_Passerculus_, BONAP. Comp. List Birds, 1838. (Type, _Fringilla
savanna_.)
[Line drawing: _Passerculus savanna._
7108]
GEN. CHAR. Bill moderately conical; the lower mandible smaller; both
outlines nearly straight. Tarsus about equal to the middle toe.
Lateral toes about equal, their claws falling far short of the middle
one. Hind toe much longer than the lateral ones, reaching as far as
the middle of the middle claw; its claws moderately curved. Wings
unusually long, reaching to the middle of the tail, and almost to the
end of the upper coverts. The tertials nearly or quite as long as the
primaries; the first primary longest. The tail is quite short,
considerably shorter than the wings; as long as from the carpal joint
to the end of the secondaries. It is emarginate, and slightly rounded;
the feathers pointed and narrow.
The essential characters of this well-marked genus lie in the
elongated wings, longer than the tail, the tertiaries equal to the
primaries, the first quill almost longest. The legs are long, the
outstretched toes reaching to the end of the tail; the lateral toe
considerably shorter than the middle, which is not much longer than
the hinder. The tail is short, narrow, and emarginate; the feathers
acute.
Species and Varieties.
COMMON CHARACTERS. Above grayish-brown, beneath white; whole
upper surface, as well as the breast and sides, streaked with
dusky. A light superciliary stripe, and a whitish maxillary one,
the latter bordered above and below by stripes of coalesced dusky
streaks.
A. Bill small, the culmen slightly concave in the middle
portion; a median light stripe on the crown.
1. P. savanna. Superciliary stripe yellow anteriorly;
streaks on the back blackish, sharply defined.
_Throat and upper part of abdomen unstreaked; vertex-stripe
without yellow tinge._
Bill .34 from forehead and .25 in depth at the base; wing,
2.85; tail, 2.30. Colors deep; outer surface of wing (in
spring) decidedly reddish. _Hab._ Eastern Province of North
America … var. _savanna_.
Bill, .32 and .20, or less; wing, 2.75; tail, 2.10. Colors
very pale; outer surface of wing (in spring) pale ashy.
_Hab._ Western Province of North America, except coast of
California, where replaced by var. _anthinus_ …
var. _alaudinus_.
Bill, .37 and .27, or considerably more; wing, 3.10; tail,
2.40. Colors as in _savanna_. _Hab._ Northwest coast of
North America … var. _sandwichensis_.
_Throat and upper part of abdomen streaked; vertex-stripe
strongly tinged with yellow._
Bill, .33 and .19; wing, 2.50; tail, 1.90. Colors darker
than var. savanna, the ground-color more uniform, and the
black streaks heavier and more numerous. _Hab._ Coast of
California … var. _anthinus_.
2. P. princeps. Superciliary stripe white anteriorly;
streaks on the back sandy-brown, badly defined. Wing, 3.25;
tail, 2.60; bill, .45 and .23; tarsus, .95; middle toe, .80.
_Hab._ Eastern Massachusetts (northern regions in summer?).
B. Bill robust, the culmen arched; no median light stripe on
the crown. Superciliary stripe white anteriorly; streaks on the
back sandy-brown, obsolete.