in var. fallax, and the legs colored more like typical melodia. In fact, the bird is like melodia, but darker. The stripes on the back continue well defined and distinct. M. samuelis (=gouldi) may stand as a smaller race of this variety.
Proceeding northward along the Pacific coast, another form (var. guttata), peculiar to the coast of California, is met with towards and beyond the mouth of the Columbia (coming into Southern California in winter). This is darker in color, more rufous; the stripes quite indistinct above, in fact, more or less obsolete, and none, either above or below, with darker or blackish centres. The sides, crissum, and tibia are washed with ochraceous-brown, the latter perhaps darkest. The bill is proportionally longer and more slender. This race becomes still darker northward, until at Sitka (var. rufina) it shows no rufous tints, but a dusky olive-brown instead, including the streaks of the under parts. The markings of the head and back are appreciable, though not distinct. The size has become considerably larger than in eastern melodia, the average length of wing being 3.00, instead of 2.60.
The last extreme of difference from typical melodia of the east is seen in the variety insignis from Kodiak. Here the size is very large: length, 7.00; extent, 10.75; wing, 3.20. The bill is very long (.73 from forehead), the color still darker brown and more uniform above; the median light stripe of vertex scarcely appreciable in some specimens; the superciliary scarcely showing, except as a whitish spot anteriorly. The bill and feet have become almost black.
The following synopsis may serve as a means by which to distinguish the several races of this species, as also the two remaining positive species of the genus:—
A. Lower parts streaked.
1. M. melodia. White of the lower parts uninterrupted from the chin to the crissum; the streaks of the jugulum, etc., broad and cuneate.
a. Streaks, above and below, sharply defined, and distinctly black medially (except sometimes in winter plumage).
Ground-color above reddish-gray, the interscapulars with the whitish and black streaks about equal, and sharply contrasted. Rump with reddish streaks. Wing, 2.70; tail, 2.90; bill .36 from nostril, and .30 deep. Hab. Eastern Province of United States, to the Plains on the west, and the Rio Grande on the south … var. melodia.2
Ground-color above ashy-gray, the interscapulars with the black streaks much broader than their rufous border, and the whitish edges not in strong contrast. Rump without streaks. Wing, 2.80; tail, 3.15; bill, .33 and .22. Hab. Middle Province of United States … var. fallax.3
Ground-color above nearly pure gray, the interscapulars with the black streaks much broader than the rufous, and the edges of the feathers not appreciably paler. Rump without streaks. Wing, 2.80; tail, 2.85; bill, .32 by .27. Hab. California, except along the coast; Sierra Nevada … var. heermanni.4
Ground-color above grayish-olive, the interscapulars with the black streaks much broader than their rufous border; edges of the feathers scarcely appreciably paler. Rump and tail-coverts, above and below, with distinct broad streaks of black. Wing, 2.40; tail, 2.50; bill, .37 and .24. Hab. Coast region of California … var. samuelis.5
Ground-color above olive-rufous, the edges of the interscapulars, alone, ashy; dorsal black streaks very broad, without rufous border. Rump streaked with black. Wing, 2.60; tail, 2.85; bill, .34 and .25. Hab. Puebla, Mexico … var. mexicana.6
b. Streaks, above and below, not sharply defined, and without black medially.
Above rufescent-olive, the darker shades castaneous; streaks beneath castaneous-rufous. Wing, 2.60; tail, 2.50; bill, .35 and .23. Hab. Pacific Province from British Columbia, southward … var. guttata.
Above sepia-plumbeous, the darker shades fuliginous-sepia; streaks beneath fuliginous-sepia. Wing, 3.00; tail, 3.00; bill, .41 and .25. Hab. Pacific Province from British Columbia northward … var. rufina.
Above plumbeous, the darker markings dull reddish-sepia in winter, clove-brown in summer; streaks beneath castaneous-rufous in winter, dull sepia in summer. Wing, 3.40; tail, 3.60; bill, .50 and .30. Hab. Pacific coast of Alaska (Kodiak, etc.) … var. insignis.
2. M. lincolni. White of the lower parts interrupted by a broad pectoral band of buff; streaks on the jugulum, etc., narrow linear. A vertex and superciliary stripe of ashy; a maxillary one of buff. Wing, 2.60; tail, 2.40; bill, .30 and .25. Hab. Whole of North America; south, in winter, to Panama.
B. Lower parts without streaks (except in young.)
3. M. palustris. Jugulum and nape tinged with ashy; outer surface of wings bright castaneous, in strong contrast with the olivaceous of the back; dorsal streaks broad, black, without rufous externally; a superciliary and maxillary stripe of ashy. ♂. Crown uniform chestnut, forehead black. ♀. Crown similar, but divided by an indistinct ashy stripe, and more or less streaked with black (autumnal or winter ♂ similar). Juv. Head, back, and jugulum streaked with black on a yellowish-white ground; black prevailing on the crown. Hab. Eastern Province of North America.
Fringilla melodia, Wilson, Am. Orn. II, 1810, 125, pl. xvi, f. 4.—Licht. Verz. 1823, No. 249.—Aud. Orn. Biog. I, 1832, 126; V, 507, pl. 25.—Ib. Syn. 1839, 120.—Ib. Birds Am. III, 1841, 147, pl. clxxxix.—Max. Cab. J. VI, 1858, 275. Zonotrichia melodia, Bon. List, 1838.—Ib. Conspectus, 1850, 478. ? ? Fringilla fasciata, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 922.—Nuttall, Man. I, (2d ed.,) 1840, 562. ? ? Fringilla hyemalis, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 922. Melospiza melodia, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 477.—Samuels, 321.
Sp. Char. General tint of upper parts rufous and distinctly streaked with rufous-brown, dark-brown, and ashy-gray. The crown is rufous, with a superciliary and median stripe of dull gray, the former lighter; nearly white anteriorly, where it sometimes has a faint shade of yellow, principally in autumn; each feather of the crown with a narrow streak of black forming about six narrow lines. Interscapulars black in the centre, then rufous, then pale grayish on the margin, these three colors on each feather very sharply contrasted. Rump grayer than upper tail-coverts, both with obsolete dark streaks. There is a whitish maxillary stripe, bordered above and below by one of dark rufous-brown, and with another from behind the eye. The under parts are white; the jugulum and sides of body streaked with clear dark-brown, sometimes with a rufous suffusion. On the middle of the breast these marks are rather aggregated so as to form a spot. No distinct white on tail or wings. Length of male, 6.50; wing, 2.58; tail, 3.00. Bill pale brown above; yellowish at base beneath. Legs yellowish.
Hab. Eastern United States to the high Central Plains.
Specimens vary somewhat in having the streaks across the breast more or less sparse, the spot more or less distinct. In autumn the colors are more blended, the light maxillary stripe tinged with yellowish, the edges of the dusky streaks strongly suffused with brownish-rufous.
The young bird has the upper parts paler, the streaks more distinct; the lines on the head scarcely appreciable. The under parts are yellowish; the streaks narrower and more sharply defined dark brown.
As already stated, this species varies more or less from the above description in different parts of North America, its typical races having received specific names, which
In summer the streaks beneath are entirely intense black; in winter they have a slight rufous external suffusion.
Sp. Char. (Type, 60,046, Puebla, Mexico, A. Boucard.) Similar to
