: ce es Ge ee ee ee ee en eeeas ‘ 7) ak + ewuean MARR eS eee he Pie CHP HOS ee 2 ft tos Jef ff : {Po ? y , BIOLOGIA CENTRALI-AMERICAN Ay OS g AVES. Vou. II. (TEXT.) BY OSBERT SALVIN, F.R.S., &c., AND FREDERICK DUCANE GODMAN, D.C.L., F.R.S., &c. 1888-1904. JAN 03 1992 3 | | t CONTENTS Errata Et CorRIGENDA . Subclass AVES CARINATZ, continued . &. Order PassErezs, continued Suborder OLicomMyopD#& . Fam. Oxyrhamphide . Fam. Tyrannide . Fam. Pipride . Subfam. Piprinz - Ptilochlorine Fam. Cotingide Subfam. Tityrine . Lipaugine Attiline . Cotingine ” Querulinz Suborder TRAcHEOPHONE . Fam. Dendrocolaptide Subfam. Synallaxine . Philydorine . Sclerurme Margarornithine - Glyphorhynchine . - Dendrocolaptinz Fam. Formicariidz Fam. Pteroptochide . Order MacrocHIREs Suborder TrocHiLi . Fam. Trochilide Sect. Trochili Serrirostres » Lntermedii. OF VOL. IL. Page Suborder CyPsELi Fam. Cypselide Subfam. Cypselinze » Cheturine . Suborder CaPRIMULGI Fam. Caprimulgide . Subfam. Caprimulgine » Nyctibine . Order Pict Fam. Picidee Subfam. Picine. » Picumnine . Order CoccycEs . Suborder CoccyGes ANISODACTYLE . Fam. Momotidee Fam. Alcedinide . Suborder Coccyers HetERopActTyL” Fam. Trogonide Suborder Coccyers ZYGODACTYLE Fam. Galbulidee Fam. Bucconide . Fam. Cuculidee Subfam. Cuculine . - Pheenicophaine . Neomorphinze Diplopterine . Crotophaginz 3) Fam. Capitonide . Fam. Rhamphastide . Order Psrrtact Fam. Psittacidee Subfam. Conurinz ” Pionine . ERRATA ET CORRIGENDA. Page Line 47 2,10 for Lapangus read Lipaugus. 61 6 for M. read P. 119 35,38 for Tityria read Tityra. 119 35 before “ Salv.” insert “ Psaris fraserii,” 134 17 for Deirs read Devis. 134 22 for spadacea read spadicea. 135 14 after hypoxanthus add “sp. n.” 149 33 for brachyura read brachyurus. 183 38 for Fenechio read Fenochio. 228 5 after mmaculata, insert “ Nutting,” 296 36 for berrylline read berylline. 325 9 for Patzum read Patzun. 351 22 for pulchri read lucifert. 361 9 for rectrice read remige. 392 21 for Engoulevant read Engoulevent. 454. 7 for Iodide read Todide. 467 15 after PRIONORNIS add “ nom. nov.” 531 8 for cayenensis read cayennensis. 531 37 for cyanus read cayanus. 538 39 for Satvapor read Nicaragua. 558 21 for C. read S. 564 8 for ararauua read ararauna. 583 before the heading for the genus CHRYSOTIS, insert Subfam. PIONIN ZZ. 595 5 for C. read P. bs LS ‘f [TEMPORARY TITLEPAGE.] B43 294 \ ->7 BIOLOGIA CENTRALI-AMERICANA. | / AVES. VOL. IL. BY OSBERT SALVIN, M.A., F.RS., &c., AND FREDERICK DUCANE GODMAN, F.R.S., &c. 1888-1897. (N.B.—This Volume may be temporarily bound, but it will not be complete until the permanent Titlepage is issued, when the subject is finished. | TLAMMA™, PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. BIOLOGIA CENTRALI-AMERICANA. ZOOLOGIA. Class AVES. Subclass AVES CARINAT &. Order PASSERES. Suborder OLIGOMYOD. Fam. OXYRHAMPHIDZ. OXYRHAMPHUS. Oxyrhamphus, Strickland, Ann. & Mag. N. H. vi. p. 420 (1841); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 280. Oxyrhynchus, Temminck, Pl. Col. livr. 21, 1823 (nec Leach). Oxyruncus, Temminck, Anal. du Syst. gén. d’Orn. in Man. d’Orn. ed. 2, 1. p. Ixxx (1820). Oxyrhamphus is a genus of obscure affinities and its position cannot be satisfactorily determined until the internal structure of one of the species has been carefully studied. From an examination of its external characters it has been usually placed by recent. authors with the Dendrocolaptide or as an independent Family. Under our Las ‘knowledge the latter position seems the most convenient. The coloration of the plumage of Oxyrhamphus recalls that of Phibalura, a genus of Cotingide, but the form of the bill has no resemblance to that of Phibalura nor has its plumage anything in common with any recognized member of the Dendrocolaptide. The bill of O. frater (and of both the other species) is acute, the culmen slightly curved, and the tomia nearly straight, with a small angle near the commissure; the nostrils are elongated open slits along the lower edge of the nasal fossa and have an operculum thickened along its lower edge along the upper margin. The rictal bristles are very short. The wings have ten primaries, of which the second, third, and fourth are the longest, the first being a little longer than the fifth and rather more pointed. The barbs of the central portion of the outer web of the outermost primary, in the male, have their extremities destitute of barbules, and these bare points turned rather BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., December 1888. | 1 $13/ ($23) 2 OXYRHAMPHIDA. abruptly backwards and slightly inwards, the margin of the wing thus forming a strongly serrate edge. In the female the outer web of this feather is normal *. | The tail is of moderate length and nearly square at its tip. The tarsi are short but stout and enclosed in scutes which cover the front and sides and nearly meet at the back ; the toes are short and nearly equal in length, the middle toe slightly exceeding the outer one, the innermost being the shortest. The hind toe and claw are strong. The genus is a purely Neotropical one containing three closely allied species—one, O. flammiceps, the oldest and best known, inhabiting South-east Brazil, another, 0. hypo- glaucus, the Guianan Highlands, and the third, 0. frater, Costa Rica and the State of Panama. 1. Oxyrhamphus frater. Oxyrhynchus flammiceps, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 1061; v. Frantz. J. £. Orn. 1869, p. 804°. Oxyrhamphus frater, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 326°; Ex. Orn. p. 181, t. 66‘; Salv. Ibis, 1869, p. 314°; P.Z.S. 1870, p. 194°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 2807. Viridis, pileo medio sericeo-coccineo utrinque nigro limbato ; capitis lateribus griseis, corpore subtus pallide flavo, ambobus nigro guttulatis; alis et cauda nigris viridi limbatis, secundariorum et tectricum marginibus externis late et caude apice anguste pallide flavis, subalaribus flavis: rostro corneo, pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 6°5, ale 3-6, caude 2:2, rostri a rictu 0°8, tarsi 0°75. (Descr. maris ex Calovevora, Panama. Mus. nostr.) mari omnino similis, remige alarum primo extrorsum haud serrato. Hab. Costa Rica (Carmiol), San José 1, Orosi? (v. Frantzius); Panama, Calovevora 356, Chitra °, Castillo? (Arcé). So far as Oxyrhamphus frater is concerned little information has come to hand since the account of it was published in ‘ Exotic Ornithology ’ in 18684. Even now nothing has been recorded of its habits, food, or of the kind of forests it frequents. At the time that account was written the only other species known of the genus was O. flammi- ceps of South-eastern Brazil; but a few years ago a third Species was discovered by Mr. H. Whitely in the mountains of British Guiana, which we described under the name of O. hypoglaucus. This last-named bird differs from both its allies by having the under surface of the body white (not pale yellow) spotted with black. We thus have three very closely allied species of this genus each occupying mountainous districts situated very widely apart, and it singularly happens that no one of them occurs in any portion of the Andes or in the mountains of Venezuela. In our country O. frater is restricted to a very limited area extending along the mountain-slopes from Orosi in Costa Rica to Calovevora in the State of Panama. We have no information as to the elevations at which O. frater is found, but the allied 0. hypoglaucus affects the moun- tains of Merume and Roraima between 2000 and 3500 feet above the sea-level. * Attention was drawn to this character in the article on O. frater in ‘Exotic Ornithology, but it was noticed by Mikan, who, in his ‘ Delectus Flore et Faun Brasiliensis,’ figured the first primary of 0. serratus, Mikan (=O. flammiceps, Temm.). COPURUS. 3 Fam. TYRANNIDZ*, COPURUS. Copurus, Strickland, P. Z. S. 1841, p. 28 (type Muscicapa colonus, Vieill.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. Xiv. p. 50. Two species constitute this well-marked genus, the ranges of which are rather curiously traced: thus the Brazilian C. colonus extends over a large portion of Brazil and includes the eastern slopes of the Andes ; C. Jeuconotus occurs in Western Ecuador, Colombia, and Central America as far north as Nicaragua, and passes along the northern part of South America to Guiana. Both species come within the reach of the bird- collectors of Bogota, but are doubtless found on different sides of the mountain-chain. Copurus is a rather isolated genus with no very obvious allies. Mr. Sclater places it between Muscipipra and Machetornis in the “ subfamily ” Fluvicoline, but its short tarsi and arboreal habits are at variance with his definition of that section of Tyrannide. The general coloration of the plumage of Copurus is black with grey or white marks on the head and back. The bill is short and broad at the base, the width at the rictus being more than two thirds the length of the tomia; the bristles are well developed and reach beyond the nasal fossa; the nostrils are open, nearly circular, and situated at the end of the nasal fossa; the hook of the maxilla is rather abrupt and projects * The Family Tyrannide forms one of the most important sections of the American bird-fauna and contains upwards of 400 described species, the greater portion of which belong exclusively to the neotropical region. The remainder are migrants spending their breeding-season in North America, some even reaching Sitka and Greenland in their northern flight. These migratory species almost without exception pass the winter months in Mexico, Central America, and the northern part of South America. The family is well represented in our region by about 104 species, the number of genera and species increasing rapidly in the more southern section of the region. Tyrannide are found at almost all elevations, some occurring in the high pine-forests situated at 10,000 feet and upwards to the limits of vegetation, but it is in the damp forests of the lower lands, where insect-life abounds in endless variety, that the members of the family are to be found in greatest profusion and diversity. As regards the classification of the Tyrannide we are conscious that much remains to be done. In the following pages we have conformed in a great measure to that recently published by Mr. Sclater in the 14th Volume of the Catalogue of Birds, which again is based upon the system adopted by Prof. Cabanis in the ‘Museum Heineanum.’ Where we have departed from the plan there laid down will be found under the notes attached to each genus. Our chief difficulty lies in the Subfamilies, as defined by Mr. Sclater, into which the system is divided. We find that their definitions are of little practical value, if not altogether misleading. The subject, however, is an exceedingly complex one, and does not lend itself to subdivision into large groups owing to the multiplicity of forms which pass from one into the other by insensible steps. We have here not attempted to divide the family into subfamilies, but merely grouped the genera into what appear to be their natural affinities. It is only necessary to compare such genera as Platyrhynchus with Serphophaga (both placed in the Platyrhynchinz), Mionecetes with Myiodynastes (Elaineine), and Muscivora with Empidonax (Tyranninz) to show how artificial Mr. Sclater’s “ Key” to the subfamilies of Tyrannide (Catal. p. 3) is. We see no advantage to be derived from trying to maintain divisions which seem to be incapable of accurate definition. 1* 4, TYRANNIDA., considerably below the closed mandible, there is a distinct notch at the end of the tomia. The tarsi are short and stout, covered with distinct scutellz; the toes short, the outer slightly shorter than the inner. The third and fourth quills are equal and longest—2nd > 5th, lst=6th. The tail is nearly square at the end, with the exception of the two middle feathers, which are greatly elongated. The web on each side of these feathers is narrow in the middle but widens gradually towards the end, forming an oar-shaped spatule. . | 1. Copurus leuconotus. Copurus leuconotus, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1842, p. 835°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 8277, ix. p. 110°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 858%, 1867, p. 279°, 1879, p. 511°; Salv. P.Z.S. 1867, p. 146"; Ibis, 1872, p. 318°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 306°; Nutt. & Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 402; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 51”. Copurus pecilonotus, Cab. in Schomb. Guiana, iii. p. 702”. Niger ; fronte, loris et superciliis albis ; capite summo griseo-fusco ; dorso medio grisescenti-albo, uropygio albo: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota (cauda inclusa) 10-0, ale 3:0, caude rectr. med. (pogoniis medialiter attenuatis) 7-5, reliquis 2°1, rostri a rictu 0°5, tarsi 0-5. (Descr. exempl. ex Tucurriqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nicaracua, Chontales (Belt *), Los Sabalos (Nutting 1°), Blewfields (Wickham 5) ; Costa Rica, San José, Pacuar (Carmiol®), Turrialba (v. Frantzius °), Tucurriqui (Arcé); Panama, Santa Fé (Arcé), Lion Hill Station (IM‘Zeannan2+), Paraiso Station (Hughes).—CotomBia ®; W. Ecuapor ! ; Gurana !2; Boxrvia !2 The range of this species seems confined to Western Ecuador, Colombia west of the Andes of Bogota, and Central America as far north as Nicaragua. It has also been traced to Guiana 1”, but its presence in Bolivia requires confirmation. The allied form C. colonus (of which we believe C. fuscicapillus to consist, only of darker-headed individuals) ranges throughout the Valley of the Amazons from the eastern slope of the Andes of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia to South-eastern Brazil. The two birds may readily be recognized by the presence in C. lewconotus of a light grey dorsal stripe extending from the hind neck to the rump; in C. colonus the back is wholly black. Salmon met with C. leuconotus at Remedios in the Colombian State of Antioquia °, but he did not find its nest and made no note on its habits. Most other collectors are also silent on this subject, but Mr. Nutting, who found the species rather common at Los Sabalos on the Rio San Juan del Norte in Nicaragua, says that it builds a nest in a hole in a dry tree after the manner of a Woodpecker—perhaps the abandoned nest- holes of the latter 1°. The note he describes as weak. PLATYRHYNCHUS. Platyrhynchus, Desmarest, Hist. Nat. Tod. sub t. 72 (1805) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 64. Platyrhynchus is a well-marked genus containing nine species, which are distributed PLATYRHYNCHUS. 5 over the forests of the tropical portion of the neotropical region. Three species occur within our limits, whereof P. cancrominus has the most northern range, extending from the Mexican State of Vera Cruz to Nicaragua. An allied form, P. albogularis, takes its place in Costa Rica and thence spreads through Western Ecuador and Venezuela. Both these birds have near allies in South America in P. saturatus of Guiana and P. mystaceus of Guiana and Brazil. The third species is P. swperciliaris, which extends from the State of Panama to Guiana and has a close ally in P. coronatus of Eastern Ecuador. The general plumage of Platyrhynchus is brown or olive on the upper surface and ochraceous-yellowish or white on the under surface; the males, and sometimes the females, have a distinct occipital crest which can be laid open or closed by the surrounding feathers at will. The bill is a very characteristic feature, being very broad and with the lateral margins convex, the width at the base about = 3 the tomia; the upper surface is much flattened, the culmen slightly depressed but more abruptly so towards the tip, on either side of which there is a deep notch; the nostrils are round and open, at the end of the nasal fossa. The tarsi and feet are very slender, the former covered with a single sheath; the outer toe is a little longer than the inner. The wing is short and rounded, 4th quill longest, 3rd =5th, 2nd=6th, Ist<8th. The tail is short and nearly square, (Arcé). Rhynchocyclus brevirostris is the Mexican and Central-American representative of a small section of the genus containing three closely allied members. The oldest known, ft. olivaceus, is an inhabitant of the forests of South-eastern Brazil; R. wquinoctialis occupies the eastern forests of the Andes of Equador and enters our fauna as far north as the line of the Panama Railway ; the present species then takes its place and spreads northwards as far as the forest-clad slopes of the mountains of the Mexican State of Vera Cruz. Another more remotely allied form, F. fulvipectus, occupies Western Ecuador and the Cauca valley of Colombia. Several attempts have been made to divide R&. brevirostris: thus, the Guatemalan bird was named fi. mesorhynchus by Prof. Cabanis and the Costa Rican R. griseimen- talis by Mr. Lawrence. The latter ornithologist correctly showed that the size of the bill, relied on for the discrimination of &. mesorhynchus, is a very unstable character ®, but the peculiarities of coloration set forth as distinguishing 2. griseimentalis do not hold good when a series is examined. This is also Mr. Sclater’s view’, who confirms Salvin’s note on this subject ® We do not, however, subscribe to Mr. Sclater’s state- ment that BR. brevirostris and R. equinoctialis gradually merge into one another. The differences are, it is true, very slight, but we have no difficulty in assigning every specimen before us to its proper place, and their geographical boundaries appear to be quite definite. h. brevirostris is a native of the forests of the hotter parts of the countries it inhabits. In Mexico it occurs near Jalapa at an elevation of about 4000 feet. In Guatemala we found it in the forests near Choctum, at an elevation of about 1200 feet above the sea, and on the slopes of the Volcan de Fuego as high as 3000 feet. It probably has a RHYNCHOCYCLUS. . 9 similar range in altitude in Costa Rica and the more western parts of the State of Panama. The nest of R. brevirostris has not been discovered; but Salmon describes the eges of &. fulvipectus, which he met with at Frontino, in the valley of the Atrato, as white with an indistinct zone of small, very pale-red spots. 2. Rhynchocyclus equinoctialis. Cyclorhynchus equinoctialis, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1858, p. 70°. Rhynchocyclus equinoctialis, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 56°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 473°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 359*; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 166°. Cyclorhynchus brevirostris, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p.329 (nec Scl.)°; Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 1447. Preecedenti similis, alarum tectricibus pallido-olivaceo distincte limbatis, abdomine quoque pallidiore flavo, distinguendus. (Descr. maris ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Lion Hill (M‘Leannan?+°), Chepo (Arcé), Truando R. (Wood 7).— Eastern Ecuapor ! 25, The bill of £. equinoctialis is usually larger than that of R. brevirostris, but so much variation is found in this respect in the latter species that this character becomes untrustworthy. The two forms can with more certainty be distinguished by the greater definition of the edging of the wing-coverts and by the paler colour of the abdomen. The distribution of this species is somewhat remarkable, for, as far as our present knowledge goes, there is a wide gap in its range. We have no record of its occurrence between Eastern Ecuador and the Isthmus of Darien, yet specimens from these widely separated places present no tangible points of difference. Nothing has been recorded of the habits of this species, which inhabits the dense forests of the eastern side of the Isthmus of Panama, at a slight elevation above the sea-level, and the slopes of the Andes a few thousand feet above the sea. 3. Rhynchocyclus sulphurescens. Platyrhynchus sulphurescens, Spix, Av. Bras. ii. p. 10, t. 12. f. 17. Rhynchocyclus sulphurescens, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 56’; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 168°. Cyclorhynchus sulphurescens, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 473+. Rhynchocyclus flavo-olivaceus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 8°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p, 359°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 148’, 1870, p. 198°; Ibis, 1885, p. 295°. Cyclorhynchus cinereiceps, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N.Y. vii. p. 829”. Rhynchocyclus marginatus, Lawr. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1868, p. 429”. Supra olivaceo-viridis; capite summo cinereo lavato; loris et oculorum ambitu albidis; alis fuscis flavo- olivaceo limbatis; cauda fusca dorsi colore extrorsum limbata: subtus sulphureo-flavus; pectore et hypochondriis olivaceo tinctis; gula paulo cinerascentiore; subalaribus sulphureis: rostri maxilla nigra, mandibula pallida; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 52, ale 2-7, caude 2°3, tarsi 0°8, rostri a rictu 0°65. (Descr. maris ex San Pablo, Panama, Mus. nostr.) 9 mari similis. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., December 1888. 2 10 TYRANNIDA. Hab. Panama, Calovevora 8, Santa Fé? (Arcé), San Pablo Station (O. S8.), Lion Hill 4561011 (M‘ZLeannan).—Sovutn America from Colombia * to Guiana, Ama- zons valley! and Brazil } 2. Spix described this species from specimens obtained near Rio Janeiro and in the Amazons valley, and examples from these localities agree with one another and with our series from the State of Panama. Mr. Lawrence separated the Panama bird under the name of R&. flavo-olivaceus*®, but a specimen, in our collection, compared with his type appears to us to be inseparable from the true R. sulphurescens, though Mr. Sclater places &. flavo-olivaceus as a synonym of R. cinereiceps ®. kthynchocyclus marginatus +! is another name, apparently applicable to this species, but the type has a slightly greyer head and darker back, the edgings of the wings are a little more distinct, and it is also a trifle greyer on the throat. Mr. Sclater places this name without question amongst the synonyms of R. sulphurescens®. We do not think the trifling differences alluded to justify its separation. As will be seen above, R. sulphurescens has a very wide range over Tropical America, being probably restricted to the hot low-lying districts. 