BIRDS—FRINGILLIDAE—IIPILO MEGALONYX. 
515 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When col¬ 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig’l 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
3 
53 ft (} 
53BR 
Q 
June 22, 1856 
7.50 
10.25 
3.50 
5390 
$ 
8.25 
11.25 
4.00 
Eyes red. 
4ft47 
O 
7.37 
10.50 
3.50 
4846 
O 
May 15. 
8.00 
10.75 
3.50 
4843 
V 
o 
8.00 
10.37 
3.25 
4ft 19 
V 
14 
7.62 
11.25 
3.50 
4839 
3 
8.00 
10.25 
3.75 
Iris dark red. 
4840 
3 
7.62 
9.75 
3.50 
4845 
9 
7.75 
10.00 
3.25 
Iris red. 
4838 
3 
.. .do. 
8.62 
11.50 
3.50 
5736 
3 
Kept. 25. 
355 
.do. 
8.25 
10.00 
8219 
Q 
Sept. 12,1857 
8.75 
11.25 
3.75 
Variety sub-arcticus. 
5387 ? 
June 26, 1856 
5.37 
9.37 
2.87 
4844 ? 
May 15. 
8.25 
10.87 
3.87 
4841 ? 
3 
The Tower. 
May 11. 
8.12 
10,75 
3.50 
5736? 
3 
Sept. 25, 1856 
Lt. F. T. Bryan... 
356 
W. S. Wood... 
8.25 
10.25 
PIPILO MEGALONYX, Baird. 
Sp. Ch.—S imilar to P. arcticus in amount of white on the wings and scapulars, though this frequently edged with black. Outer 
edge of outer web of external tail feather white, sometimes confluent with that at tip of tail. Concealed white spots on feathers 
of side of neck. Claws enormously large, the hinder longer than its digit; the hind toe and claw reaching to the middle of the 
middle claw, which, with its toe, is as long, or longer, than the tarsus. Inner lateral claw reaching nearly to the middle of 
middle claw. Length, 7.60 ; wing, 3.40; tail, 4.25 ; hind toe and claw, .90. 
Hab .—Southern coast of California and across through vallies of Gila and Rio Grande. 
This form, if not a distinct species, constitutes so strongly marked a variety as to he worthy 
of particular description. The general appearance is that of P. arcticus, which it resembles in 
the amount of white spotting on the wings. This, however, does not usually involve the whole 
outer web at the end, but, as in oregonus, has a narrow border of black continued around the 
white terminally and sometimes externally. There is not quite so much of a terminal white 
blotch on the outer tail feather, this being but little over an inch in length, and the outer web 
of the same feather is never entirely white, though always with an external white border, 
which sometimes is confluent with the terminal spot, but usually leaves a brown streak near the 
end never seen in arcticus, which also has the whole outer web white except at the base. From 
oregonus the species differs in the much greater amount of white on the wings and the less 
rounded character of the spots. Oregonus, too, has the whole outer web of external tail feather 
black, and the terminal white spot of the inner web less than an inch in length. I have never 
seen in oregonus any of the concealed white spotting on the sides of the head. 
The greatest difference between this species and the two others is in the stout tarsi and 
enormously large claws, as described, both the lateral extending greatly beyond the base of 
the middle one, the hinder toe and claw nearly as long as the tarsus. The only North American 
Passerine birds having any approach to this length of claw are those of the genus Passerella. 
A Pipilo macronyx of Swainson appears to have a similar development of claws, but is 
described as olive with black head and throat, the light marks on the wings and tail yellow. 
The P. maculatus has the body olivaceous ; the head and throat black. 
