File:Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of (14727788526).jpg

Identifier: keytonorthameric01coue (find matches)
Title: Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology, an outline of the structure and classification of birds, and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds
Year: 1890 (1890s)
Authors: Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899
Subjects: Birds -- North America Birds -- Collection and preservation
Publisher: Boston, D. Estes and Company
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ofwing-coverts larger, those of scapulars still larger and lengthening into streaks ; interscapularsalso streaked with white; white on rpiills and tail-feathers at a maximum, as in erythrophthal-mus ; usually, also, concealed white specks in black of throat. ? comparatively dark, butnot quite blackish. In this form, the white on the wing-quills and tail-feathers, so much re-duced in the glossy black oregonus, is as extensive as in erythrophthalmus ; but the wing-coverts, scapulars, and interscapulars are fully marked with white; the black tends to olive, atleast on rump, and the 9 is not feirly brown. The dimensions do not diftcr appreciably fromthose of oregonus. Central region of N. Am., from limit of erytlirophthalmus in Kansas, Ne-bra.ska, and Dakota, to that oi oregonus in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia; N. insummer to the region of the Saskatchewan ; S. in winter to Texas; in the S. Rocky Mt. regionmelting into megalonyx. FRINGILLID.E: FINCHES, BUNTINGS, SPARROWS. 459
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460 S YS TEMA TIC S YNOPSFS. — PA SSERES - OSCINES. P. m. inegalouyx. (^leyaXr), me()ale, great; ow$, omu; claw.) Spurred Towhee. Theprevailing form in the S. Kucky Mt. region, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Similarto arcticus, but feet larger, with highly-developed claws; hind claw decidedly longer than itsdigit; lateral claws reaching to or beyond middle of middle claw. In this form at any rate,the 9 is hardly distinguishable in color from the ^, being slaty-blackish with an appreciableolivaceous shade, thus exhibiting a decided approach to the typical Mexican stock. The noteis entirely dififerent from that of the eastern Towhee, being so exactly like the scolding mew of a Catbird, that I have heard persons stoutly contend that there are Catbirds in Arizona.The general habits, nest, and eggs of all these western Towhees are substantially the same asthose of the eastern. (P. m. magnirostris, Brewst. Auk, Apr. 1891, p. 146, is described assimilar to megalonyx ; but bill much l

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