4. Rhynchocyclus cinereiceps. Cyclorhynchus cinereiceps, Scl. Ibis, 1859, p. 443; P. Z. S. 1859, p. 884°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p- 399°. Rhynchocyclus cinereiceps, Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 359‘, 1870, p. 837° ; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. pp. 146°, 201"; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 26°; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 395°; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 874, 884"; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 169”. Rhynchocyclus sulphurescens, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 112”. Precedenti similis, sed capite undique cinereo, gutture toto quoque cinereo, alarum marginibus minus distinctis et abdomine pallidiore, distinguendus. Iride (ave viva) alba. Hab. Mexico, Oaxaca? and Playa Vicente? (Boucard), Teapa (H. H. Smith), Tapana, Sta Efigenia (Swmichrast *), Merida in Yucatan (Schott™), Peto in Yucatan, Izalam (G. £. Gaumer); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (G. F. Gaumer); Guatemaa, Chisec, Choctum, Cahabon (0. 8S. & FP. D. G.), Volcan de Agua above San Diego, Escuintla ? (0. 8.); Honpvras, San Pedro (@. Whitely®); Nicaracua, San Juan del Sur" and Sucuya ™ (Wutting); Costa Rica, La Palma (Nutting), Angostura (Carmiol ° 18); Panama, Lion Hill (1/‘Leannan *). On comparing a series of specimens recently sent us from Teapa, in the Mexican State of Tabasco, by Mr. Herbert Smith, with our examples from Panama, we find no differences, and considering how closely allied the species is to R. sulphurescens, its characters are exceedingly constant. A good deal of confusion has arisen respecting the references to this species and fi. sulphurescens in Costa Rica and the State of Panama, but we believe we have here RHYNCHOCYCLUS.—TODIROSTRUM. 11 correctly assigned them. In the former country the southern form does not appear to be found, though they both occur on the line of the Panama Railway 4. ft. cinereiceps was first characterized by Mr. Sclater from specimens obtained by Boucard in Oaxaca and others from Playa Vicente in the State of Vera Cruz. We have received specimens from various places in the lowlands of Yucatan and Eastern Guatemala, its range in altitude reaching to about 2000 feet. It also occurs through- out the districts bordering the Pacific, up to about the same height, in the forests which clothe the volcanos of Guatemala. In Nicaragua Mr. Nutting says it is abundant at Sacuya, where it is a rather silent bird, fond of the deep woods !!. Mr. Nutting also secured the nest of this species at La Palma in Costa Rica. Mr. Ridgway describes it as follows ®:—“The nest of this bird ig a most remarkable structure, well worthy of description. It is a pendulous inverted pouch, suspended from a single twig, composed almost entirely of slender black filaments resembling horse-hairs (probably a vegetable fibre, related to, if not identical with, the ‘Spanish Moss’ or Tillandsia of the Southern United States), and so loosely built as to be easily seen through when held up to the light. The entrance is at the extreme lower end, the nest proper being a.sort of pocket on one side, about two inches above the entrance. The total length of the entire structure is ten inches, the greatest width four inches, the lower ‘neck’ or wall of the entrance being about two and a half inches in diameter.” TODIROSTRUM. Todirostrum, Lesson, Traité d’Orn. p. 884 (1831) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 69. Sixteen species are now recognized of this varied genus, which may be distinguished by the elongated flattened bill of its members. Most of the species are well marked, and are distributed over the greater part of the Neotropical region. Two species reach the forests of Southern Mexico, the widely-distributed 7. cinereum and T. schistaceiceps, which, spreading throughout Central America, pass into Colombia. The third specie~ is T. nigriceps, a bird of the north-western part of South America, which enters our fauna as far as Panama and Costa Rica. The upper valleys of the Amazons basin are the headquarters of the genus, and here some beautiful and distinct species are found. Todirostrum contains birds of very varied coloration, many of them being brightly clad in olive, black, and clear sulphur-yellow on the under surface, others have greyer tints. 7’. cinereum has an elongated flat bill, the sides of which are nearly parallel until they converge gradually towards the tip, the width at the base is a little more than a third of the length of the tomia, the terminal hook and subterminal notches are small ; the nostrils are situated towards the end of the nasal fossa, and are surrounded by a slightly overhanging membrane; the rictal bristles are well developed. The tarsi are long and feeble, covered with distinct scutelle, the toes short. The wing is rounded, | o* 12 TYRANNIDA, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th quills nearly equal and longest, 2nd=7th, lst=10th. The tail is long and much rounded, the feathers narrow, =% wing, >2 tarsus. a. Abdomen flavum, gula quoque flava. 1. Todirostrum cinereum. Todus cinereus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 178°; Bp. P. Z. S. 1837, p. 117. Todirostrum cinereum, d’Orb. Voy. Am. Mér., Ois. p. 315°; Scl. P. Z. 8.1856, p. 141*, 1857, p. 203°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 124°; P. Z. 8.1864, p. 358", 1870, p. 837°, 1879, p.512°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. vil. p. 295, viii. p. 182", ix. p. 110”; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 147%, 1870, p. 196“; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 301”; Ibis, 1885, p. 292”; v. Frantz. J. £. Orn. 1869, p. 307"; Nutt. & Ridgw. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. v. pp. 384, 402°; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 225°; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 71”. Triccus cinereus, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 243 ”. Supra olivaceo-cinereum; capite nigro; alis caudaque nigris, illis olivaceo limbatis, hujus rectrice utrinque extima in pogonio externo et ad apicem late albida, rectricibus reliquis (preter duas medias) anguste albo terminatis; subtus omnino flavissimum: rostri maxilla cornea, mandibula flava; pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 3°6, ale 1°7, caude 1:9, rostri a rictu 0°7, tarsi 0°7. (Descr. exempl. ex Duefias, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) ; Hab. Mexico, Tlacotalpam (Sallé°), Teapa in Tabasco (H. H. Smith), Mugeres L., coast of Yucatan (Gaumer); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gaumer), Belize (O. 8.2); Guaremata (Velasquez?, Constancia>), Choctum, Coban, Duefias, Fscuintla, Retalhuleu (0. 8S. &@ F. D. G.) ; Honpuras, San Pedro ® (G. I. Whitely) ; Nicaracua, Sucuya 18, Los Sabalos !9 (Nutting), Greytown (Holland "'); Costa Rica, Nicoya (Arcé), Turrialba 1°, Pacuar !? (Carmio/), Irazu (Rogers), San José (v. Frant- zius‘"); Panama, David (Bridges*), Bugaba “4, Volcan de Chiriqui, Mina de Chorcha 4, Calovevora 4, Santa Fé 1%, Calobre ‘4 (Arcé), Lion Hill (*Leannan 7 1°), Paraiso Station (Hughes).-Soutn Amurica, Colombia® to Bolivia’, South Brazil, Amazons valley and Guiana 1°, Though apparently rare in Southern Mexico (where our only records of its presence are those of Sallé, who found it at Tlacotalpam, and of Herbert Smith at Teapa), Todirostrum cinereum is a common species in Guatemala and throughout the rest of Central America, being for the most part a bird of the lowland forests, but occasionally, though rarely, ascending the mountains to a height of about 5000 feet. Its usual resort is the forest, but it may at times be seen in trees situated in more open country. In South America 7. cinereum is one of the most widely spread of Tropical birds, notwithstanding its small size. It seems to be generally distributed in the forests of South-American lowlands to the confines of Southern Brazil. In Guiana it occurs up to an elevation of at least 3500 feet, and on the slopes of the Andes doubtless to a still greater height. Salmon, who took the eggs of this species, says they are white, but he makes no TODIROSTRUM. 13 mention of its nest, nor of the situations in which it is placed. The iris in life is white 9, b. Abdomen flavum, gula alba. 2. Todirostrum nigriceps. Todirostrum nigriceps, Scl. P. Z. S. 1855, p. 66, t. 84. f. 1"; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 72°; Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 144°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 330‘, ix. p. 110°; Sel. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 358 °. Supra flavo-olivaceum ; alis et cauda nigris, rectricibus et remigibus primariis stricte, secundariis et alarum tectri- -cibus latius flavido limbatis ; pileo toto cum nucha et capitis lateribus nigerrimis; subtus flavum, gutture albo ; rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 3-0, ale 1:4, caude 1-1, rostri a rictu 0°6, tarsi 0-6. (Descr. maris ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol®); PAnama, Lion Hill (McLeannan + ®), Turbo (Wood *).—Cotomaia, Santa Marta!; Ecuapor ?. This pretty little species appears to have a limited range restricted to the north- western parts of South America, the Isthmus of Panama, and thence to Costa Rica ; but from the latter country we have only a single record of its occurrence. No speci- mens of it were included in the collections sent us from Chiriqui or from the neigh- bourhood of Santiago de Veraguas. M‘Leannan, however, met with it on the line of the Panama Railway, and sent specimens both to Mr. Lawrence and ourselves, and Mr. C. J. Wood found it at Turbo, on the Isthmus of Darien, in the drier parts of the forest. It had the same habits as 7. cinereum, but was not common. My. Sclater’s type was obtained near Santa Marta}. c. Abdomen album. 3. Todirostrum schistaceiceps. Todirostrum schistaceiceps, Scl. Ibis, 1859, p. 444°; P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 384°; Cat. Am. B. p. 208, t. 18. f. 2°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 74:4; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 399°; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 358°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N.Y. vii. p. 4737; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 26°; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 402°; Zeledon, Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 108”. Todirostrum superciliaris, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. x. p. 9”. Olivaceo-viride ; pileo toto cum nucha schistaceis ; loris albis; alis et cauda nigris illis viridi-olivaceo hac olivaceo extrorsum limbatis, hujus quoque rectricum externarum bitriente basali cinerascente: subtus cinerascens ; abdomine albido ; hypochondriis olivaceo indutis ; subalaribus et campterio alari flavissimis : rostro nigricante, tomiis pallidis ; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 3°6, ale 1:9, caude 1-4, rostri a rictu 0-6, tarsi 0°75. (Descr. exempl. ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico}, Playa Vicente (Boucard?), Guichicovi (Swmichrast §), Teapa in Tabasco (H. H. Smith); British Honduras, Orange Walk (Gauwmer) ; GuaTeMALA, Choctum (0. S. & F. D. G.®); Nicaracua, Los Sabalos (Nutting °); Costa Rica (Zeledon ) ; Panama, Lion Hill (/‘Leannan’? °).—-Cotomsia 4; VENEZUELA? 1, Specimens from Playa Vicente, in the hot region of the Mexican State of Vera Cruz, 14 TYRANNIDA. were described by Mr. Sclater under this name. The species was soon after found by us in the forests of the basin of the Rio de la Pasion, in northern Vera Paz, and it has since been traced to Tehuantepec, Tabasco, and British Honduras. It occurs again on the banks of the San Juan del Norte river, in Nicaragua, and on the line of the Panama Railway. Mr. Zeledon includes its name in his list of Costa Rica birds, but has not yet stated in what part of that country it is found’, The bird from the mainland of South America has been separated by Mr. Lawrence as 7. superciliaris on the ground of the under surface being rather whiter, and the white lores extending further over the eye'!, These differences are indeed slight, and hardly of specific value in our opinion. ONCOSTOMA. Oncostoma, Scl. Ibis, 1862, p. 12; Cat. Am. Birds, p. 208; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 76. Only two species are known of this curious form——-one from Southern Mexico and Central America, as far south as the Volcan de Chiriqui in the State of Panama, the other peculiar to the isthmus itself along the line of railway. The two species of this genus are olive-green above, greyish below, with the abdomen yellow, and thus resemble such members of the genus Todirostrum as T. schistaceiceps. But Oncostoma has several important differences. The bill is strongly arched, the culmen still more so, giving the bill a very different outline from that of Todirostrum, which is flat, and the culmen nearly straight; the tail is composed of narrow feathers, but is not nearly so rounded; the proportions of tail, wings, and tarsi are much as in Todirostrum. 1. Oncostoma cinereigulare. Todirostrum cinereigulare, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 295"; 1859, p. 884°. Oncostoma cinereigulare, Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 208, t. 18. f. 1°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 77‘; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 194°; P. Z.S. 1870, p. 196°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 1117; Bull. U. 8. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 26°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557°; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1883, p. 447. Olivaceum ; capite summo vix saturatiore ; alis et cauda fusco-nigricantibus, extrorsum olivaceo limbatis ; capitis lateribus et gutture toto cinereis, hoc albicante striolato ; abdomine medio flavicante : rostro corneo ; pedibus pallide corylinis. Long. tota 4:0, al 2:0, caude 1°6, rostri a rictu 0-55, tarsi 0°6. (Descr. exempl. ex Coban, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. ; Hab. Mexico, Cordova (Sallé"), hot region of Vera Cruz (Swmichrast®), Teotalcingo and Playa Vicente (Boucard 2), Guichicovi, Cacoprieto, Tapana, Sta Efigenia (Sumi- chrast 1°), Tizimin® and Peto in Yucatan (Gaumer); Brirish Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gaumer) ; GuatemaLa, Coban ®, Teleman, Choctum, Savana grande, Volcan de Agua above San Diego, Retalhuleu (0. 8S. & F. D. G.); Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol’); Panama, Bugaba (Arcé *). ONCOSTOMA.—LOPHOTRICCUS. 15 A species of the hotter parts of the State of Vera Cruz according to Sumichrast °, but found near Cordova by Sallé1. The former naturalist also met with it in several places on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec 8, thence it spreads over the forest lands of Guatemala bordering the Pacific Ocean, ascending the mountains to an elevation of 3000 or 4000 feet. On the Ailantic side of the cordillera it occurs in the forest-region of northern Vera Paz and in the valley of the Polochic river, and is also not at all uncommon in the neighbourhood of Coban in January at an elevation of about 4500 feet above the sea-level. | The southern extension of this species is rather remarkable, as it does not terminate, like that of so many species where a second is found in the southern section of our fauna, in Honduras and Nicaragua, but it reaches Chiriqui, the allied form occurring on the line of the Panama Railway. Its habits much resemble those of the various species of Todirostrum. The iris in life is greyish white. 2. Oncostoma olivaceum. Todirostrum olivaceum, Lawr. Ibis, 1862, p. 12°. Oncostoma olivaceum, Scl. Ibis, 1862, p. 12 (note)*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 77°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 4734; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1864, p. 358°. Precedenti similis, sed capite summo olivaceo dorso concolore; gula quoque et abdomine concoloribus pallide flavo-olivaceis, tectricibus alarum magis distincte flavido limbatis, distinguendum. (Descr. maris ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Payama, Lion Hill (1f‘\Leannan | 2? 4°). Oncostoma olivaceum is a close ally of O. cinereigulare, but at the same time easily recognized. So far as we know the only specimens that have been obtained were secured by M‘Leannan during the time he was station-master at Lion Hill on the Panama Railway. LOPHOTRICCUS. Lophotriccus, H. v. Berlepsch, P. Z. 8. 1883, p. 553 (type Todirostrum spicifer, Lafr.); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 86. The two species which now constitute this genus were included in Huscarthmus until Count Berlepsch separated them in 1883, but without giving any characters. L. spicifer is a species of the upper Amazons valley up to the base of the Andes. JL. sqguamicris- tatus has a wider and more northern and western range over Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador, entering our region as far as Costa Rica. Compared with Yodirostrum this genus has a much less elongated flattened bill, the sides of which converge from the gape to the tip, the membrane over the nostrils is more developed, the tarsi are covered with a single shield, the tail is less rounded, and the feathers of the head are wide and produced into a conspicuous crest. 16 TYRANNIDZ. 1. Lophotriccus squamicristatus. Todirostrum squamecrista, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1846, p. 363’. Todirostrum squamicristatum, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 144°. Euscarthmus squamicristatus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 111°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 3074 ; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 196’. Lophotriccus squamicristatus, Berl. P. Z. 8. 1883, p. 553°; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 2307; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 87°. Lophotriccus squamicristatus, subsp. luteiventris, Berl. apud Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 280°. Supra olivaceus ; alis et cauda nigricantibus flavo-olivaceo limbatis ; plumis criste elongatis nigris late ferrugineo limbatis: subtus griseo-albidus ; abdomine medio flavo vix tincto ; gutture toto griseo indistincte striolato ; hypochondriis olivaceo indutis: rostro corneo ; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 3:8, alee 2:0, caude 1:5, rostri a rictu 0-5, tarsi 0°6. (Descr. maris ex Calovevora, Panama. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Costa Rica, Cervantes *, Grecia 3? (Carmiol), Dota? (Zeledon), Quebrada Honda 4 (v. Frantzius), Turrialba, Tucurriqui (Arcé); Panama, Chiriqui®, Calovevora>, Chitra®, Boquete de Chitra® (Arcé).—Cotoms1a! ; Ecuapor?®; Peru’; VENEZUELA 8, Some of our Central-American specimens are rather yellower beneath than others from Ecuador, but the difference is not always appreciable; moreover, a Venezulan example is yellower than any of the rest of our series. L. squamicristatus was described from Colombian specimens, whence it has since been traced southwards to Central Peru’. In Ecuador it occurs in many places on both sides of the cordillera. It is also found in Venezuela, Mr. Goring having met with it on the Cumbre de Valencia. It appears to be absent in the low-lying lands of the Isthmus of Panama, but to occur in some numbers in the more mountainous parts near Calovevora and Chiriqui, and also in similar districts of Costa Rica. In the latter country v. Frantzius says that it is common in the cool forests of the mountain slopes of Quebrada Honda. Hence we infer that it must not be looked for near the sea-level. Fraser says that the irides in life are orange, the legs and feet flesh-colour, the bill blackish ?. ORCHILUS. Orchilus, Cabanis in Tschudi’s Fauna Per. p. 164 (1845) (type Platyrhynchus auricularis, Vieill.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 88. Three species are included in Orchilus, viz. O. auricularis of South-eastern Brazil, O. ecaudatus of Bolivia, Peru, and Venezuela, and O. atricapillus of Costa Rica. The two latter species are somewhat abnormal, having remarkably short tails, whereas the type of the genus (0. auricularis) is not so definitely marked in this respect. Orchilus, as represented by the somewhat abnormal O. ecaudatus, is another departure from Todirostrum, and is mainly distinguished by its very short square tail; the bill is similar to that of Lophotriccus, but is longer and rather more arched. Like Todi- rostrum it has no occipital crest. ORCHILUS.—COLOPTERUS. 17 1. Orchilus atricapillus. Todirostrum ecaudatum, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 110°. Orchilus atricapillus, Lawr. Ibis, 1875, p. 885°; Scl. Cat, Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 89 *, ‘The entire crown is black; the lores are also black, except a white mark extending from the bill to the eye on each side, separating them from the black crown; eyelids white; under the eye blackish-ash ; the colour on the sides of the head behind the eye, extending to the hind neck and on the upper part of the back, is of a clear bluish-cinereous; breast also cinereous, but lighter in colour; throat greyish- white ; abdomen pale yellow; flanks and thighs blackish-ash ; under wing-coverts pale yellow; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts yellowish-green ; wings black, the primaries narrowly edged with olive-green, the secondaries and wing-coverts conspicuously margined with yellow of a greenish tinge ; tail black, the feathers with margins of the colour of the back; bill black; tarsi and toes very pale flesh-colour. First primary shorter than the fifth, third and fourth equal and longest. Length 27? inches, wing 1,4, tail 2, bill =4, tarsus 4.”—Lawrence, loc. cit. Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol'), Volcan de Irazu (Zeledon *). We have copied Mr. Lawrence’s description of this species, as we have no specimen of it ourselves. 0. atricapillus resembles O. ecaudatus, but has a black head instead of agreyone. The first specimen was obtained by Carmiol at Angostura, but being in poor condition was referred by Mr. Lawrence to 0. ecaudatus. A second and better one was secured during the late Prof. Gabb’s expedition to the Talamanca country, this, with a suggestion of Salvin’s to the effect that the bird was really distinct and undescribed, led to a fresh examination of the specimens and to their description under the name of Orchilus atricapillus®. The allied species has a wide range from Venezuela to Bolivia, but is everywhere rare. COLOPTERUS. Colopterus, Cabenis, Monatsber. Ak. Berlin, 1845, p. 216 (type Motacilla galeata, Bodd.