1852.] 61 
extends from the shaft along the outer side; upper mandible light brown, lower 
light yellow. ‘Tarsus and feet flesh colored; iris dark brown. 
Habitat. Western Texas. 
Obs. This interesting bird I shot on the prairie near San Antonio, on the 25th 
of April, 1851, and, at the time, took it for the Z. savanna (Wilson,) which it 
much resembled in its habits, but upon examination it proved to be totally 
distinct. I found but one specimen, which is a male. 
I have named this in honor of my friend Mr. John Cassin, the Corresponding 
Secretary of this Society, to whose indefatigable labor in the department of 
Ornithology we are so much indebted. 
The Committee to which was referred the following paper by Col. 
McCall, reported in favor of publication in the Proceedings, 
Note on Carpodacus frontalis, (Say,) with description of a new spectes of the same 
genus, from Santa Fé, New Mesico. 
By Cou. Georce A. McCatt, U.S. A. 
In the Proceedings of this Academy for the months of May and June, 1851, 
was published some account of such Birds as [ had met with during the preced- 
ing year in Texas and New Mexico. Inthat paper, under the name of Carpoda- 
cus frontalis, Say, 1 gave an account of the habits of a bird I had found at 
Santa Fe. 
At the time I first observed the bird to which I allude, I believed it to be of 
a species not previously described, and I brought with me from New Mexico 
specimens of the adult birds, the young, the nest and the eggs. But on my ar- 
rival in this city, a comparison with C. frontalis resulted in the decision that 
my specimens were of that species; they were accordingly presented to the 
Academy as such, together with an account of theirhabits. Recently, however, 
my attention has been called to these birds (a close examination of them having 
been made by Dr. Wilson and Mr. Cassin) and a satisfactory conclusion has 
been arrived at, that the birds referred to do not belong to the species frontalis, 
but are of a species not previously described; I therefore propose the name fami- 
liaris, and annex hereto an accurate description which was taken from an ex- 
amination of a number of specimens, killed at Santa Fé in the spring of 1850. 
Carpodacus familiaris.* 
Adult male.—Front, sides of head, chin, throat and rump, crimson; crown, 
hind-neck and fore part of back, brownish crimson passing into brown on the 
after part of the back; fore part of the breast brownish crimson fading into light 
dusky brown on the abdomen, which, with the under tail coverts, is striped with 
blackish brown; wings and tail, dusky brown, each feather edged with pale 
brown, which is broadest on the wing coverts; bill robust and curved on the 
ridge, and together with the legs and feet dark dusky; iris black. Length, six 
inches one line, alar extent ten inches; wing from the flexure three and a quar- 
ter inches. 
The female, (in size rather less than the male,) is above, of a dusky brown 
edged with light brown; beneath, pale brown longitudinally striped with dark 
brown; wings and tail dusky, edged with pale brown. The young on the first 
a nae were nearly full fledged, and were similar in color to the female, though 
ighter. 
It will be seen from the foregoing description that the present species differs 
from C. frontalis in having the crimson less decidedly defined—that color being 
diffused over a greater part of the body, and gradually fading into brown. 
