A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 3 of 3Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Science
A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 3 of 3
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Birds -- North America
SP. CHAR. _Adult_ (♂, 51,689, Yukon, mouth of Porcupine River;
Strachan Jones). Whole upper surface with numerous transverse bands
of brownish-plumbeous and ashy-white. Anteriorly the light bars are
about half the width of the dark ones; posteriorly they gradually
increase, the bands of the two colors being about of equal width on the
upper tail-coverts and tail; with the increase of the lighter bars,
they become more ashy, and, correspondingly, the darker ones are more
plumbeous; on the rump there is but little contrast between the bands
of the two, causing a prevalent bluish cast. The bands are everywhere
continuous, the light ones being interrupted only by the black shaft;
there are generally on the anterior portions about three light bars on
each feather, the last always terminal. Tail tipped with white, and
crossed with equal continuous bands of hoary-plumbeous and ashy-white;
the latter eleven in number, and finely sprinkled with deeper ash.
Primaries brownish-plumbeous, plain past the middle portion, but on the
anterior half with quadrate spots of creamy white on the outer web.
Head above brownish-plumbeous, this prevailing; but along the median
line the feathers are edged with buffy white; forehead dull white, this
continuing back in a streaked superciliary stripe to the occiput; cheeks
very thinly marked with fine streaks of dusky, this prevailing along
the upper border of the ear-coverts; a deeper dusky suffusion beneath
the anterior angle of the eye. Lower surface pure white; chin and
throat, only, immaculate; jugulum with very sparse, narrow longitudinal
streaks of blackish; sides with scattered cordate or nearly circular
spots, these larger and transverse on the flanks and tibiæ; abdomen
with scattered minute elliptical spots; lower tail-coverts with minute
irregular sagittate or transverse spots of dusky. Under surface of
the wing white; each feather of the lining with a medial tear-shaped
streak of dusky; primaries crossed with narrow bars of dusky, fifteen in
number on the longest. Wing-formula, 2–3–4–1–5. Wing, 13.50; tail, 8.60;
culmen, .90; tarsus, 2.15; middle toe, 1.87.
♀ (43,139, Fort Anderson, May 24, 1864, “♀ and two eggs”; R.
MacFarlane). Generally similar to the male. Head above conspicuously
streaked, but the dusky prevailing. Above the transverse bands are less
regular and continuous, anteriorly the plumbeous largely prevailing;
posterior portions, however, as in the male, but on the rump the bands
are more distinct. Beneath, the markings are more numerous, larger, and
broader; those on the jugulum linear; those of the abdomen medially
elliptical; laterally they are transversely cordate, and on the flanks
in form of broad transverse spots, or broad bars; on the tibiæ and lower
tail-coverts they form regular transverse bars,—on the latter, quite
distant. Wing-formula, 2–3–4, 1. Wing, 15.50; tail, 9.50; tarsus, 2.15
and .80; middle toe, 1.95.
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