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 90. This singular genus contains two species which differ from one another in that C. galeatus, the type, has elongated occipital feathers like Lophotriccus, while C. pileatus is not so adorned. The range of the genus extends from the State of Panama to Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana, and the lower part of the Amazons valley. In the form of the bill, tail, and tarsi this genus is like Lophotriccus, but the peculiar modification of the wings makes it easy to recognize both from Lophotriccus and the rest of this group of genera. In the male of C. pileatus the outermost four primaries are attenuated and shortened to little more than half the longest of the remaining normal feathers. Of these four shortened feathers the outermost is the longest, and the rest are gradually shorter, the fourth being the shortest of the series. In the female this feature is not carried to nearly the same extent, moreover the outermost or first primary is the shortest, and the fourth nearly attains its normal place in the wing. In C. galeatus the male has three attenuated primaries instead of four. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., December 1888. 3 18 TYRANNIDZ. 1. Colopterus pilaris. Todus pilaris, Licht. Mus. Berol. (fide Cabanis*). Colopterus pilaris, Cab. Arch. f. Naturg. 1847, i. p. 2538, t.5°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 52°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p.147*; Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1880, p. 124°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 90°. Todirostrum exile, Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 83, t. 125. f. 37; Cassin, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1860, p. 144°. Todirostrum megacephalum, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 830 (nec Swainson) °. Supra olivaceus, pileo vix obscuriore; alis et cauda fusco-nigris, extrorsum pallide olivaceo limbatis; loris et capitis lateribus pallide fuscis: subtus margaritaceo-albus ; hypochondriis flavido tinctis ; gutture et pectore griseo obsoletissime striolatis: rostro nigro, mandibule basi pallida; pedibus carneis. Long. tota 3:5, ° alee 1-7, caude 1-5, rostri a rictu 0-5, tarsi 0°65. (Descr. maris ex Santa Fé, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Santa Fé (Arcé*), line of railway (M‘Leannan °).—Cotomsta $6 7 8, The headquarters of this curious species seem to be Colombia, where it has been noticed in several places. Specimens occur, but not very frequently, in the trade collections made in the neighbourhood of Bogota, but the bird is more common in the northern parts of the country. Within our region it has been observed by two collectors —M‘Leannan, who met with it on the line of the Panama Railway, and sent specimens to Mr. Lawrence, in whose lists they appear as Todirostrum megacephalum®; and Arcé, who sent us two male specimens from Santa Fé in the State of Panama‘. Mr. C. J. Wood says he met with this species near Carthagena, in the bushes and low trees, constantly flying after insects, and uttering a single chirp, by which it could easily be traced and shot®. He frequently saw it in the month of April. Mr. Simons, who sent us specimens from Minca in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, says that the iris in life is white, shading into brown or yellowish white >. LEPTOTRICCUS. Leptrotriccus, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Heim. i. p. 54 (1859) (type Muscicapa sylviola, Licht.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 99. Leptotriccus, which was founded on the Brazilian ZL. sylviola, contains but two species, that just named and L. superciliaris of the State of Panama. With a bill similar to that of Lophotriccus the rictal bristles appear to be longer, there is no occipital crest, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th quills are nearly equal, 1st—S8th, the tail is long and very slightly rounded, and the feathers wider than in Todcrostrum, nearly = wing, the tarsus = 4 wing. | 1. Leptotriccus superciliaris. (Tab. XXXVI. fig. 2.) Leptotriccus superciliaris, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 3897; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 196°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 100°. Supra viridi-olivaceus ; alis caudaque nigricantibus, flavicanti-olivaceo extrorsum limbatis; pileo et collo postico LEPTOTRICCUS.— POGONOTRICCUS. 19 nigricanti-cinereis ; superciliis castaneis ; linea frontali et regione parotica albis: subtus margaritaceo-albus ; pectore precipue ad latera cinereo perfuso; ventre et crisso flavicantibus ; subalaribus albis: rostro nigro ; pedibus obscure corylinis. Long. tota 4:0, alee 1:95, caud 2-0, rostri a rictu 0°55, tarsi 0°65. (Deser. feminee ex Calovevora, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Calovevora?, Chitra !? (Arcé). Of this pretty species we have as yet only seen the two original specimens sent us by Arcé in 1868, and described in the ‘ Proceedings’ of the Zoological Society for that year. Both these specimens are marked as females, so that the male is not yet known, but it, in all probability, is quite similar to the female in its plumage. In its long slender tarsi and delicate feet this species resembles Leptotriccus sylviola of Brazil, and it also has the pointed wings and long tail of that bird; the bill, however, is somewhat larger and wider. The distinct chestnut superciliary streak over each eye is a strongly marked charac- teristic feature of L. superciliaris. POGONOTRICCUS. Pogonotriccus, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 54 (1859) (type Muscicapa eximia, Temm.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 97. Mr. Sclater recognizes four species as belonging to this genus, its range extending from Costa Rica to South Brazil. The general colour of all the species is bright olive above and yellowish beneath, the head varying from grey to dark plumbeous. The bill in P. eaimius narrows rather abruptly, the width at the rictus being considerably more than half the length of the tomia; the culmen is gradually curved from the forehead, more rapidly towards the tip; the rictal bristles are very fully developed; the tarsi are rather short and slender, the enclosing scutelle almost obliterated into one shield; the feet are feeble, the outer and middle toes being nearly equal, the inner one shorter. The wing is rounded, the 3rd quill a little < 2nd and 4th, 5th = 2nd, lst = 9th; tail rather long and square, the feathers narrow, a little < wing, > 3 times tarsus. 1. Pogonotriccus zeledoni. Pogonotriccus ? zeledoni, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 144°, Supra olivaceus ; capite summo et nucha plumbeis ; alis caudaque fusco-nigris, extus pallide olivaceo limbatis ; capitis lateribus et gula cinereo-albis ; loris albis: abdomine toto olivaceo-flavo, medialiter cum subalaribus flavido-albidis : rostro et pedibus obscure corylinis, mandibula pallida. Long. tota 4-2, ale 2-4, caude 2:0, tarsi 0°65. (Descr. femine exempl. typ. ex Barranca, Costa Rica. Mus. G. N. Lawrence.) Hab. Costa Rica, Dota Mountains, Barranca (Carmiol +). We have never obtained a specimen of this species, but have taken our description from the type of the female lent us by Mr. Lawrence. This bird has a close ally in P. plumbeiceps, Lawr., of Colombia, but the bill is rather wider, the mandible paler, 3% 20 TYRANNIDZ. and the spots on the wing-coverts not quite so prominent. Mr. Sclater regards this species as probably the same as P. ophthalmicus (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 98), over which name P. zeledoni has several years’ priority. SERPHOPHAGA. Serpophaga, Gould, Zool. Voy. Beagle, iii. p. 49 (1841) (type Sylvia subcristata, Vieill.). Serphophaga, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 53; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 101. Serphophaga consists of seven species widely distributed over South America as far south as the Argentine Republic. Only one species, the wide-spread Andean S. cinerea, enters our fauna as far as Costa Rica. Black, grey, and white are the prevailing colours of the various species of Serpho- phaga. They are all small birds, some of them with peculiar habits as described below. The bill of S. cinerea is rather wide for its length, the sides converging rather rapidly to the tip, the width at the rictus being about half the length of the tomia, the nostrils are open at the end of the nasal fossa, the rictal bristles not very well developed, considerably less than those of the foregoing genera, but more so than in Mionectes, which follows ; the tarsi and feet are rather stouter than in the preceding genera, the former being covered with scutelle; the wing is rounded, the 3rd quill slightly > the 2nd and 4th, Ist = 8th; tail moderate and slightly rounded, consider- ably < wing, < 3 tarsus. Wing a little > 3 tarsus. 1. Serphophaga cinerea. Euscarthmus cinereus, Strick]. Ann. & Mag. N. H. xiii. p. 4147. Serpophaga cinerea, Scl. P.Z.S. 1858, p. 458°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p. 147°; Ibis, 1869, p. 319‘; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 62°. Serphophaga cinerea, Cab. & Heine Mus. Hein. 11. p. 53°; Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1879, pp. 5127, 613°; Salv. Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 304°; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 286°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 103. Serpophaga grisea, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. x. p. 189”. Supra cinerea, uropygio fusco ; capite summo (aliquando albo medialiter notato) et lateribus nigricantibus ; alis et cauda ejusdem coloris, illarum tectricibus, hujus apice albido terminatis : subtus albida ; hypochondriis et crisso griseo tinctis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 4:0, ale 2-0, caude 1-7, rostri a rictu 0°45, tarsi 0:6. (Descr. exempl. ex Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Endres*, Carmiol!2), Naranjo (Boucard®); Panama, Santa Fé (Arcé *).—CotomBia’; Ecuapor 9; Peru !°; Borrvia 8, The only difference we can see between Central-American and Southern specimens is their small size, a character we seldom like to admit to be of specific value. In the present case there is more difference between two examples from Sical in Ecuador than between any of the Central-American and the other South-American specimens before us, so that size cannot here be considered of much importance. The other characters referred to by Mr. Lawrence when defining his 8. grisea as SERPHOPHAGA.—MIONECTES. 21 distinguishing it from S. cinerea all break down ; for the vertical feathers of the head of some of our northern specimens have white at their bases, just as in southern ones; the wing-coverts are tipped with dusky white, and the under surfaces of the two forms are not to be distinguished in colour. Serphophaga cinerea was described in 1844 by Strickland from a specimen said to have come from Chili}, probably a wrong locality; but the species has a wide range throughout the Andes from Bolivia northwards to the valley of the Cauca. Missing the Isthmus of Panama, it reappears in the more mountainous parts of that State and in Costa Rica. It frequents the highland forests up to an elevation of 5000 and 10,000 feet, for Tschudi records it from the Sierra de Tarma (10,000 feet), Fraser from Cuenca (8200 feet), and Salmon from Envigado (5500 feet), but it is also found, according to Jelski and Stolzmann, at a low level in the environs of Lima ®. Its habit of living near running streams has been recorded by several travellers. Fraser speaks of it as hopping from stone to stone in the Gualaquiza river, and Boucard, who observed it at Naranjo in Costa Rica, says it lives along the streams and sits on the stones lying in or near the water just in the manner of Sayornis aquatica. Stolzmann also speaks of its having the same habits in Peru. The last-named traveller found its nest towards the end of June attached to the extremity of a bough, to which it was suspended over the surface of the water. The nest was composed almost exclusively of moss and lined with feathers, and fixed by its lower surface to the branch. Salmon also found its nest, which he does not describe, but says the eggs are creamy white’. MIONECTES. Mionectes, Cabanis in Tschudi’s Fauna Per. p. 147 (1845) (type Muscicapa straticollis, d’Orb. & Lafr.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 111. Mionectes is the first of our genera which is placed in the “Elaineine” by Mr. Sclater, but the rictal bristles, though shorter than in most of the “ Platyrhynchine,” are quite obvious, and the structure of the bill is similar to that of the genera we have just discussed. The genus itself is a neotropical one spread over the greater part of South America as far as South Brazil on the one hand and Southern Mexico on the other. Of the two sections into which the four species of Mionectes are now divided, M. olivaceus reaches Costa Rica and MV. oleagineus Southern Mexico, both being also found in the southern continent. The general plumage of the members of Mionectes is olivaceous, with the abdomen either yellowish or cinnamon. The bill of MZ. olivaceus is rather elongated and com- pressed, the sides converging gradually to the tip, the width at the gape being considerably less than half the length of the tomia, the culmen is nearly straight for the greater part of its length and then curves abruptly to the tip; the nostrils are open, 22 TYRANNIDA. oval, and surrounded by membrane, the rictal bristles rather feeble; the tarsi and feet are moderately stout, the former covered with well-defined scutelle, the outer toe is a little longer than the inner; the wing is rounded, 4th and oth quills longest, 3rd=6th, 2nd =7th, lst = longest secondaries ; the tail is moderate, nearly square at the end, > 3 tarsus, > # wing. 1. Mionectes olivaceus. Mionectes striaticollis, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 8281; Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 358°; 1868, p. 628 * (nec d’Orb. & Lafr.). Mionectes olivaceus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 111*; Salv. Ibis, 1869, p. 314°; P. Z.8. 1870, p. 196°; Boucard, P.Z. 8. 1878, p. 637; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 112°. Supra viridi-olivaceus ; capite summo vix obscuriore; alis et cauda umbrino-fuscis, extrorsum olivaceo limbatis, illis introrsum cervinis ; macula postoculari flavida: subtus gutture toto, cum pectore et hypochondriis olivaceis, plumis omnibus medialiter flavis ; abdomine medio et subalaribus flavis: rostro nigro, mandibule basi pallida; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 5°0, ale 2°75, caude 2°15, rostri a rictu 0°6, tarsi 0°6. (Descr. maris ex Chiriqui, Panama. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. ab. Costa Rica, Barranca *, Dota *, Buena Vista (Carmiol), San Mateo (Boucard*) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Chitra, Boquete de Chitra, Calovevora (Arcé®), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan ! *)—Vunezveva *; Ecuapor ®. This Mionectes is readily distinguished from its near ally M. striaticollis by its olive head and throat, which in the other species are slate-coloured. The distribution of the two forms is rather curious. J. striaticollis spreads from Bolivia and Peru to Colombia, being probably found in Western Ecuador. It occurs in the trade collec- tions of Bogota, and Salmon found it near Medellin in the Cauca valley of Colombia ; this seems to be its most northern limit. /. olivaceus spreads over the whole of Costa Rica and the State of Panama; it occurs again in Venezuela and in Eastern Ecuador. We have no records of the habits of JZ. olivaceus; but M. striaticollis according to Stolzmann* has a considerable range in the mountains of Peru, being found as high as 9300 feet above the sea at Cutervo. He adds that it frequents thick forests, keeping amongst the low herbage, but sometimes ascending into the upper part of the higher trees. Salmon obtained the eggs of WV. striaticollis at Santa Elena in the Cauca valley ; they were pure white. 2. Mionectes oleagineus. Muscicapa oleaginea, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 55+. Mionectes oleagineus, Cab. in Tsch. Faun. Per., Orn. p. 148°; Scl. P.Z.S. 1856, p. 296°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 112*; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 358°, 1879, p. 512°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p. 147", 1870, p. 196°; Nutt. & Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 402°; Tacz. Orn. Pér, ii. p. 245 7°. * Tacz. Orn. Per. i. p. 244, MIONECTES. 23 Mionectes assimilis, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, pp. 46 '*, 366; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 124"; P.Z.S. 1870, p. 837"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 328%, ix. p. 111"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 556. Olivaceus ; alis et cauda fusco-nigricantibus, pallide fulvescenti-viridi extrorsum limbatis; abdomine et subalaribus fulvis: subtus gutture et pectore cinerascenti-olivaceis: rostro nigro, mandibule basi rufe- scente; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 4:8, ale 2°7, caudse 2:0, rostri a rictu 0°65, tarsi 0-6. (Deser. maris ex Volcan de Agua, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. Hab. Mexico, Cordova (Sallé*), Jalapa (de Oca, M. Trujillo), hot region of the State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast +"), Hacienda de los Atlixcos (Ff. D. G.), ‘Teapa (ZH. H. Smith); British Honpuras, Vicinity of Belize (Blancaneauxr) ; GUATEMALA (Skinner 1%), Choctum, Coban, Lanquin, Volcan de Agua above San Diego, Retal- huleu (0. 8. & £. D. G.); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. MZ, Whitely*); Nicaraaua, Los Sabalos (Nutting ®); Costa Rica, Angostura, Guaitil, Pacuar (Carmiol 1%), Turrialba (Arcé) ; Panama, Chiriqui, Bugaba’, Boquete de Chitra 8, Calovevora 8, Santa Fé? (Arcé), Lion Hill (MM Leannan > }°).—Sourn America, from Colombia ® to Bolivia 4, Amazons valley 4, Eastern Brazil +, and Guiana 4. Mr. Sclater separated the Mexican and Guatemalan form of this species under the name of J. assimilis, defining it as of larger size, as having a longer bill, and with the throat and neck more tinged with ash-colour. The difference of dimensions between the northern and southern forms is slight and not more than can be found in a series of either of them. The difference in the colour of the throat is not very pronounced, and though more apparent in northern examples seems to be less evident in those from Costa Rica and the State of Panama, so that the two forms blend so gradually the one into the other that we think they should both pass under the title MW. oleagineus. In South America WV. oleagineus enjoys a wide range over nearly the whole of the tropical portion of the continent, for it is not until we come to Southern Brazil that we find a race that is perhaps distinct, having a dark grey head and darker fulvous abdomen; this is the W/. rufiventris of Cabanis. Little has been recorded of this species. In Guatemala we found it only in the heavily forested country of Vera Paz, where it occurs from near the sea-level to an elevation of upwards of 4000 feet, and on the mountain-slopes stretching towards the Pacific Ocean. In Mexico its range does not extend beyond the forests of the hotter portions of the State of Vera Cruz, and it has not been noticed on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, though a little further south it occurs at Retalhuleu. In British Guiana Mr. H Whitely obtained specimens near the sea-level at Bartica Grove and at an altitude of 3500 feet in the mountains of Roraima. 24 TYRANNIDZ. LEPTOPOGON. Leptopogon, Cabanis in Tschudi’s Fauna Per. p. 161 (1845) (type L. superciliaris, Cab.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 114. Leptopogon contains eleven or twelve species, all belonging to the Neotropical region, only three of which enter our fauna, viz. the typical species, L. superciliaris, which reaches Costa Rica and has an extended range in South America; L. pileatus, one of the doubtful forms of the Brazilian L. amaurocephalus, found only in part of Central America and the Mexican State of Vera Cruz; and Z. flavovirens of Panama. Leptopogon has a bill shaped much as in Mionectes, but the nostrils are more linear and are overhung by a membrane ; the rictal bristles are more strongly developed, the tarsi comparatively shorter, and the feet weaker; the 3rd, 4th, and Sth quills are nearly equal and longest, 2nd> 6th, lst 2nd, lst=8th; the tail is long and scarcely emarginate, nearly =wing, wing nearly =4 tarsus. . The distribution of Myiopagis includes nearly the whole of tropical America from Southern Mexico to Paraguay. 1. Myiopagis placens. Elainea placens, Scl. P. Z. 8.1859, p.46*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 148°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p- 128, t. 4. f£.2°; P. Z. 8.1864, p.359*; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 194°; P.Z.S. 1870, p. 197°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 8287, ix. pp. 112°, 201°; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 286"; Grayson, Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 279"; Ridgway, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 571”. Elainea, sp.?, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 297, no. 113. Sylvia viridicata, Vieill. N. Dict. d’Hist. N. xi. p. 171? (of. Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 148). Muscicapa viridicata, @Orb. Voy. Ois. p. 325”. Elaenea regulus, Licht. Nomencl. p. 17 °°. MYIOPAGIS. 27 Supra olivaceo-viridis ; capite summo obscure cinereo, medialiter late flavo subcristato ; loris et capitis lateribus cinereis albo intermixtis; alis et cauda nigricantibus, extrorsum olivaceo-viridi stricte limbatis: subtus gula albicante; pectore pallide cinereo ; abdomine crisso et subalaribus pallide sulphureis : rostro et pedibus nigris, Long. tota 4:7, ale 2°5, caudx 2-3, tarsi 0-6, rostri arictu 0°6. (Descr. maris ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Q mari similis. Hab. Mexico, Tres Marias I. (Grayson, Forrer), Cordova (Sallé!*), Jalapa (ML. Trujillo), Alvarado (Deppe), Merida in Yucatan (Schott ®), Mugeres I. (Gawmer), Cozumel I. (Benedict 2, Gaumer); Guatemala (Skinner?), Coban®, Cahabon, Choctum, Retalhuleu (0. 