined as those of A. caudacutus. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex & 
age. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
1153 
608 
2894 
4362 
7497 
3 
3 
o 
o 
Cape May, N. J_ 
July 20, 1843 
June —,1840 
S. F. Baird. 
W. M. Baird_ 
5. 75 
8. 17 
2.42 
Beesley’s point, N. J. 
Aug. —, 1856 
Acad. Nat. Sciences. 
