Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/573

Rh dorsal outline a little arched, the tip declinate, the edges sharp and in- flected towards the strong process, which is separated from the tip by a deep sinus ; lower mandible with the dorsal line convex, the sides rounded, the edges inflected, the acute tip ascending. Nostrils basal, lateral, half closed by an arched membrane. Head large, neck short, body robust. Feet of ordinary length ; tarsus rather short, compressed, anteriorly scu- tellate, sharp behind ; toes five, the lateral ones nearly equal, the hind toe stouter ; claws arched, compressed, acute.

Plumage soft, blended. Long bristles at the base of the bill. Wings of ordinary length, the fourth quill longest, third little shorter, second shorter than sixth, first about half the length of second; secondaries rounded, with a minute tip. Tail long, straight, graduated, of twelve rounded feathers.

Bill brownish-black at the end, paler towards the base, the edges of both mandibles and the basal part of the lower, flesh-colour tinged with yellow. Iris hazel. Feet brownish-black. The upper parts are light ash-grey, the ends of the scapulars, and tlie rump feathers and upper tail-coverts, greyish-white ; a streak of the same colour over the eye ; the lore and ear-coverts brownisla-black. The first row of smaller wing-coverts, the primary and secondary coverts, and the quills, brownish-black ; the latter, especially the secondary quills, as well as their coverts, tipped with white. Base of the primaries white, forming a conspicuous spot on the wing. Tail-feathers brownish-black ; outer web of the outermost, with more than a third of the inner web from the tip, white ; the extremities of all the rest, excepting the two middle, of the same colour, which gradually occupies less extent on the inner feathers. The whole under surface greyish-white, tinged with brown on the fore part of the breast, which is transversely marked with faint undulating bars of dark grey, as are the sides.

Length 10^ inches, extent of wings 14 ; bill along the back I, along the edge of lower mandible l/g ; tarsus 1^^.

Adult Female. Plate CXCII. Fig. 2.

The female differs from the male only in having the head and neck slightly tinged with brown, the band before the eye obscure^ and the un- der parts with more numerous undulated lines.

Adult Male in summer. Plate CXCIL Fig. 3,