8. & F. D. G.), Volcan de Agua (O. S.); Costa Rica, Barranca, Guaitil, Grecia (Carmiol*); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Chitra®, Boquete de Chitra ®, Calovevora® (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan*").—Sovutn America, Colombia to Bolivia 5; Brazil ; Paraguay 14? It is quite possible that this bird should bear the name of WM. viridicata (Vieill.), which was based upon a bird of Paraguay, the ‘“‘ Contramaestre pardo verdoso corona amarilla” of Azara; but until specimens are examined from that country it is safer to continue the use of Mr. Sclater’s name, Hlainea placens, bestowed upon a Mexican bird which formed part of M. Sallé’s first collection made in the vicinity of Cordova 18. The species enjoys a wide range in our country, being abundant in Guatemala in the more heavily forested parts of the temperate and hot districts. We found it especially abundant in the cocoa-plantations near Retalhuleu in the Pacific coast district of Guatemala. Here it frequented the lower branches of the forest trees, its habits being similar to those of the arboreal species of the family. The northern range of M. placens reaches the Tres Marias Islands, where both Grayson and Forrer met with it, but where itis not common. It occurs nowhere else in Western Mexico, but in the forests of the eastern slope of the mountains it has been found in several places. M. placens occurs rarely in Yucatan, but appears to be very common on the island of Cozumel. Mr. Ridgway seemed doubtful whether the bird of this island was really the same as that of the mainland, but with many specimens from both places before us we do not see any grounds for their separation. 2. Myiopagis macilvaini. Elainea macilvainii, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. x. p. 10°. Elainea caniceps?, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 359”; Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 315°. Precedenti similis, sed crista pallida et fasciis alarum duabus obviis, distinguenda. (Descr. feminz ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Lion-Hill Station (1/*Leannan *).—VENEZUELAt}. In 1864 Sclater and Salvin considered this Panama bird to belong probably to E. caniceps (Sw.), recognizing at the same time £. elegans of Pelzeln as distinct *. In his recent revision of the Tyrannide, Mr. Sclater unites the so-called £. caniceps with 4* 28 TYRANNIDA. E. elegans, and places them under d’Orbigny’s older title #. gaimardi, at the same time using Swainson’s name for a very different bird. We, however, still think the Panama bird distinct from E. elegans sive E. gaimardi ; and, as it is not, as we supposed, E. caniceps, Sw., Mr. Lawrence’s name, FE. macilvaini, is available for it. In 1874 Salvin compared Mr. Lawrence’s type with the Panama bird, and found them to agree ?. The type of E. macilvaini was supposed to have been obtained in Venezuela; but as the true £. gaimardi occurs there it is probable that country is not included in its domicile. E. macilvaini is closely allied to E. gaimardi, but may be distinguished by its yellower crest. In this respect it is Intermediate between LE. gaimardi and E. placens. From the latter it may be also recognized by the bands on the wings. We have only seen three specimens of this bird, besides the type; these were all obtained by M‘Leannan on the line of the Panama Railway. CAPSIEMPIS. Capsiempis, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 56 (1859) (type Muscicapa flaveola, Licht.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 120. A genus of two species, whereof the widely-ranging C. flaveola is only known to us. Its affinities are not very clear, and its position here, close to Ornithion and Elainea, open to question. The general colour is olivaceous above and yellowish beneath. The bill is wider at the base than that of Mionectes, and the rictal bristles much longer and stronger; the culmen is gradually decurved from the forehead, and the nostrils oval and open, without overhanging membrane as in Leptopogon. ‘The wing is short and rounded, the points of the quills acute; 3rd, 4th, and oth quills longest ; 2nd=6th, Ist<10th; the tail is long and rounded, =wing, >3 tarsus. 1. Capsiempis flaveola. Muscicapa flaveola, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 56°. Capsiempis flaveola, Cab. & Hein. Mus. Hein. ii. p.56°; Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 104°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 120%. Muscipeta flaveola, Burm. Syst. Ueb. i. p. 488°. Tyrannula modesta, Sw. Orn. Draw. t. 48°. Elainea semiflava, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vill. pp. 1777, 182°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p. 147°. Supra olivacea, capite summo vix obscuriore ; alis et cauda nigricanti-fuscis, extrorsum flavo limbatis, harum tectricibus mediis et majoribus sordide flavo-albido terminatis ; loris, superciliis et corpore toto subtus flavis: rostro fusco-corneo, mandibula ad basin pallida ; pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 4:0, ala 2-0, caude 2°0, rostri a rictu 0°5, tarsi 0°65. (Descr. exempl. ex Chiriqui, Panama. Mus. nostr.) CAPSIEMPIS.—ORNITHION. | 29 Hab. Nicaragua, Greytown (Holland®); Panama, David (Hicks’), Chiriqui (Arcé).— CotomBia?; Brazin!?3 48, Though this species has been traced as far north as Greytown in Nicaragua, and has also been noticed in the neighbourhood of Chiriqui, it is apparently a rare bird in our region, whence at present we have only one Chiriqui specimen. This agrees closely with an example from Bahia, and we have no doubt as to the identity of the species, though its range is so great, and, so far as we know at present, interrupted in the Amazons region, whence no examples have yet reached us. Mr. Lawrence’s Hlainea semiflava we have no doubt belongs here. Some years ago we examined his type and came to this conclusion, which was confirmed more recently by a re-examination and comparison of the type with our own and Mr. Sclater’s examples. In Brazil C. flaveola appears to be more common. Natterer obtained five specimens, and speaks of having met with a small flock at Goiaz in the month of August. ORNITHION. Ornithion, Hartlaub, J. f. Orn. 1858, p. 35 (type O. inerme, Hartl.); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 125. A genus of four species of small size and dull colour, the species of our region being of a brownish plumage hardly relieved by yellowish beneath. The rictal bristles are but feebly developed and less conspicuous than in Elainea, to which Ornithion has some affinity. The bill is much compressed, the sides concave, the width at the gape being about £ the length of tomia, the culmen is gradually arched from the forehead ; the nostrils are in the middle of a membrane, and thus differ from the foregoing genera, but resemble those which immediately follow; the tarsi are long, and the feet comparatively strong. The wing is short and rounded, offering no peculiar feature ; the tail is short and square at the end, = $ wing, wing = 3 tarsus. 1. Ornithion imberbe. Camptostoma imberbe, Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 203'; Ibis, 1859, p. 444, t. 14. f. 175_Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 400°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 201*; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 286°. Ornithion imberbe, Coues, Bull. U. 8. Geol. Surv. v. p. 406°; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 346’; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 126. Ornithion incanescens, Scl. P. Z. S. 1878, p. 577°; Lawr. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 26° (nec Wied). Ornithion imberbe ridgwayi, Brewster, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, vii. p. 208; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 346”. Supra fuscum ; pileo vix obscuriore ; uropygio sensim dilutiore ; alis fusco-nigricantibus, extrorsum pallide fusco limbatis, harum tectricibus majoribus et mediis ferrugineo-fusco terminatis; stria superciliari et corpore subtus albicanti-fuscis; campterio alari et subalaribus flavido vix suffusis: rostro corneo, mandibula 30 TYRANNIDA. pallida; pedibus saturate plumbeis. Long. tota 3°70, ale 1°95, caude 1-45, rostri a rictu 0-4, tarsi 0-6. (Descr. exempl. ex Cozumel I., Yucatan. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Norra America, Texas®7, Arizona !°!1.—Mexico, Xenotencal and Aldama in Tamaulipas (W. B. Richardson), Mazatlan, San Blas (Grayson*), Presidio near Mazatlan (Forrer), San Andres Tuxtla (Sai/é'), Tehuantepec (Sumichrast ®), Merida in Yucatan (Schott *), Cozumel I. (G. F. Gaumer); Guatemata, Escuintla (0. 8.3) ; Nicaracua, Corinto (O. S8.).—Ecvabor®; Brazit, Bahia (Mus. nostr.). The specimen described above is of rather small dimensions, another larger one from the same source has a wing 2:1 inches long, and is as large as one from the vicinity of Mazatlan. The birds found along the Mexican frontier in Arizona and the valley of the Rio Grande have been separated by Mr. Brewster, and recognized by Mr. Ridgway as O. imberbe ridgwayi and O. imberbe, the former being described as larger and greyer with hardly any sulphur-yellow tint to the lower plumage, and with a bill larger and thicker. This race extends, according to Mr. Ridgway, as far south as Mazatlan. We have a specimen from the last-named locality, but are unable to see wherein it differs from our series from more eastern and southern places. Moreover, it seems to us that an example from Sarayacu in Ecuador and two from Bahia in Brazil are not sufficiently distinct to admit of separation. ‘The former isa young bird the latter adult, slightly darker in general tint, and with somewhat darker heads and greyer chests. Mr. Sennett first discovered this species in the valley of the Rio Grande at Lomita °, where others have since been found by Mr. Frazer®. Mr. Richardson has now sent us specimens from the State of Tamaulipas on the southern side of the valley. The Arizona birds were shot by Mr. F. Stephens near Tucson, where, however, they were not common. ‘The males he describes as having a habit of perching on the tops of trees and uttering a singular song at sunrise. We only met with O. imberbe on one occasion in Guatemala, when a female was secured in January near Escuintla, others being observed in the vicinity. Our two specimens from Nicaragua were shot, 16th March 1863, close to Corinto on the Pacific coast; they are both young birds in their first plumage. On both occasions the birds were observed on the outer branches of forest-trees on the edge of clearings. 2. Ornithion pusillum. Myjiopatis pusilla, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 58°; Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 106’. Ornithion pusillum, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1873, p. 577°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 126°. Camptostoma imberbe, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 473°; Taylor, Ibis, 1864, p. 86°. Camptostoma flaviventre, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 358", 1867, p. 576 °; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p- 197°; Ibis, 1885, p. 294”. Precedenti similis, sed dorso toto olivaceo, fasciis alarum duabus sordide albis et corpore subtus flavicante distinguendum. Hab. Panama, Bugaba (Arcé®), Lion-Hill Station (M*Leannan**). — CoLomsia! ; AMAZONS VALLEY? 8; Trintpap®; Gurana !°, ORNITHION.—TYRANNULUS. 31 O. pusillum was described in 1859 from a specimen in the Berlin Museum from Cartagena in Northern Colombia, and it received another name, Camptostoma flavi- ventre, in 1864, the latter being based upon Panama examples. There can be little doubt both these names refer to the same species, which has a wide range over the northern portion of South America from the mouth of the Amazons and Guiana to Colombia and Western Ecuador, entering the Isthmus as far north as Chiriqui. TYRANNULUS. Tyrannulus, Vieillot, Analyse, p. 31 (1816) (type Sylvia elata, Latham) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 128. All three of the species forming this genus occur within our limits, the type 7”. elatus, which is widely spread in South America, entering our border as far as Chiriqui. Both the other species are confined to Central America—T. semiflavus ranging from Southern Mexico to Nicaragua, and 7. brunneicapillus from Costa Rica to Panama. The latter species are closely allied, but differ from the type in their shorter tails and the absence of an occipital crest. The bill of Tyrannulus is compressed, but hardly so much so as in Ornithion, the nostrils are similarly placed in the middle of a membrane, the rictal bristles are short and feebly developed, the wings offer no peculiarity, the tail (in 7. elatus)=$ wing=3 tarsus (in 7. semiflavus=4 wing=3 tarsus). a. Crista verticalis conspicua. 1. Tyrannulus elatus. Sylvia elata, Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 549°. Tyrannulus elatus, Vieill. N. Dict. d’ Hist. N. xxxv. p. 94°; Gal. Ois. i. p. 93, t. 71°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 141‘; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 128°; Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 106°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, p. 5127; Salv. Ibis, 1885, p. 294°. Olivaceus; capite summo nigricante ; crista verticali elongata flava ornata; alis et cauda nigricanti-fuscis, harum secundariis in pogonio externo ad apicem, tectricibus majoribus et mediis pallide viridi-flavo limbatis:; subtus dilutior; gula grisea; abdomine medio flavo: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 4-0, ale 2-0, caude 1:6, rostri a rictu 0-4, tarsi 0-5. (Descr. maris ex Remedios, Antioquia, Colombia. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, David (Bridges*), Paraiso Station (Hughes)—Sourn America from Colombia? to Amazons valley ®, Guiana ®, and Brazil. This well-known Tyrant enjoys a wide range over the northern part of South America, and has been recorded from South-eastern Brazil. It appears to be far from uncommon in Colombia, Guiana, and the Amazons valley. Within our limits we know but little of it; a specimen was contained in the small collection made by Bridges in Chiriqui, and described by Sclater in 18564, and one was sent us by Mr. Hughes from Paraiso 32 TYRANNIDZA. station on the Panama Railway. We have never seen specimens in any of the other large collections made in the State of Panama, nor have any been recorded. T. elatus is easily recognized by its yellow crest, the rest of the plumage resembling that of several species of Tyranniscus, none of which, however, are crested. b. Crista verticalis nulla, cauda abbreviata. 2. Tyrannulus semiflavus. (Tab. XXXVI. fig. 1.) Tyrannulus semiflavus, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1860, p. 300'; Ibis, 1860, p. 400°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 182°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 129%. Olivaceus ; pileo toto cinereo; fronte et superciliis elongatis albis, alis et cauda fuscis olivaceo limbatis: subtus pure flavus: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 3:0, ale 1:8, caude 1:1, rostri a rictu 0-4, tarsi 0-5. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Teapa in Tabasco (H. H. Smith); Guatumana, Choctum (0. S. & FP. D. G7); Nicaragua, Greytown (Holland *). This distinct form was described from a specimen obtained by one of our collectors in the neighbourhood of the hamlet of Choctum in the forest-region of Northern Vera Paz at an elevation of 1200 feet above the sea. Subsequently others were procured from the same district. We have no record of its occurrence elsewhere in Guatemala; but Mr. Lawrence includes its name in his list of the birds of Mr. Holland’s collection made in the vicinity of Greytown, Nicaragua, and we have recently received a female specimen from Teapa in Tabasco which was sent us by Mr. Herbert Smith. 3. Tyrannulus brunneicapillus. Tyrannulus brunneicapillus, Lawr. Ibis, 1862, p. 121; Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vu. p. 473°; ix. p. 111°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 359*; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 129°. Precedenti similis, sed capite summo brunneo nec cinereo dintinguendus. (Descr. maris ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol?); Panama}, Lion Hill Station (I‘Leannan? 4). A close ally of 7. semiflavus, but readily distinguished by its brown head. The first specimens were sent to Mr. G. N. Lawrence from Lion Hill on the Panama Railway by M‘Leannan, who subsequently forwarded others to us from the same place. Its range northwards extends to Costa Rica, where Carmiol met with it at Angostura. We have no record of it from the intermediate districts of Chiriqui and Veraguas. TYRANNISCUS. Tyranniscus, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 57 (1859) (type Tyrannulus nigricapillus) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 180. About twelve species constitute this genus, which is closely allied to Tyrannulus, but, TYRANNISCUS. 33 besides being devoid of an occipital crest, it has a shorter, wider bill, and more fully developed rictal bristles. The tail is normal, not short as in Zyrannulus semifiavus. The range of Tyranniscus extends over most of Tropical America as far north as Guatemala, where TZ. vilissimus occurs, its place being taken in Costa Rica and the State of Panama by 7. parvus, the two constituting the only representatives of the genus within our border. 1. Tyranniscus vilissimus. Elainia vilissima, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 122, t. 4. f. 1°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 194°. Tyranniscus vilissimus, Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 216°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 132*; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 843°. Olivaceus; pileo nigricanti-cinereo; fronte et superciliis albis; alis fusco-nigris, tectricibus majoribus, secun- dariis et primariis secunda, tertia, quarta et quinta ad basin viridi-flavo extrorsum anguste limbatis ; cauda fusco-nigricante olivaceo marginata: subtus cinerascens; abdomine toto viridi-flavicante, medialiter pallidiore; hypochondriis olivaceo substriatis: rostro nigricante, mandibula pallidiore; pedibus nigri- cantibus. Long. tota 4°7, alee 2:35, caude 2:0, rostri a rictu 0-4, tarsi 0°65. (Descr. maris ex Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Q@ mari similis, sed (ut videtur) minor. Hab. Guaremata (Skinner +), Duefias, Calderas, Tactic, Choctum (0. S. & F. D. G.), Coban (0. 8.2); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. ME. Whitely *). This species, though also found in the low forest-country near Choctum, is very common in the neighbourhood of Coban at an altitude of about 4000 feet, and many specimens were brought us by the Indian boys of that town killed by their blow-guns *. T. vilissimus frequents the margins of the forest-clearings and the hedgerows dividing gardens or fields. Near Duefias it is more rare than at Coban, but we obtained several specimens from the woods clothing the Volcan de Fuego up to an elevation of 7000 feet above the sea-level. T. vilissimus is included both by Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Zeledon in their lists of Costa Rican birds, but, from specimens in our possession from that country, 7. parvus is the Tyranniscus of this form that is found there. This view is confirmed by a specimen from Angostura sent us by Baird as T. vilissimus, but which is undoubtedly 7’. parvus. 2. Tyranniscus parvus. Tyranniscus parvus, Lawyr. Ibis, 1862, p.12*; Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 473°; Sel. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 359°, 1870, p. 843‘; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 147°, 1870, p. 197°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 1827. Tyranniscus vilissimus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 111°. Precedenti similis, sed multo minor; corpore subtus albicante, hypochondriis et crisso tantum olivaceo tinctis distinguendus. (Descr. exempl. ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Turrialba (Arcé*), Angostura, Dota, Turrialba, and Barranca (Carmiol®); Panama}, Chiriqui °, Bugaba °, Calovevora °, Boquete de Chitra ®, Santa Fé5 (Arcé), Lion Hill (M*Leannan 1? °), BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., December 1888. 5 84 TYRANNIDZ. This is a southern form of 7. vilissimus of Guatemala, differing in its smaller size and paler under surface, which is a very pale grey, with the flanks and crissum alone olive-coloured. These differences are not very trenchant, but they seem to be associated with a distinct region, the mountain-system of Costa Rica and Panama. We have received many specimens from the State of Panama, where this bird would appear to be quite common. Mr. Sclater, in a note appended to Mr. Lawrence’s original description 1, states that this bird is allied to Z. chrysops, but its alliance is certainly with TZ. vilissimus. T. chrysops, besides having the head almost the same colour as the back, has, as its name implies, the forehead yellow. ELAINEA. Elenea, Sundevall, K. Vet.-Ak. Handl. 1835, p. 89 (type Muscicapa pagana, Licht.). Elainea, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 136 (partim). Upon close examination of the species included in Elatnea by Mr. Sclater, we find that they belong to two different groups, easily separated by the form of the nostril as described below. Moreover, that the somewhat peculiar lainea arenarum is best placed in the genus Sublegatus, being, in fact, identical with Z# glaber, the type of Sublegatus ! Llainea, then, according to our views, contains only the first portion of Mr. Sclater’s first section and part of the second; we remove from Llainea altogether the small bright-crested species forming sections 6 and ¢ of his key. This leaves only the /. pagana section to deal with, of which three species occur within our limits, none of them being peculiar, but also found in South America or the Antilles. In the structure of the bill Haine (£. pagana) is similar to that of the preceding genera, but is rather wider in comparison with its length and not so compressed; the nostrils are surrounded by membrane, the rictal bristles moderately developed; the wings offer no peculiarity, being comparatively short and rounded as in most non- migratory Tyrannide, the outermost primary =7th; the tail is nearly square, a little it was recognized that both descriptions referred to the same species. In Guatemala #. frantzii is a local bird, as our specimens were all obtained on the slope of the mountains between the volcanos of Agua and Fuego at elevations varying between 5000 and 1500 feet above the sea-level. Here it frequented the forests which so densely clothe these mountains. On the island of Omotepe in the lake of Nicaragua Mr. Nutting found this species rather common, usually in the dense woods®: this would be at an elevation of a few hundred feet above the sea. In Costa Rica this species is common, according to Mr. Nutting, who says it frequents hedgerows in the neighbourhood of San José’; though found on the slopes of the Volcan de Chiriqui* it seems absent from the rest of the State of Panama. In Colombia and Venezuela it reappears, and was found breeding near Medellin, in the Cauca valley, by Salmon ®, who describes its eggs as white with a few small spots near the larger end. The nest is placed on a low branch of a tree. SUBLEGATUS. Sublegatus, Sclater and Salvin, P. Z. 8. 