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
_Juv._ (♂, 55,400, Alaska, Nulato, February 10, 1868; W. H. Dall).
Above plumbeous-umber, precisely as in young of _islandicus_, but on
the rump having a decided ashy cast. No white edges to the feathers,
as in _islandicus_, but, instead, numerous irregular transverse spots
or obsolete ragged bars of cream-color or pale ochraceous-buff; the
whole upper surface is quite thickly variegated with these irregular
markings. Tail crossed with thirteen narrow bands of creamy-white, these
so thickly mottled with dusky on the outer webs as to be obscure, but on
inner webs they are regular and sharply defined; the last is terminal.
Primaries plain dusky, skirted obscurely with paler, and marked toward
bases with obsolete mottled spots of cream-color. Head streaked with
dusky and creamy-white, the former predominating on upper surface,
along upper edge of ear-coverts, and across the cheeks, on the latter
forming a mustache; the white prevails over the ear-coverts in a broad
supra-oral stripe, and on the forehead and lores. Beneath, soft dull
white; chin and upper part of throat, only, immaculate; each feather
with a broad medial stripe of clear dark plumbeous-brown, on the flanks
and tibiæ prevailing, the whitish assuming the form of roundish spots;
lining of the wing similarly marked; prevailing aspect of under surface
of primaries white, crossed with narrow bars of ashy, fifteen in number
on the longest. Wing-formula, 2, 3–1=4. Wing, 14.00; tail, 8.40.
HAB. Interior regions of Arctic America; Anderson River, McKenzie,
Yukon, and Severn River regions. Breeding abundantly in the former
district, whence numerous specimens of skins and eggs have been received
by the Smithsonian Institution.
In the young specimen described, there are one or two new feathers
appearing on the rump and upper tail-coverts, precisely as in the blue
plumage, and proving conclusively their relationship. The species is as
different from the Iceland bird in the young stage as in the mature.
The most readily apparent differences are, lack of sharp white edges of
feathers above, and in their stead numerous ragged transverse spots of
yellowish; dark aspect of head above, etc.
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