1868, p. 172 (type S. glaber, Scl. & Salv.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 157. Sublegatus is like Llainea in general appearance, but has a much wider bill, nearly round nostrils at the end of the nasal fossa, with no membrane along the anterior and lower edges; the bill itself is wide and the edges slightly convex, the width at the gape being more than half the length of the tomia; the rictal bristles are moderately developed, the tarsi and toes much as in MHlainea; the 3rd, 4th, and 5th quills are nearly equal and longest; 6th<2nd, Ist=8th ; the tail is moderate and slightly emar- ginate, . A single male specimen shot by Salvin when in company with Captain J. M. Dow in the outskirts of the town of Punta Arenas in March 1863 is the only example that has yet been obtained of this species within our limits. On comparing the types of L. arenarum and Sublegatus glaber we find them not specifically different, so that this bird must be removed from Hainea and transferred to Sublegatus, its short stout bill and moderately developed bristles rendering it an abnormal member of Zlainea. The identification of these birds extends the range of Sublegatus arenarum to Colombia and Venezuela, Mr. Wyatt having found it in the former country %, and Mr. Goring in the latter, and skins of it also occur in the trade collections of Bogota. LEGATUS. Legatus, Sclater, P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 46; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 155 (type Tyrannus albicollis, Vieill.). This genus contains but one species, which is spread over nearly the whole of tropical America from the eastern slopes of the Cordillera of Southern Mexico to Para- guay and South Brazil. The character of the coloration of Z. albdicollis differs in many respects from that of the genera near which it is placed, and, though resembling Myiozetetes so far as the head is concerned, differs in having a striped breast and flanks. The bill is wide, the width at the gape being rather more than three quarters the length of the tomia; the culmen is gradually curved from the forehead; the nostrils are at the lower anterior edge of the nasal fossa, which is large and covered with membrane, the rictal and frontal bristles are short, leaving the nostril completely exposed ; the tarsi are short and covered with scutelle; the toes rather short, the outer and inner toes being nearly equal; the 2nd and 3rd quills are the longest, 8rd>I1st, lst=5th; tail moderate and slightly marginate, =3 wing, =4 tarsus. 1. Legatus albicollis. Tyrannus albicollis, Vieill. N. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xxxv. p. 897. Legatus albicollis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 472’, viii. p. 177°, ix. p. 112‘; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 859°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 197°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 155”, LEGATUS.—MYIOZETETES. 39 Elema variegata, Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1856, p. 297%. Legatus variegatus, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 366°, 1864, p.175"; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 128 mys Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 245"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. vii. p. 328”, ix. p. 112"; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 307%; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557. Supra brunneus; capite summo saturatiore, crista celata flava ornato et linea alba undique circumcincto ; loris et regione parotica nigricanti-brunneis; alis et cauda nigricantibus, illarum secundariis et tectricibus stricte albido limbatis: subtus pallide flavis ; pectore et hypochondriis fusco maculatis; gutture albo ; stria utrinque rictali fusca : rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6°2, ale 3-7, caude 2°55, tarsi 0°75, rostri a rictu 0:6. (Descr. maris ex Cordova, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Mexico, State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast 1°), Jalapa (de Oca®), Cuesta de Misantla (M. Trujillo), Cordova (Sallé*), Atoyac and Teapa (H. H. Smith); GuaTEMALa (Skinner 11), Las Salinas, Cahabon (0. 8. & F. D. G.); Costa Rica? #15, San José 4 (v. Frantzius, Carmiol), Tucurriqui, La Barranca (Arcé), Guaitil 4, Turrialba * ( Car- miol); Panama, Bugaba®, Chitra® (4rcé), Lion Hill (Jf*Leannan?*™), Paraiso Station (Hughes).—Sourn America’, from Colombia to Guiana and South Brazil? A tropical species of very wide range. Legatus albicollis occurs throughout our region as far north as the mountain-slopes of the State of Vera Cruz; it thence spreads over Eastern Guatemala and crosses to the western side of Central America in Nicaragua, and in Costa Rica and the State of Panama is doubtless found on both sides of the mountain-range. We have no record of it in Western Mexico, the isthmus of Tehuantepec, or any portion of the Pacific coast-region of Guatemala. In South America L. albicollis is found everywhere in the hotter districts as far south as Southern Brazil. It is the Paraguayan “Suiriri choreado siu roxo” of Azara, upon whose description Vieillot founded his name. The Mexican bird was at one time separated under the name of JZ. variegatus, Sclater 8, on its supposed larger size and brighter colours. It has now been proved that some southern examples are fully as large as Mexican. The smallest of our series are from the State of Panama and Costa Rica. The Mexican birds are a little brighter yellow on the under plumage, but the difference is very slight and moreover variable. This species is essentially an inhabitant of the hotter forest-region. Sumichrast says that it is confined to such districts in the State of Vera Cruz 1%, and the specimens we have received from there confirm this statement. In Guatemala we met with it in similar places; one shot at Cahabon was in a tree in the outskirts of the village. The nest and eggs are, we believe, unknown. MYIOZETETES. Myiozeta, Bonaparte, Consp. Syst. Orn. p. 30 (1854). Myiozetetes, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 46 ; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 159. Myiozetetes is a well-marked genus, but contains several species the limits of which are not readily defined. Mr. Sclater recognizes seven species, but as we are unable to 40 TYRANNIDZA. separate M/. terensis from M. similis we reduce this number to six. Three of these are found within our limits, viz. the widely ranging IZ. similis, M. cayennensis of northern South America, which enters our fauna as far as Costa Rica, and MM. granadensis of western South America, which ranges northwards to Nicaragua. The last-named bird belongs to the section of the genus which has no white super- ciliary mark, the other two to the section where this mark is present. Myjiozetetes belongs to the group of genera which have the supranasal feathers and bristles very fully developed, so that the nostrils themselves are almost covered ; the nostrils are at the lower anterior end of the nasal fossa, are open but surrounded above and behind by membrane; the bill is strong, compressed, and rather wide, the width at the gape being more than half the length of the tomia; the rictal bristles are long, extending along two thirds of the bill; the tarsi are stout and covered with scutelle ; the wing is rounded, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th quills nearly equal and longest, 6th > Ist, =7th; tail moderate and very slightly emarginate, <% wing, tarsus =} wing. 1. Myiozetetes cayennensis. Muscicapa cayennensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 827°. Elainea cayennensis, Cass. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 144°. Myjiozetetes cayennensis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 295°; Salv. Ibis, 1885, p. 295°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 160°. Myiozetetes marginatus, Lawr. Ibis, 1863, p. 182°; Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vill. p. 8’, ix. p. 112°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 307’. 0 Myiozetetes texensis, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1879, p.513”. Supra saturate olivaceus; capite summo nigro, crista aurantiaca subcelata ornato; fronte et superciliis cum gutture albis; alis et cauda nigricantibus, illarum primariis medialiter rufo limbatis, illis quoque subtus ad basin rufescentibus: subtus flavissimus; subalaribus concoloribus: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6:0, alee 3°3, cauds 2°75, tarsi 0-7, rostri a rictu 0°75. (Descr. exempl. ex Paraiso, Panama, Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Carmiol 8°); Panama, Paraiso Station (Hughes), Lion Hill (Jf*Lean- nan®®), Turbo (C. J. Wood ?).—Sovutu America, Colombia !°, Ecuador °, Venezuela °, Guiana +. This is the oldest known species of the genus, having been described by Linneeus. It is, moreover, the only one of this section found in Guiana, so that its determination can hardly be a matter of doubt. Its range extends along the northern portion of South America, and on the western side as far south as Ecuador. It enters our fauna and spreads northwards as far as Costa Rica. Panama specimens were described by Mr. Lawrence under the name of I. marginatus, but he compared it with I. simiits, from which it can readily be distinguished. Salmon, who found its nest at Medellin in Colombia, describes the eggs as white, spotted, especially at the larger end, with red; they thus, as might be expected, resemble those of I. similis. MYIOZETETES. 4] 2. Myiozetetes similis. Muscicapa similis, Spix, Av. Bras. ii. p. 18, t. 25°. Myiozetetes similis, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 161’. Tyrannula texensis, Giraud, Birds of Texas, t. 1°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1855, p. 65°. Elenea texensis, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 296°. Myiozetetes texensis, Moore, P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 56°; Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, pp. 366", 1864, p. 176°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 162°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 128"; P.Z.S. 1870, p. 887"; Owen, Ibis, 1861, p. 641°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 245"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 183“, ix. pp. 112*°, 201"; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 286; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 26"; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 307; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 557°; Salv. Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 309"; Nutt. & Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 374”, 384°, 402%; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p.500”; Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 154 * Myiozetetes colombianus, Cab. & Hein. Mus. Hein. ii. p.62; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 328”, viii. p. 178"; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 359"; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 197". Tyrannula cayennensis, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 367”. Muscicapa cayennensis, Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vég. p. 2 (cf. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 58)”. Tyrannus superciliosus, Bp. P. Z. 8. 1837, p. 118 (nec Swains.) *. Supra obscure olivaceus; capite summo nigricanti-griseo, crista celata coccinea ornato ; fronte griseo-albida, superciliis elongatis albis; loris et genis nigricantibus; alis et cauda fusco-nigris, illis medialiter obscure olivaceo stricte limbatis: subtus flavissimus, subalaribus concoloribus; gutture toto albo: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 7:0, ale 3°8, caude 3-0, tarsi 0°8, rostri a rictu 0°7. (Descr. maris ex Vera Cruz, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico 3, Mazatlan (Grayson 17, Xantus™, Forrer), Tepic (Grayson '"), plains of Colima and Tonila (Xantus 17), Acaguizotla, Dos Arroyos (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Acapulco (A. H. Markham, Mrs. H. H. Smith), Aldama and Tampico (W. B. Rich- ardson), State of Vera Cruz. (Sumichrast °°), Jalapa (de Oca’, F. D. G.), Chietla (Ferrari-Perez?°), Cordova (Sallé*>), Vera Cruz (W. B. Richardson & F. D. G.), Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Juchitan, Barrio, Chibuitan, Sta. Efigenia (Sumi- chrast 18), Tabi in Yucatan (7. D. G.), Buctzotz and Peto (@, FP. Gaumer), Merida in Yucatan (Schott '*), Cozumel I. (@. F. Gaumer); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (G. F. Gaumer), Belize (Blancaneaur); Guatemata** (Constancia **), Choctum, Coban, Tactic, Duefias !°, Escuintla, Patio Bolas, Retalhuleu (0. S. & F. D. G.), San Geronimo (R. Owen 1); Honpuras, Omoa (Leyland *), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely 11) ; Nicaragua, Greytown (Holland'4), S, Juan del Sur, Sucuya *, Los Sabalos 24 (Nutting); Costa Rica (Hoffmann, v. Frantzius 8), San José (Nutt- ing 5), San José, Angostura (Carmiol !°), Cartago (Cooper ©); Panama, David (Iicks 29), Castillo, Chitra, Bugaba, Calovevora (Arcé™), Lion Hill (M*Lean- nan?88°),—SourH America from Colombia and Amazons valley * to South Brazil’. The northern birds of this widely ranging species have hitherto been called Myiozetetes texensis as distinguished from the Brazilian MM. similis, the distinction resting upon the darker upper surface and the redder margins to the wings of the southern form. Generally speaking these characters hold, but they are of very slight BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IL, Yebruary 1889. 6 42 TYRANNIDA. value, and in themselves variable, so much so that they cannot always be depended upon. Thus a specimen from Coban and one from Minas Geraes are not distinguishable specifically, and we see no reason why this species should be separated any more than Tyrannus melancholicus, which has even a wider range. Regarding dimensions, to which Mr. Sclater calls attention 2, no dependence can be placed, as we have Mexican specimens fully as large as others from Brazil; the smallest of our series being from Costa Rica and the State of Panama. The name JM. similis was applied by Spix to the bird of the Amazons valley}. Mr. Sclater, who admits the distinction between the bird of South-east Brazil (MM. ery- thropterus) and that of the rest of ‘Tropical America (exclusive of Guiana) with con- siderable reluctance, calls a specimen from Pebas in the Amazons valley E. texensis; it follows that whatever the ultimate status of the South-Brazilian bird may be, all the rest should take Spix’s title. We therefore apply E. similis to the Mexican and Central- American bird without hesitation. The name Zyrannula texensis was given by Giraud to a bird supposed to have been shot in Texas, and the species has been admitted into the North-American fauna on the strength of this statement. We have not as yet been able to trace it beyond Aldama in Tamaulipas, that is the edge of the lowland tropical forest. On the Pacific side of Mexico, Mazatlan is our most northern record. In Central Mexico and the southern side of the Rio Grande valley we have not yet traced it. M. similis is a very familiar bird throughout our region, being found everywhere in open places from the sea-level to a height of 5000 or 6000 feet in the mountains. It is noisy and conspicuous, like the equally abundant Tyrannus melancholicus. At Duefias, in Guatemala, it builds in the month of May a nest of small roots and strong grass of light construction and covered over, having a large hole in the side. The eggs, generally three in number, are of a rich creamy white, thinly spotted at the obtuse end with red; they measure, axis 10°25 lines x 8 lines 29, 3. Myiozetetes granadensis. Myiozetetes granadensis, Lawr. Ibis, 1862, p. 11'; Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 473°, ix. p. 112°; Sel. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 359‘, 1867, p. 279°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 307°; Salv. Ibis, 1872, p. 3187; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 884°, 402°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 163”. Precedenti similis, sed capite summo griseo nec nigricante, superciliis albis absentibus distinguendus. (Deser. maris ex San Pablo, Panama. Mus, nostr.) Hab. Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt’), Los Sabalos® and Sucuya ® (Nutting), Blewfields River (Wickham ®); Costa Rica (Van Patten), Orosi (Carmiol 8 6); Panama, Chi- riqui (Arcé), Lion Hill (M*Leannan } 2 *).—SoutH America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. M. granadensis can readily be distinguished from either of the preceding species by ° MYIOZETETES.—PITANGUS. 43 its greyer head and the absence of the white superciliary stripe so conspicuous in both the allied forms. Its range is restricted to the western portions of the South-American continent from Peru northwards; the limit of its range in this direction being Nicaragua, where Mr. Nutting speaks of it as abundant at Sucuya ®. PITANGUS. Pitangus, Swainson, Zool. Journ. iii. p. 165 (1827) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 174. This genus contains ten species, if we include the abnormal P. parvus, Pelz., which is perhaps more naturally placed in Megarhynchus. These are distributed over the greater part of the Neotropical Region from Northern Mexico to the Argentine Republic, a section of the genus with white under surface being well represented by four species in the Bahamas and West-Indian Islands. In our region P. derbianus is the only one which is nearly universally spread; but in the State of Panama the southern P. lictor occurs, and there also P. albovittatus is found, a little known species not hitherto noticed elsewhere. Pitangus belongs to the group of Tyrannide which has the supranasal feathers elongated, extending over the maxilla so as to completely cover the nostrils; the latter are open and nearly circular, and without any overhanging membrane; the bill itself is very strong, the culmen slightly decurved and terminating in a prominent hook, the sides of the bill are nearly straight, converging gradually from the gape to the tip, the width at the gape is considerably less than half the length of the tomia, the rictal bristles are well developed; the tarsi are short but strong, and the toes strong, the middle toe long, the lateral ones short and subequal; the 3rd and 4th quills are equal and longest, 5th > 2nd, Ist = 8th; tail moderate, square, < $ wing, tarsus = $ wing. 1. Pitangus derbianus. Saurophagus derbianus, Kaup, P. Z. S. 1851, p. 44, t. 36"; Finsch, Abh. nat. Ver. zu Bremen, 1870, p. 329°. Pitangus derbianus, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 297°, 1859, p. 366 *, 1864, p. 176°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 175°; Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 567; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 120°; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 837°; Owen, Ibis, 1861, p. 63°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. pp. 114", 201”; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 26"; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 286"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 557°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 307 *- Coues, Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. v. p. 4077; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 394°"; Salv. P. ZS. 1883, p. 424”; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 448”; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 374", 384”; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vii. p.500”; Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p, 154”, Tyrannus sulphuratus, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 368 a Lanius flavus, Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vég. p. 2 (cf. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 58**). Saurophagus guatemalensis, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1852, p. 462". Supra brunneus ; capite nigro ; fronte, superciliis cum linea nuchali conjunctis aibis; crista verticali magna flava, lateribus suis nigro intermixtis: subtus flavus, subalaribus concoloribus ; gutture albo: alis fuscis, 6* 44 TYRANNIDZ. remigibus omnibus (preter primum) usque ad rhachides rufis, pogoniis internis pro majorem partem rufis ; cauda fusca, extrorsum stricte rufo limbata, pogoniis internis quoque plerumque rufis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 9-0, ale 4°9, caude 3-6, tarsi 1-05, rostri a rictu 1-4. (Descr. exempl. ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) @ mari similis. Hab. Nortu America, Lower Rio Grande valley !’.—Mexico, Rio Camacho in Nuevo Leon (Armstrong), Aldama, Xicotencal, Altamira, Tampico, all in Tamaulipas (Richardson), Zacatecas (Wollweber'), Mazatlan (Grayson “, Bischoff'4 & Forrer), Plains of Colima (Xantus 14), Acapulco (A. H. Markham, Mrs. H. H. Sinith), Chietla, Acatlan (Ferrari-Perez**), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast 15). Colipa (f. D. G.), Jalapa (de Oca*), Cordova (Sallé*), Atoyac, Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Alvarado (Deppe), Chihuitan 1°, Sta, Efigenia!?, Tapana!’, Tonola (Sumichrast), Tabi in Yucatan (/. D. G.), Merida in Yucatan (Schott }2), Buctzotz in Yucatan (G. F. Gaumer), Meco I., Mujeres I., Cozumel L. (G. F. Gaumer); British Honpvras, Orange Walk (G. F. Gaumer), Belize (Leyland ’, O. S.8, Blancaneaux) ; GUATEMALA, San Gerdnimo 1°, Duefias §, Escuintla, Retalhuleu (0. S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, Omoa (Leyland"), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely®); Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur ?! and Sucuya ?? (Nutting); Costa Rica, San José 28 and La Palma !8 (Nutting), Sta. Anathole (v. Frantzius }6), Santa Ana (1. Lopez “).—Sovurn America, Colombia, Venezuela, and Trinidad °. Specimens of this species from all parts of our region are very uniform in their colora- tion, but in the northern portion of South America the rufous colour of the outer surface of the wings is more developed, and thus a species or race has been separated under the name of P. rufipennis. It is somewhat remarkable that no specimens of this form have _ yet been found in Panama, Costa Rica being the southern recorded limit of P. derbianus. From this it would appear that the ranges of the latter species and of P. rufipennis are separated by a considerable interval. ‘The northern limit of the range of this Tyrant extends to the lower Rio Grande valley, and we have many specimens from the frontier States of ‘Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon; thence it spreads all through the hot and temperate regions on both sides of the Cordillera, its limit in altitude reaching about 5000 feet. Grayson says:—‘ This is a common and abundant species, inhabiting the western and north-western parts of Mexico. I found it equally as common in Tehuan- tepec as in the region of Mazatlan, where its loud shrill notes of hip-see-dee hip-see-dee may be heard at all seasons of the year, but more particularly during the breeding- season, when it is excessively garrulous. It is more frequently met with in the neigh- bourhood of freshwater streams and lagoons, and I have often seen them dart into the water after water-insects and minnows that were swimming near the surface not unlike a Kingfisher, but they usually pursue and capture on the wing the larger kinds of Coleoptera and Neuroptera, swallowing their prey entire after first beating it against a branch. They are usually in pairs, but I have also seen as many as twenty about a ‘stagnant pool watching its turbid water for insects and small fish, for which they seem to have a great partiality.” - PITANGUS. 45 The nest of this species is very large, and its construction differs from that of all the Tyrannide of which we have any knowledge except Mytozetetes texensis. It is dome- shaped or covered, with the entrance on the side, whilst the other species build a nest saucer-shaped. The nest of the Bull-headed Flycatcher is usually placed in the forks of branches of very thorny trees, twenty-five or thirty feet from the ground; it is com- posed of very coarse material of either straw or lichen, sometimes both; the lining, however, is of firmer and more elastic fibres. Other birds sometimes make their nests in the same or nearest tree, such as Myiozetetes texensis, Cacicus melanicterus, and Icterus pustulatus. In Guatemala P. derbianus builds its nest in April and May: one found at Duefas was a large loose structure with a great deal of superfiuous matter about it, its entrance being at one side; it was composed entirely of small twigs, and placed at the end of a branch about twenty feet from the ground: another, taken at San Gerénimo, had two openings, but one seems to be the rule. A favourite haunt is the banana-groves, where the nest may be found wedged in among the clusters of fruit. The eggs are slightly pear-shaped, of a pale creamy-white colour spotted and blotched with brick- red; they vary considerably in size and colour, especially as to the magnitude and density of the spots. We never noticed P. derbianus feeding on fish and water-insects, as described by Grayson; but Mr. Hudson ascribes similar habits to P. sudphuratus in the Argentine Republic. 2. Pitangus lictor. Lanius lictor, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 49°. Saurophagus lictor, Gray & Mitch. Gen. B. i. p. 246, t. 627; Burm. Syst. Ueb. ii. p. 462°. Pitangus lictor, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 327‘; Sel. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 359°; Salv. Ibis, 1885, p. 296°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 178". Muscicapa cayennensis, Wied, Beitr. ili. p. 846° (nec Linn.). Supra olivaceo-fuscus ; capite nigro, fronte, superciliis cum linea nuchali albis, crista magna flava, plumis nigro terminatis; uropygio ferrugineo tincto: subtus flavus, subalaribus concoloribus; alis fuscis, extrorsum stricte rufo marginatis, introrsum ad basin fulvis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6:3, ale 3-4, caude 2°7, tarsi 0°8, rostri a rictu 1:0. (Descr. maris ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Lion Hill (M‘Leannan**).—Sovuta America, Colombia’, Guiana ®, Amazons valley 7, and Brazil °. A species of wide range in Tropical South America, which just enters our fauna, reaching the line of the Panama Railway. Here M‘Leannan found it and sent speci- mens both to Mr. Lawrence and ourselves. Though like P. derdianus in general colour it may at once be distinguished by its much smaller size and slender bill. Though specimens occur in the trade collections sent from Bogota we have no record 46 TYRANNIDA. of the existence of this species in Ecuador, Peru, or Bolivia. It thus appears that its range hangs to the northern and eastern portions of South America rather than to the western. 8. Pitangus albovittatus. Pitangus albovittatus, Lawr. Ibis, 1862, p. 11°; Ann. Lyc. N.Y. vi. p. 471°; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 178°. . Supra olivaceus; alis et cauda nigricanti-fuscis vix olivaceo limbatis; pileo et litura a rostro utrinque per oculos ducta nigricanti-brunneis, superciliis latis ad nucham conjunctis albis, stria verticali lete flava aurantio haud tincta: subtus flavus, gula alba; subalaribus flavis, remigum pogonio interno flavido-albo, haud castaneo: rostro brevi ad basin lato, robusto, nigro ; pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6°3, ale 3°15, caude 2-6, rostri a rictu 0°9, tarsi 0°65. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Panama. Mus. G. N. Lawrence.) Hab. Panama, Line of Railway (I Leannan & Galbraith! *). This bird differs in many respects from P. lictor, which is also found on the Isthmus of Panama. It has a shorter stouter bill, the crest is wholly yellow without any admixture of orange, the back is more olivaceous, and neither the rump nor the margins of the wings above or below have any chestnut colour. The bird also somewhat resembles in general colour Myiozetetes cayennensis, but that species, besides its smaller bill with its curved culmen, has an orange crest, and the edges of the wing-feathers inside and out are, like those of Petangus lictor, chestnut. We have recently had an opportunity of examining Mr. Lawrence’s type, which is the only specimen we have seen. It was contained in one of M‘Leannan and Galbraith’s collections made on the line of the Panama Railway. So like is P. albovittatus in general colour to M. cayennensis and P. lictor that its apparent rarity may be due to its having been mistaken by collectors for one or other of those birds. SIRYSTES. Sirystes, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 75 (1859) (type S. sidzlator) ; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 181. Sirystes contains three rather closely allied though sufficiently defined species, whereof | S. albogriseus is alone found in the State of Panama, S. albocinereus in the Amazons valley, and S. stbilator in Eastern Brazil. In coloration they somewhat resemble the Antillean species of Pitangus, but are destitute of the occipital crest. In many respects Strystes resembles Pitangus, but the bill is not nearly so strong, and is wider in proportion to its length, the width at the gape being half the length of the tomia, the sides are slightly concave, the supranasal feathers cover the nostril, and the rictal bristles are strong; the tarsi and feet are more feeble than in Pitangus; the 2nd, 8rd, and 4th quills are longest, lst = 7th; the tail is rather long = 3 wing, tarsus < + wing. SIRYSTES.—MYIODYNASTES. AT 1. Sirystes albogriseus, (Tab. XXXVII. fig. 1.) Lipangus albogriseus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 9%. Sirystes albogriseus, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1880, p. 1567; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 182°. Supra cinereus ; uropygio albo; capite summo nigro; loris fuliginosis; alis nigris, secundariis et tectricibus late albo marginatis ; cauda nigra, stricte albo terminata: subtus albus; gutture et hypochondriis cinereo tinctis: rostro corneo, mandibula ad basin albicante; pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 7°3, ale 4-1, caudee 3:5, tarsi 0°8, rostri a rictu 0-9. (Descr. exempl. ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Veraguas (Arcé?), Lion Hill (M*Leannan?). Very little is known of this species, the first specimen of which was sent by M‘Leannan to Mr. Lawrence, who described it under the name of Lipangus albo- griseus!. We have since received two specimens from the State of Panama, but we are not informed of the exact spot where they were obtained. The species most nearly allied to the one under consideration is S. albocinereus of the valley of the Upper Amazons. This differs in having the wing-coverts much more narrowly edged with greyish white. MYIODYNASTES. Myiodynastes, Bonaparte, Compt. Rend. xxxviil. p. 657; Notes Orn. p. 87 (1856); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 182 (type Muscicapa cudax, Gm.). Hypermitres, Cabanis, J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 247 (type Scaphorhynchus chrysocephalus, Tsch.). This genus is divisible into two well-marked sections—one characterized by the breast and flanks being conspicuously marked by black guttate spots, in the other the under surface is uniformly coloured. In our region we find two of the former section, viz. VM. luteiventris and M. audax, nearly universally distributed, and one of the second, M. hemichrysus, restricted to Costa Rica and the adjacent parts of the State of Panama. Of the first section we find it impossible to recognize more than three species, though this view differs from that of several authorities on the subject. Thus Mr. Ridgway in his ‘Manual of North-American Birds’ (p. 332), omitting all mention of WM. solitarius, recognizes two species, M. luteiventris and M. audaxr; but divides the latter into three races, VM. audax proper, M. a. nobilis, and M. a. insolens. We, so far as the number of species are concerned, confirm Mr. Ridgway’s views, but we fail to discriminate his subspecies of IM. audax. Mr. Sclater in his recent revision of the Tyrannide divides this section of the genus into four species, namely VM. luteiventris, M. nobilis, M. audaz,, and WM. solitarius. We now merge WM. nobilis and MW. audax under the latter name, and somewhat alter the range defined of all the species, except M. solitarius. The question of distribution of these Myiodynastes is very singular, for with few exceptions wherever MW. luteiventris is found M. audax occurs with it, and moreover M. solitarius overlaps the range of MM. audax in many places. In spite of this con- current range each form keeps its characters with great precision. 48 TYRANNIDZ. The bill of Mytodynastes, like that of the genera just dealt with, is strong, but not so elongated as that of Pitangus, being wider at the gape, the proportion of which to the length of the tomia is rather more than | to 2, the sides are slightly convex, the supranasal feathers and nostrils are as in Pitangus, the tarsi and toes are moderately strong; the 2nd and 3rd quills are the longest, lst=6th; tail moderate and nearly square, <3 wing, tarsus=% wing. a. Corpus subtus, pectore et lateribus guttatis. 1. Myiodynastes luteiventris. Myiodynastes luteiventris, Bp. Compt. Rend. xxxvili. p. 657'; Not. Orn. p. 87? (descr. nulla) ; Scl. P. Z.S. 1859, pp. 42°, 8366 *, 883 °, 1864, p.176°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 1837; Moore, P. Z. 8S. 1859, p. 56°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 120°; P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 837"; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. il. p. 75"; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 250"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 557%; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 114"; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 26"; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 287°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 30877; Salv. Ibis, 1872, p. 818; Tacz. P. Z. S. 1874, p. 5377°, 1882, p. 21°°; Henshaw, Wheeler’s Rep. v., Zool. p. 346, t. 14 (1875)”; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1883, p. 448”; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 832”; Tacz. Orn. Pér. 11. p. 290. Tyrannus audax ?, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 297”. Supra pallide brunneus, vix olivaceo lavatus, plumis singulis medialiter nigricantibus; uropygio et cauda castaneis, illo nigro guttato hujus rectricibus medialiter nigricantibus ; alis quoque nigricantibus, secundariis et tectri- cibus omnibus albido distincte extrorsum limbatis; capite summo crista celata flava ornato, fronte cana, superciliis et stria malari utrinque albidis: subtus sulphureus, gutture albo, mento et stria utrinque gule nigricantibus, pectore et hypochondriis conspicue nigro striatis: rostro nigricante, mandibule basi pallida ; pedibus nigris. Long. tota 7-75, ale 46, caude 3-4, tarsi 0°75, rostri a rictu 1:15. (Descr. maris ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 2 mari similis. Hab. Nortu America, Arizona ?!.—MeExico, Rio Comacho in Nuevo Leon (Ff. B. Arm- strong), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria in Tamaulipas (W. B. Richardson), Yaleta in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Mazatlan (Grayson }°, Xantus 16), Presidio near Mazatlan (A. Forrer), mountains of Colima (Xantus 1°), Acapulco (Mrs. H. H. Smith), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast 8), Jalapa™ (de Oca*, M. Trujillo), Cor- dova (Sallé 4+”), Juquila (Boucard?), Orizaba (Botteri +), Atoyac (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Tapana (Sumichrast 1°), Buctzotz in Yucatan (G. F. Gaumer); Britisn Honpuras, Belize (Blancaneaux); GUATEMALA (Skinner ®"), Peten (Leyland 8), Savana of Santo Toribio (0. S.), Cahabon, Choctum (0. 8S. & F. D.G.), Escuintla (ZL. Fraser) ; Honpuras, San Pedro (G. M. Whitely}°); Satvapor, La Union (J. M. Dow); Nicaragua (Delattre!?), Chontales (Janson !*); Costa Rica (Hoffinann ®), Irazu (H. Rogers), Barranca 14, Turrialba 14, and Santa Rosa? (Carmiol), Birris (Zeledon 14), San Mateo !", Cervantes!’ (v. Frantzius); Panama (M‘Leannan). — Eastern EcuabDor; Peru *4. Bonaparte’s name for this species was based upon specimens brought from Nicaragua MYIODYNASTES. 49 by Delattre. The bird is common in Costa Rica, but in the State of Panama WM. audar is the prevalent species, while in South America we only know of its occurrence from a single specimen * obtained by Buckley in Eastern Ecuador; Dr. Taczanowski, however, includes it in the birds of Peru !. The most northern point reached by this species is probably the Chiricahua Mountains in Southern Arizona. Here Mr. W. H. Henshaw met with old and young birds in August 1874. They were discovered at the mouth of one of the deep ravines which intersect the mountains in every direction?!, In Nuevo Leon Mr. Armstrong found it not far to the south of the Rio Grande, and it also occurs in the eastern Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria at an elevation of 5000 feet above the sea. Further south it appears to be equally common both on the Atlantic and Pacific slopes of the mountains. Grayson, who met with it at Mazatlan, considered it to be migratory, as he only found it in the months of May and June nesting in the tall trees of the woods. He believed that it passed southwards during the winter months. In Guatemala it frequents the low-lying land on both sides of the cordillera, occurring in the brushwood rather than the denser forests of mixed trees. In such a situation Salvin obtained a specimen near Santo Toribio, a hamlet on the road from Cahabon to Peten. 2. Myiodynastes audax. Muscicapa audax, Gum. Syst. Nat. i. p. 934°. Myiodynastes audux, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 43°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 185 °; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, p. 514°; Salv. Ibis, 1885, p. 296°. Myiodynastes nobilis, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 42°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 183 7; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 295°, viii. p. 178°, ix. p.114"; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 360"; v. Frantzius, J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 307; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 148", 1870, p. 198"; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 394”. Myiodynastes audax, nobilis et insolens, Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 332”. Preecedenti similis, sed fronte, superciliis et stria utrinque malari ochraceo-albidis, mento albo ; abdomine toto albo, nonnunquam vix flavo tincto: rostro plerumque majore mandibula pro majorem partem pallida. (Descr. maris ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) mari similis. Hab. Mexico, Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria in Tamaulipas (W. B. Richardson), Jalapa (M. Trujillo), Mirador (Sartorius '*), Buctzotz in Yucatan (@. F. Gawmer) ; Costa Rica, Barranca (Carmiol!°), San Mateo (J. Cooper '°), Barranca, Cervantes, Turrialba (v. Frantzius !), Bebedero (Arcé); Panama, David (Licks ®), Chitra 14, Calobre 4, Bugaba “4, Santa Fé (Arcé), Lion Hill (JfLeannan*"), Paraiso Station (Hughes), Chepo (Arcé).—Soutn America, Colombia‘, Ecuador’, Vene- zuela 3, Guiana °. * This appears in Mr. Sclater’s catalogue under the name of M. nobilis, but it has all the characteristics of M. luteiventris, viz. yellow under surface, black chin, grey forehead, and white superciliary and malar stripes. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., February 1889. 7 50 TYRANNIDA. The range of this species coincides, to a great extent, with that of VW. luteiventris. For though it has not yet been noticed in Southern Arizona, it occurs with the allied species in the Sierra Madre of Tamaulipas, and thence southwards along the eastern slope of the mountains of Vera Cruz into Yucatan, Costa Rica, Panama, and a large portion of Northern South America. It has not yet been traced in Western Mexico or Guatemala, but is doubtless found in the latter country. M. nobilis is said to differ from M. audaxr in being “ brighter, and the breast-spots narrower,” but with the series before us we cannot fix any such difference to any particular district. Nor is it otherwise with W. a. insolens, the bill of which is said to be shorter, and the upper plumage devoid of rusty tinge. Mr. Sclater speaks of his M. nobilis as an intermediate form passing into WZ. lutei- ventris and M. audaz at the northern and southern extremities of its range. We only find this to be the case as regards M. audax, for we can always distinguish WV. luteiventris by the characters upon which Mr. Ridgway lays stress. The fact of two closely allied species being found together is no doubt difficult of explanation, and we have no solution to offer. So far as our specimens go it appears that the sexes are alike in both species. Salmon, who found the nest and eggs of M. audaw in the Cauca valley of Colombia‘, describes the former as made of fern-stalks and twigs, and placed in the fork of a tree or high bush; the eggs are white spotted with red. b. Corpus subtus immaculatum. 3. Myiodynastes hemichrysus. (Tab. XXXVIII. fig. 1.) Hypermitres chrysocephalus, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 246°. Hypermitres hemichrysus, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 247°; Salv. P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 193°. Myiodynastes hemichrysus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y.ix. p. 114°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p.188°. Myiodynastes superciliaris, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 470°. Supra olivaceus, uropygio fuscescentiore ; capite summo nigricanti-olivaceo, crista magna celata flava ornato ; superciliis elongatis et stria utrinque malari latescenti-albis; fascia lata a naribus per oculos nigra; alis et cauda fuscis; secundariis intimis albido extrorsum limbatis; tectricibus et primariis internis rufo limbatis; rectricibus utrinque rufo marginatis: subtus flavus; gula albicantiore; hypochondriis olivaceis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 8:0, ale 4:0, caude 3°35, tarsi 0°75, rostri a rictu 1:15. (Descr. maris ex Calovevora, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Av, juv. cristam celatam caret. Hab. Costa Rica (v. Frantzius!+), Barranca (Carmiol®); Panama, Chitra, Calovevora, Calobre (Arcé ®). This species is a near ally of the Andean WM. chrysocephalus, from which it may be distinguished by the clearer yellow of its throat and under surface. Its range is very restricted, as it is not found beyond the mountains of Costa Rica and the adjoining part of the State of Panama. No member of this section of the genus is found on the line of MYIODYNASTES.—MEGARHYNCHUS. 51 the Panama Railway, but at Concordia in the Cauca valley of Colombia VM. chryso- cephalus appears, and continues its range to Peru. M. hemichrysus was separated by Dr. Cabanis with some hesitation in 1861, and a few years after Mr. Lawrence described the same bird as M. superciliaris, both names being founded on Costa Rica specimens. MEGARHYNCHUS. Megarhynchus, Thunberg, Disq. de genere Megarhyncho (1824), cf. Heine, J. f. Orn. 1859, p. 337 (type Lanius pitangua, Linn.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 189. Scaphorhynchus, Wied, Beitr. iii. p. 982. Though several geographical races have from time to time been proposed for Megarhynchus pitanqua, it is now found that no such divisions are capable of definition, so that the genus now contains a single species of very wide distribution, extending from Southern Mexico to Southern Brazil. When the classification of the Tyrannide is recast it will be well to consider the propriety of adding Pitangus parvus and the Hypermitres section of Myiodynastes to Megarhynchus. The general colour of WM. pitangua resembles that of many other species of Tyrannide, such as Pitangus derbianus, Myiozetetes similis, &c., but the great development of the bill at once distinguishes the present genus. The bill is very large, the culmen curved, the terminal hook large, the sides of the maxilla are convex, and the tomia curved; the width at the base is about half the length of the tomia; the nostrils are like those of Pitangus, covered by the projecting supranasal feathers; the tarsi are short, and the feet moderately strong; the 3rd quill is the longest, 2nd= 4th, 6th> 1st; tail moderate, slightly emarginate, <# wing, tarsus < wing. 1. Megarhynchus pitangua. Lanius pitangua, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 186’; Wagl. Isis, 1831, p. 529’. Muscicapa pitangua, Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vog. p. 2 (cf. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 58°). Megarhynchus pitangua, Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 394*; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 874°, 893°; Salv. Cat. Strick]. Coll. p. 8117; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p- 189°. Scaphorhynchus mesxicanus, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1851, p. 473°; Scl. P. ZS. 1857, p. 204", 1859, p- 866"; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 120°; Taylor, Ihis, 1860, p. 113°; Lawr. Ann, Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 295'*; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 556”. Megarhynchus mexicanus, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 246°; Scl. & Salv. P. ZS. 1864, p. 360”, 1870, p. 837°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. viii. p. 1837, ix. pp. 114”, 201"; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 26”; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 808 °°; Salv. Ibis, 1872, p. 318™. Supra olivaceo-brunneus ; capite nigro; fronte et superciliis elongatis, albis ; crista magna celata plerumque castanea, nonnunquam flavo intermixta; alis et cauda nigricantibus, extrorsum stricte rufo limbatis : subtus flavissimus; subalaribus concoloribus; gula alba: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 9-0, ale 4:9, caude 3°6, tarsi 0°75, rostri a rictu 1-45. (Descr. maris ex Volcan de Agua, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) 9 mari similis, sed crista celata flava distinguenda. = 7 * 5Y TYRANNIDA. Hab. Mexico, Presidio (Forrer), Tampico (W. B. Richardson), State of Vera Cruz (Sumi- chrast ), Misantla, Jalapa (F. D. G.), Jalapa (Sallé, de Oca), Cofre de Perote (MU. Trujillo), Orizaba (Botteri), Atoyac (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Vera Cruz (Richardson), Tehuantepec (Deppe*), Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Guichicovi, Chihuitan, Sta. Efigenia (Sumichrast ?*), Merida in Yucatan (Schott 21), Buctzotz and Peto (G..F. Gaumer) ; GUATEMALA (Skinner 12, Constancia‘), Yaxcamnal, Choctum, San Gerénimo, Bar- ranco Hondo, Volcan de Agua above San Diego, Savana Grande, Volcan de Fuego (0. S. & F. D. G.); Hoxpuras, Taulevi (Zaylor 1%), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely 18) ; Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur®, Omotepe I.° (Nutting), Chontales (Belt), Greytown (Holland '®); Costa Rica, Barranca, San José, Grecia, Turrialba (Carmiol 2°), Irazu (A. Rogers, v. Frantzius), La Palma (Nutting +); Panama, Calovevora, Chiriqui (Arcé), Paraiso (Hughes), Panama (M‘Leannan 4 17),—Sourn America, Colombia to Guiana, Ecuador, Amazons valley, and Southern Brazil. Only one species of this genus is now admitted, the common I. pitangua, which ranges throughout Tropical America from Southern Mexico to South Brazil. The only specimen that at all departs from the normal type is a male from Presidio, near Mazatlan ; this has the top of the head grey rather than black. It is the only record we have of the existence of the species in Western Mexico, but without a larger series . for comparison we do not think it advisable to do more than note the fact of its differ- ence. The northern range of I. pitangua does not extend quite so far as that of Pitangus derbianus, Tampico being its limit on the eastern side of the cordillera. Sumichrast speaks of it as frequenting both the hot and temperate country 4% Our specimens from this district were obtained from the slopes of the Cofre de Perote down to the port of Vera Cruz. In Guatemala too its vertical range is very considerable, as it is to be found as high as 5000 feet in the Volcan de Fuego down to the level of the sea. It is one of the commonest birds throughout our region. MUSCIVORA. Muscivora, Cuvier, Leg. An. Comp. tab. 2 (1800) (type Todus regius, Gm. apud G. R. Gray, List Gen. Birds, ed. 2, p. 42 (1842)); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 191. In this remarkable genus the development of the crest, characteristic of so many species of Tyrannide, is carried to a much greater extent than in any other form, and constitutes one of its most marked features. | Four species are now recognized as belonging to Muscivora, all of them strictly birds of hot tropical forests of the Neotropical Region. The single species of our country is found in such situations from Southern Mexico to the State of Panama, and in the most northern parts of Colombia. J. occidentalis is the bird of Western Ecuador, M. regia that of Guiana and the Amazons valley, and MV. swainsoni that of the forests of Eastern Brazil. MUSCIVORA. 53 The bill in M. meaicana is long but rather slightly formed, the culmen very gradually depressed, but the terminal hook large, the sides are convex, converging gradually towards the tip; the nostrils are open, and nearly round, the supranasal feathers covering the membranous base of the nasal fossa, but not extending, except as bristles, over the nostrils themselves ; the rictal bristles are very strong and long; the tarsi and toes are feeble; the 3rd and 4th quills are longest, 5th>2nd, 2nd=6th, Ist=longest secondaries; tail moderate and nearly square, <3 wing, tarsus >1 wing. Muscivora is allied to Myiobius in many respects, especially as regards the great development of the rictal bristles, and this group of genera seem to us out of place between Megarhynchus and the Hmpidonax group. When the Tyrannide are again revised their relationship to Platyrhynchus and Rhynchocyclus is worth consideration. Pa 1. Muscivora mexicana. (Tab. XXXIX. figg. 13,29.) Muscivora mevicana, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 295", 1858, p. 83017; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 193°; Moore, P. Z. 8S. 1859, p. 56*; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 124°; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 360°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. pp. 2957, 329°, ix. pp. 114°, 201°; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 26''; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 148, 1870, p. 198"; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 312"; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 308”; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 63°; 1883, p. 448°"; Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1879, p. 202°; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 395°; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 402”. Supra brunneus; crista permagna coccinea chalybeo-purpureo terminata ; uropygio pallide cinnamomeo ; alis nigricantibus dorsi colore limbatis; secundariis et tectricibus alarum pallide fulvo terminatis; cauda cinnamomea, dimidio apicali brunnescentiore: subtus fulvus; pectore et hypochondriis fusco variegatis : rostro obscure brunneo, mandibula pallidiore; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 7:0, ale 3°5, caude 2°, tarsi 0°7, rostri a rictu 1-2. (Descr. maris ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) 2 mari similis, sed crista aurantiaca nec coccinea distinguenda. Hab. Mexico, Cordova, Acatepec (Sallé !), Tapana, Sta. Efigenia (Swmichrast 4), Merida in Yucatan (Schott °), Panaba (Gawmer™); British Honpuras (Blancaneaux) ; GuaTEMALA(Skinner®), Rancho Chahak, Rancho Tuilha on track to Peten, Choctum, Chisec, E] Paraiso (0. 8S. @ F. D. G.), Coban (L. L. Dillwyn 1+) ; Honpuras, Chilomo (Leyland*); Nicaracua, Los Sabalos (Nutting 2°); Costa Rica, Mirabayes, Bebe- dero (Arcé), Atenas (v. Frantzius®), San Ramon (Boucard), La Palma (Nutting 1%) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui !*, Mina de Chorcha !¥, Calovevora 1%, Chitra, Calobre, Santa Fé!?(Arcé), Paraiso Station (Hughes), Lion Hill (JZ‘*Leannan °78).—NortHern CoLomB1a !", This beautiful species was first described by Mr. Sclater from specimens obtained near Cordova, in Southern Mexico, by M. Sallé!; but the first example sent to Europe was probably the one in Strickland’s collection, obtained near Coban, in Guatemala, in 184914, Its range in Mexico is probably confined to the forests of the southern portion of that country, extending from Southern Vera Cruz to Yucatan and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec; but it appears to be nowhere abundant. In Guatemala it is much more 54 TYRANNIDA. numerous in the low-lying heavily forested country north of Coban, and thence north- ward in the direction of Peten. Here we obtained several specimens in the early months of 1862. It was usually found in the neighbourhood of streams, its note being familiar to the Indian hunters, to whom it is known by the name of “ Pilok,” and by the Spanish name of “‘ Resplendor.” It is also found in the forests of the Pacific side of the cordillera, where our hunters obtained examples at Retalhuleu and at Paraiso, half- way to the port of Champerico. Mr. Nutting found it both in Nicaragua and in Costa Rica, and gives the following note on its occurrence at La Palma in the latter country :— “This exquisitely ornamental Flycatcher is abundant in the vicinity of La Palma, especially along the watercourses. Indeed, I never saw it away from the water. It builds its nest on a branch overhanging a stream, seems to be quite content to remain in the vicinity of its home, and is quiet and modest in its manner. ‘“‘Never having seen this bird before, my surprise and admiration were unbounded when I held one in my hand for the first time and saw its wonderfully beautiful fan- shaped crest. The bird was only wounded, and the crest was fully spread, while the head was slowly moved from side to side, which gave it the appearance of a bright flower nodding in the wind. While admiring this new wonder I heard a twitter of distress immediately above me, and, looking up, was delighted to see the female perched on a twig not more than ten feet above me, with her crest erected and spread, and “making the same waving motion of the head. Is it not possible that this bird is pro- vided with its remarkable crest for the purpose of attracting its insect-prey, and that the slow and regular waving motion is calculated to still further deceive by a simulation of a flower nodding in the breeze?” Galbraith describes® the nest of this species as placed in very secluded spots, and surrounded with a mass of loose straggling material, so that he had no suspicion of its being a bird’s nest until he observed the bird enter it; inside of the loose grass &c. is a curious hanging structure about three feet in length, large in the centre, and decreasing in size towards each end; the entrance is on the side where the diameter is largest and where the nest proper is placed, this being very perfect in form; the number of eggs was found to be invariably two. These appear small for the size of the bird; the ground-colour is dull pale reddish white, marked for half the length with dull reddish brown, lighter at the ends, which gives the appearance of a confused broad belt just beyond the middle; the smaller end is irregularly spotted and streaked with the same dark colour. | . CNIPODECTES. Cnipodectes, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1873, p. 281 (type Cyclorhynchus subbrunneus, Scl.); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 197. A genus of uncertain position having the appearance of a Rhynchocyclus of the larger CNIPODECTES.—M YIOBIUS. 55 h. brevirostris section, but with softer plumage, longer secondaries in comparison with the primaries, and the male with the web of the outermost primary normal and not serrated. Mr. Sclater recognizes two species as belonging to this genus, but we doubt if there is more than one ranging from the State of Panama to the mountain-slopes of Eastern Ecuador. In the form of the bill there is little to distinguish Cnipodectes from Myiobius, but the rictal bristles are not so fully developed as in the typical species of Myiobius (MM. barbatus &c.), though not differing from I. nevius in this respect. The wings are short and much rounded, 3rd, 4th, and 5th quills longest, 2nd=6th, lst=8th, the longest secondaries =6th primary; the tail is rounded, a little 8 tarsus. 1. Myiobius barbatus. Muscicapa barbata, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 9337. Myiobius barbatus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 828°; Salv. Ibis, 1885, p. 295°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 199%. Myiobius atricaudus, Lawr. Ibis, 1868, p. 183°; Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 8°; Scl. & Salv. P.Z. 8S. 1864, p. 360°; Salv. P.Z.S. 1870, p. 198°; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 396°. Supra obscure olivaceus ; crista verticali flava celata; uropygio sulphureo; tectricibus caude superioribus et cauda ipsa nigris; alis nigricantibus, dorsi colore extrorsum limbatis: subtus pallide flavus; pectore et hypochondriis fulvo lavatis; subcaudalibus fuscis: rostri maxilla fusca, mandibula pallida ; pedibus obscure corylinis. Long. tota 4:6, ale 2-4, caudee 2°3, tarsi 0-7, rostri a rictu 0°55. (Descr. exempl. ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Q mari similis, sed cristam flavam caret. Hab. Costa Rica, La Palma (Nutting ®) ; Panama, Calovevora (Arcé§), Lion Hill (1 Leannan ? > °7),—Cotomsra‘ and Ecuapor‘ to AMAZONS VALLEY 4, Gurana ! 3, and Braziu 4, The country of the typical M. darbatus is Guiana, and on comparing specimens from there and the State of Panama we find no material difference. On an average the tails of birds from the latter country are rather blacker than those from Guiana, but the difference is quite insignificant. La Palma, in Western Costa Rica, seems to be the extreme limit of the range of this species within our country. Here Mr. Nutting met with it, but it is probably ~ MYIOBIUS. 57 more abundant in the State of Panama, whence specimens have been sent us from various places. Wherever it occurs in Central America the allied M. sulphureipygius occurs with it, the two species living independently in the same woyds. MU. barbatus, however, has a much wider southern range, whilst I. sulphureipygius is found further northwards nearly to the extreme limits of the hot tropical forests of Eastern Mexico. 2. Myiobius sulphureipygius. Tyrannula sulphureipygia, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 296°. Myiobius sulphureipygius, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 3847; Ibis, 1873, p. 373°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 200+; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 399°; Cassin, Proc. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 144°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 87, ix. p. 114°; Salv. P.Z.S. 1867, p. 148°, 1870, p. 198”; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557"; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 308”; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 402”. Myiobius citrinopygius, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 67 ™. Myiobius mexicanus, Licht. Mus. Berol. (fide Cabanis *’). Praecedenti similis, sed pectore et hypochondriis ferrugineo lavatis. (Descr. maris ex Rio de la Pasion. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico ©, State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast™), Cordova (Sallé!), Playa Vicente (Boucard ®), Valle Real (Deppe), Cozumel I. (G. #. Gawmer); British Honpv- ras, Cayo (Blancaneaux); Guaremata, Rio de la Pasion, Choctum® (0. S. & F. D. G.); Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt*), Los Sabalos (Nutting 8); Cosra Rica, Angostura (Carmiol *), Tucurriqui (Arcé), La Palma (Nutting) ; Panama, Chiriqui ?°, Bugaba 1°, Calovevora, Calobre 1°, Santa Fé® (Arcé), Panama Railway (M‘Zean- nan"), 'Truando ( Wood °). The first specimens of this species sent to Europe were probably those obtained by Deppe at Valle Real in Mexico, which remained undescribed under Lichtenstein’s MS. name, VM. mexicanus, in the Berlin Museum. In 1856 Mr. Sclater received examples from M. Sallé which he named M. sulphureipygius, comparing the species with the allied M. barbatus. The range of this bird in Mexico appears to be extremely limited, and probably strictly confined to the hot low-lying forests of the State of Vera Cruz. It also occurs on the island of Cozumel, whence Mr. Gaumer sent us a single specimen. It is found too in British Honduras and in some abundance in Northern Vera Paz in the heavily forested country, lying at an elevation of about 1000 feet above the sea. We are not aware that it inhabits the forests bordering the Pacific Ocean on the western side of the cordillera, or indeed in any part of the west coast until we come to Costa Rica and the State of Panama. In these last-named countries it occurs together with M. barbatus, but not beyond the Isthmus of Darien, which appears to be the extreme limit of its range in this direction. M. sulphureipygius inhabits the dense forest, living amongst the lower branches of the forest trees. Its nest and eggs are unknown. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IL., February 1889. S 08 TYRANNIDZ. 8. Myiobius fulvigularis, sp. n. Myjiobius cinnamomeus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vil. p. 328 . Myiobius erythrurus, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 472°, ix. p. 114°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p. 148 *, 1870, p. 198°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 203 (partim) °. Supra olivaceo-cinereus; alis extus, uropygio et eauda cinnamomeis: subtus omnino fulvus; gula paulo pallidiore: rostro corneo, mandibula pallida; pedibus corneis. Long. tota 3°5, ale 2:0, caude 1:55, tarsi 0°55, rostri a rictu 0-5. (Descr. maris ex Santa Fé. Mus, nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura and Pacuar (Carmiol*); Panama, Bugaba®, Vibala, Santa Fé 4, Chepo (Arcé), line of Railway (M‘Leannan ”).—Soutn America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Amazons valley. We have hitherto considered this bird inseparable from the Guiana JZ. erythrurus, but having received a fair series of specimens from British Guiana we are able to make. an accurate comparison, and find that the Guiana bird can be distinguished by its ereyer throat and less olivaceous head and back; the belly, too, is paler fulvous. M. erythrurus seems to be strictly confined to Guiana, whereas the bird we now describe enjoys a wide range, reaching Costa Rica in its north-western extension. It appears to be not uncommon throughout the State of Panama. 4. Myiobius nevius. Muscicapa nevia, Bodd. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 34°. Myjiobius nevius, Saly. P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 148’, 1870, p. 198 *; Scl. & Hudson, Arg. Orn. 1. p. 151°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. ix. p. 209°. Supra brunneus; uropygio paulo dilutiore; crista celata flava ; alis et cauda fusco-nigricantibus ; alarum tectricibus fulvo terminatis, fasciis duabus formantibus; secundariis internis quoque fulvo extrorsum limbatis: subtus sordide albidus; pectore et hypochondriis fusco guttatis. Long. tota 4:5, ale 22, caude 2:0, tarsi 0-6, rostri a rietu 0°55. (Deser. exempl. ex Santa Fé, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Castillo, Calovevora 3, Santa Fé? (Arcé), Lion Hill (/‘Leannan), Paraiso Station (Hughes).—Sovtn America from Colombia to Buenos Ayres *. Some birds of this species have the crest rufous, others yellow, and we suspect that the former will prove to be males, the latter females, but dissected specimens do not altogether confirm this view. Myiobius nevius has a very wide range over Tropical America, where it is one of the commonest birds, skins being nearly always found in the trade collections of Brazil and elsewhere. ‘The bird of Western Ecuador has been separated under the name of VV. crypterythrus and that of the eastern slope of the Andes of Ecuador as M. cryptoxanthus, both birds being hardly separable from M. nevius. From Ceutral America but few specimens have reached us, and those all from the State of Panama. Some of these came from the low-lying forest tract crossed by the Panama Railway, others from the more mountainous parts further to the westward. We have no account of its habits in Central America, but in the Argentine Republic, MYIOBIUS.—PYROCEPHALUS. 59 which is the most southern part of the range of this species, Mr. Hudson says that it is a summer visitor*. It is shy and solitary, and flits about the upper foliage of the trees, uttering a sorrowful monotonous note. The nest is placed in a bush or low tree and built of various soft materials compactly woven together, and the inside lined with feathers or vegetable down. The eggs are four in number, of a pale cream-colour with large well-defined spots of dark red. 5. Myiobius capitalis, (Tab. XL. fig. 1.) Myiobius capitalis, Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p.583°; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 403”. Mitrephanes capitalis, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 220°. Supra olivaceus; capite cinereo; loris albidis; alis et cauda obscure fuscis, illis distincte fulvo limbatis : subtus gula albida; pectore obscure fulvo; abdomine et subalaribus flavidis: rostro obscure corneo ; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 4:5, ale 2°5, caude 2-2, tarsi 0-6, rostri a rictu 0°6. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Tucurriqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nicaragua, Los Sabalos (Nutting 2); Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Areé !). Until recently the single specimen sent us from Tucurriqui in Costa Rica by Arcé was the only one known. Mr. Nutting has since obtained a second at Los Sabalos in Nicaragua, which he found in dense forest. The bird has no near allies in the genus Myiobius, but its resemblance in some respects to Mitrephanes aurantiiventris suggested to Mr. Ridgway that it should be placed in Mitrephanes rather than Myiobius. We do not concur in this view, and believe that it would be better to leave it where it was originally placed. Mitrephanes as here understood contains two perfectly congeneric species, distinguishable by their distinct crests and long, deeply-forked tails. Neither WM. capitalis nor Empidonax atriceps possess either of these characters. Though both MW. capitalis and Mitrephanes aurantiiventris occur at Tucurriqui in Costa Rica, it is probable that the former belongs to the lowlands and the latter to the uplands, and that they meet here at the opposite extremes of their vertical range. PYROCEPHALUS. Pyrocephalus, Gould, Zool. Voy. Beagle, iii. p. 44 (1841) (type Muscicapa rubinea, Bodd.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 211. In its coloration Pyrocephalus stands alone amongst the Tyrannide, no other members of the family having the brilliant red breast and head which distinguish P. rubineus and its allies. Mr. Sclater includes four species in the genus, but P. mexicanus is hardly separable from P. rubineus and the status of P. obscurus is not very satisfactory, as it is not improbably only a dark form of the common P. rudbineus. The fourth is the P. nanus of the Galapagos Islands—a dwarf form of the mainland bird. The bill is moderately stout, the length of the tomia being rather more than twice the width at the rictus, the sides converge gradually to the tip; the nostrils are open Q* 60 TYRANNID. at the end of the nasal fossa, the rictal bristles moderately developed ; the tarsi and toes rather short. The wings are rather long, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quills longest, lst=6th ; tail moderate and nearly square, > % wing, < 4 tarsus. 1. Pyrocephalus rubineus. Muscicapa rubinus, Bodd. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 42°. Pyrocephalus rubineus, Cass. B. Cal. and Texas, p. 127, t. 18°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p- 67°; Scl. P. Z.S. 1856, p. 2964; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p.211’; Baird, Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p.9°; Dresser, Ibis, 1865, p. 475"; Scl. & Huds. Arg. Orn. i. p. 152°. Pyrocephalus mexicanus, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, pp. 45°, 366°, 1864, p. 176"; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. . Xiv. p. 213; Moore, P. Z.S. 1859, p. 56°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 399 '*; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557”; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 201°. Pyrocephalus rubineus var. mexicanus, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 38777; Lawr. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 27°; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 287. Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus, Sennett, Bull. U. 8. Geol. Surv. iv. p. 34”, v. p. 409; Coues, Key N. Am. B. (ed. 2), p. 444%"; Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 154”; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 345”. Muscicapa coronata, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 932"; Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vig. p. 2 (ef. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 58”). Tyrannula coronata, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 367”; Bp. P. Z. S. 1837, p. 112”. Pyrocephalus obscurus, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 176. Supra obscure fuscus; alis nigricantibus, extrorsum pallide fusco vix limbatis; cauda quoque nigricante ; rectrica externe in pogonio externo pallide fusca; loris et regione parotica dorso concoloribus ; capite summo et corpore subtus lete coccineis ; subalaribus fuscis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 5:5, alee 3:3, caudee 2°3, tarsi 0-7, rostri a rictu 0°65. 9. Supra cinerea ; capite summo ad frontem pallidiore; alis et cauda nigricantibus, illis sordide albo limbatis : subtus alba ; pectore fusco guttato; abdomine aurantiaco. (Deser. maris et feminw ex Monterey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Mus, nostr.) Hab. NortH America’, Southern California, Arizona, and Southern Texas 7 23,— Mexico’ (Bullock *°), Topochico in Nuevo Leon (F. B. Armstrong), Realito in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Mazatlan (Forrer, Grayson 19), Plains of Colima (Xantus !), Amula, Chilpancingo, and ‘Tierra Colorada in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Jerez in Zacatecas, Calvillo, Aguas Calientes, Valle del Maiz, and Tampico (Richardson), Mexico city (White 1!°5), San Martin, Texmelucan, Tlaxcala, J alapa (Ferrari- Perez), Cordova (Sallé), Jalapa (Sallé, de Oca ©, M. Trujillo), Cofre de Perote (MZ. Trujillo), Orizaba, Morelia (F. D. G.), Oaxaca (Fenochio), Sta. Efigenia and Tehuantepec city (Sumichrast 18), Northern Yucatan (G. F. Gaumer), Merida (Schott 1°), Cozumel I. (G. F. Gaumer); British Honpvuras, Orange Walk (G. F. Gaumer), Belize (Blancaneuux) ; GUATEMALA (Constancia 4), Pine Ridge of Poctum, Santa Ana (0. 5’), Peten (Leyland *).—Sourn America generally from Colombia to Guiana and Argentine Republic 5 8. On comparing freshly-moulted specimens from Northern Mexico with others from South America in similar condition we find no grounds whatever for recognizing more PYROCEPHALUS.—SAYORNIS. 61 than one continental species of this genus, unless indeed P. obscurus is really separable. Under any circumstances P. mexicanus and P. rubineus must pass under the same name. With at least one hundred and fifty specimens before us from various localities no other conclusion seems possible. An occasional example from S. America is blacker than others, but this does not appear to be the rule in any one locality. M. rubineus appears to be a very common bird on the southern side of the Rio Grande and Gila rivers, but rarer on the Texan side of the northern limit of its range. Thence it passes southwards through a large portion of Mexico, extending from ocean to ocean and living in equal abundance in the highlands of the valley of Mexico. It occurs also in Northern Yucatan and on Cozumel Island, as well as in British Honduras in the pine districts so characteristic of that country. In Guatemala it was found by Constancia, but in what locality we were never able to ascertain, for we only once met with it in our many journeys through that country and it certainly does not come within the hunting-grounds of the bird-collectors of Coban. It was only on emerging from the vast forests of Northern Vera Paz between the villages of San Luis and Poctum that Salvin found it abundant in the large open pine-tract crossed by the road to Peten. It was equally common in all similar districts of that region, but always in open country and not in the forests which line the river-banks. The brilliant plumage of the male bird and its habit of rising in the air and descending somewhat after the manner of Anthus pratensis render P. rubineus a conspicuous bird wherever it is found, and one not easily overlooked in a country inhabited by it. Its absence from all the country south of Guatemala until we reach Colombia is remarkable and not easily accounted for, as localities apparently suitable to it are to be found through most of the intervening countries. Mr. Hudson? has published some interesting notes on this species as observed by him in the Argentine Republic. In that country P. rubineus is a migratory bird, arriving about the end of September and soon afterwards commencing to breed. Its nest is composed of lichens, webs, and thistle-down, which are neatly woven into a compact nest and sometimes lined with feathers. The eggs, four innumber, are pointed, and spotted at the broad end with black and usually with a few large grey spots. SAYORNIS. Sayornis, Bonaparte, Ann. Sc. Nat. sér. 4, Zool. i. p. 133 (1854) (type Sayornis saya); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 32. Aulanax, Cabanis, J. f. Orn. 1856, p. 2 (type Sayornis nigricans). Theromyias, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 68 (1859) (type Sayornis saya). Empidias, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. i. p. 69 (1859) (type Sayornis phoebe) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 264. The position of this genus and its limits have been and still remain uncertain. Prof. Cabanis, who divides it into three genera, places all of them near Myiarchus in the 62 TYRANNID. section Tyrannine of the Family. Writers on North-American birds assign to it a similar position, but Mr. Sclater considers Sayornis to belong to the South-American Fluvicoline ; but he employs Cabanis’s name Hmpidias for E. fuscus (=. phoebe), and places it at the other end of the Family after Wyiarchus. We do not see our way to following this arrangement, and prefer to place Sayornis near Myiarchus and Empidonax rather than with the strictly terrestrial Fluvicoline. At the same time we admit that Sayornis and Ochtheca have characters in common. Sayornis in its wide sense contains three groups of species—one consisting of S. saya, the type of the genus, the second S. nigricans and two other species, S. aquatica and S. cineracea, the third S. phebe. All these species frequent places near streams of water, the group of S. nigricans being especially partial to river-banks, where they sit on stones on or close to the margin and take their insect food from near the surface of the water. All the species have similar nesting-habits and lay white or slightly spotted eggs. Sayornis saya has a somewhat flattened bill, rather broad at the base ; the culmen is nearly straight for most of its length and then curves suddenly to form the terminal maxillary hook ; the nostrils are covered with strong bristles and the rictal bristles are also very fully developed ;. the tarsi are short and the feet feeble; the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th primaries are nearly equal and longest in the wing, the Ist = 6th; the tail is very slightly forked, = $ wing, < 4 tarsus. 1. Sayornis saya. Muscicapa saya, Bp. Am. Orn. i. p. 20, t. 2. f. 38 (1825) °. Tyrannula sayii ?, Sw. Orn. Draw. t. 70°. Sayornis sayus, Baird, Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p.9°; Dresser, Ibis, 1865, p. 478 * ; Sumi- chrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 557°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 847°; Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 257; Sennett, Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. v. p. 404°; Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 154°. Sayornis saya, A. O. U. Check-list N.-Am. B. p. 233°°; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 836%. Theromyias sayi, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 68. Tyrannula pallida, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 367”. Sayornis pallida, Scl. P. Z.S. 1857, p. 204", 1859, p. 366; Cat. Am. B. p. 200%; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 8277; Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141 ™. Griseo-fusca ; capite summo et tectricibus supracaudalibus obscurioribus ; cauda nigricante; alis fuscis, tectricibus majoribus et secundariis extrorsum sordide griseo limbatis: ventre et crisso pallide cinna- momeis ; subalaribus pallide cervinis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6°5, ale 4:0, caudee 3:2, rostri a rictu 0°8, tarsi 0°8. (Descr. exempl. ex urbe Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. NortH America, western portion from the plains to the Pacific™, Texas 4 8.— Mexico, Nuevo Larido and Topochico (Ff. B. Armstrong); Caretas, La Mula, Chupadero in the State of Chihuahua (W. Lloyd), Santa Isabel, Espia (Kennerly 3), Plains of San Luis Potosi (Richardson), Tablelands (Bullock 1%), Guanajuato (Dugés '®), valley of Mexico(le Strange), Hacienda Eslava, Culhuacan, Mexicalcingo, SAYORNIS. 63 Ixtapalapa, S. Antonio Coapa, Chimalpa, and Coajimalpa, all in the neighbourhood of Mexico city / Ferrari-Perez), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast*), Jalapa (Sallé, de Oca ®), Chapulco (Sumichrast’, Ferrari-Perez ®), Puebla and Atlixco (PF. D. G.). Sayornis saya has a wide range over Central Mexico, occurring as far south as Jalapa in the State of Vera Cruz, and Chapulco in the State of Puebla. It does not, however, appear to leave the plateau, as nowhere in the south does it approach the coast. To what extent this species is migratory does not seem to be clearly stated. Sumichrast was uncertain as to its movements in the State of Vera Cruz, and other Mexican records are silent on the subject *. Within the States it would appear to be migratory so far as regards the northern and upland portions of its range. Thus Dr. Coues says it is a summer resident at Fort Whipple in Arizona, but that it winters in the Colorado valley and in the southern parts of Arizona. Dr. Cooper speaks of it as chiefly a winter visitor to the southern and western parts of California. It certainly winters in the frontier States of Mexico, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas, as we have specimens from several places obtained between January and March. In summer it visits the plains of the interior as far north as the 60th parallel. Mr. Ridgway describes a nest, placed on a shelf inside a smail cave on the shore of an island in Lake Pyramid, as a globular mass consisting chiefly of spiders’ webs mixed with fine vegetable fibres of various kinds; the cavity was shallow and lined with the down of ducks. ‘The eggs are uniform chalky white. The specific name saya proposed by Bonaparte in 1825 and adopted by North- American writers seems to us to be the right title for this species. Mr. Sclater employs Swainson’s name pallida, though dating from 1827. 2. Sayornis phebe. 4 Muscicapa fusca, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 931 (nec Mill. nec Bodd.)". Sayornis fuscus, Baird, Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p. 8°; Dresser, Ibis, 1865, p. 473°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. u. p- 343°. . Myiarchus fuscus, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 366°. Muscicapa phebe, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 489 (ex Penn. Arctic Zool. ii. no. 275) Sayornis phoebe, Stejn. Auk, 1885, p. 51°; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 336°. Empidias fuscus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 69"; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 264". Supra olivaceo-fusca ; capite summo nigricante ; alis et cauda quoque nigricantibus, illarum secondariis et tectricibus majoribus, hujus rectrice extima utrinque in pogonio externo albido limbatis : subtus lactescenti- alba; mento et pectoris lateribus fusco notatis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6:0, ale 3:4, caudee 3:0, tarsi 0°7, rostri a rictu 0-75. (Descr. femine ex Orizaba, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 7 Had. Nortu America, Eastern States !!, Texas ?.—Mexico, Nuevo Laredo in Tamau- lipas (Armstrong), Tamaulipas (Couch *), Tampico (Richardson), Jalapa (de Oca ®, * In Prof. Ferrari-Perez’s collection we find that specimens were obtained in and about the valley of Mexico from the end of December to the 11th April. 64 TYRANNIDZ. F. D. G.), Orizaba, Misantla (F. D. G.), Vera Cruz (Richardson), S. Antonio Coapa (Lerrari-Perez), Tierra templada of the Pacific slope, Morelia (/e Strange).—Cusa ? A well-known species of the Eastern States of North America as a summer visitor, where it remains to breed. - In the valley of the Rio Grande some birds of this species may be found throughout the year, for we have records of it in March from the river itself at Nuevo Laredo and opposite Brownsville, and in June Mr. Dresser found it in numbers near Houston. However, neither Mr. Sennett nor Dr. Merrill include its name in their lists. In Southern Mexico it is chiefly found on the eastern slope of the mountains of Vera Cruz from Orizaba and Jalapa to the low ground about Misantla and near the sea-coast at Vera Cruz. In the valley of Mexico it is a much rarer bird, for we only find a single specimen in Prof. Ferrari-Perez’s large collection, and this was shot at S. Antonio Coapa near Tlalpam. Mr. le Strange, however, considered it a bird of the temperate districts of the Pacific slope, such as the vicinity of Morelia. The habits of S. phabe resemble those of S. saya, and its nest is described as similarly placed and made of similar materials. The eggs, too, are usually unspotted white, but a small proportion show reddish-brown dots at the larger end. 3. Sayornis nigricans. Tyrannula nigricans, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 3671. Sayornis nigricans, Scl. P.Z. S. 1856, p. 2967, 1859, p-. 383°, 1864, p.175*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 83°; Baird, U.S. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p. 8°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.1. p. 557"; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 840°; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 285°; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 25"; Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 154". Aulanax nigricans, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 68 '*. Myiarchus nigricans, Duges, La Nat. i. p. 141. Muscicapa atrata, Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vig. p. 2 (cf. J. f. Orn. 1863, p-. 587), Muscicapa semiatra, Vig. in Beechey’s Voy. p. 17”. Sooty Flycatcher, Sw. Orn. Draw. t. 69. Fuliginoso-nigra ; dorso medio paullo dilutiore; secundariis extrorsum, dimidio pogonii externi rectricis ex- time, subalaribus, ventre et crisso albis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6-0, ale 3:5, caudex 3°2, rostri a rictu 0-7, tarsi 0-7. (Descr. maris ex Mazatlan, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Nortu America, South-western States from Texas to Arizona and California and northwards to Oregon §.—Mexico (Bullock +), Espia (Kennerly *), Cadereita (Couch ®), Rio de Monterey and Rancho de las Trivifas (Armstrong), Mazatlan (Grayson ®), Presidio near Mazatlan (Forrer), Venta de Zopilote in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Valle del Maiz, Aguas Calientes, and Sierra de Calvillo (Richardson), Guanajuato (Dugés 18), valley of Mexico ( White +), Chimalpa, Coapa, Mexicalcingo, Ixtapalapa, Culhuacan, all near Mexico city (Ferrari- Perez), Tem- perate and Alpine regions of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast ‘), Tanatepec (Swmichrast 1), Puebla and Orizaba (F. D. G.), Cordova (Sallé *), Morelia (F. D. G.), Cinco Sefiores (Boucard *), Oaxaca (Boucard *, Fenochio) SAYORNIS. 65 This species appears to be found throughout Mexico as far as the south-western confines of that country, but as yet we have no record of it or of the allied form in Yucatan *. | | | | _ Sumichrast states that it is a very common species in the temperate and colder parts of the State of Vera Cruz, and that it builds its nest in the houses of Orizaba?. It is not, however, solely confined to these districts, for both Grayson ® and Forrer met with it near the sea-level in the vicinity of Mazatlan. It frequents the banks of streams, and most of its insect prey is taken from near the surface of the water. It buildsa nest with an outer wall of mud like that of a Swallow ; this is fastened to a wall or placed on a shelf, beam, or ledge of rock, with an over- hanging projection to protect it from rain. The nest is lined with fine grass or moss and horse- or cow-hair. The eggs are pure white. S. nigricans appears to be resident in Mexico and also in Arizona and California, but in more northern districts where its insect food fails in the cold weather it is a summer visitor, migrating southwards at the approach of winter. © 4. Sayornis aquatica. Sayornis aquatica, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 119*; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 110°; v. Frantz. J. £. Orn. 1869, p. 806°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 62°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 33°. Aulanax aquatica, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 247 °. Sayornis nigricans, Bp. Compt. Rend. xxxviii. p. 657"; Notes Orn. p. 87°. S. nigricanti similis, sed crisso fuliginoso distinguenda. Hab. GuaTEMALA, Quezaltenango, Duefias!, Retalhuleu, Escuintla, R. Michatoya near San Pedro Martyr, San Gerénimo (0. 8S. & F. D. G.); Nicaragua (Delattre’ 8) ; Costa Rica (v. Frantzius?®, Arcé, A. R. Endres), San José (Boucard *). Sayornis aquatica takes the place of S. nigricans in. Guatemala. and the rest of Central America as far south as Costa Rica, and may be recognized by its dusky under tail-coverts, those of the allied form being white. In the north-western parts of South America another form of Sayornis occurs with dusky under tail-coverts, 8. cineracea (Lafr.), but may be distinguished by the broader white edgings to its wings and tail and its blacker plumage. . ; S. aquatica is a familiar bird in many parts of Guatemala, where, like its congener, it frequents streams, often resting on a stone on the margin or even surrounded by water; from such a point of observation it will fly suddenly and seize passing insects. In its general habits it is more active than Tyrant Flycatchers usually are, and may not unfrequently be seen about houses, some running stream being near. We never met with the nest of this species. * Brewer states that S. negricans is resident in Guatemala, and he quotes Salvin as his authority, adding that the note may refer to S. aquatica ; a curious inaccuracy, as the passage quoted is appended to the original description of S. aquatica, no mention whatever being made of S. nigricans: BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., February 1889. | 9 66 TYRANNIDZ. MITREPHANES. Mitrephanes, Coues, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, vii. p. 55 (1882); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 218, vice Mitrephorus, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 45 (nec Schonherr). The genus Mitrephorus was founded in 1859 by Mr. Sclater upon WM. pheocercus of the Mexican and Guatemalan highlands, but the name being preoccupied, Mdctrephanes was substituted for it by Dr. Coues in 1882. According to Mr. Sclater the genus includes five species, as he, following Mr. Ridg- way, includes Myiobius capitalis and Empidonasz atriceps in it, as well as M. ochracet- ventris of Peru, a bird we have not yet examined. J. capitalis and E. atriceps we leave in the genera in which they were originally placed, so that we have only two species to deal with, viz. I. phwocercus, already mentioned, and MW. aurantiiventris of Costa Rica and the State of Panama. In many respects I. phewocercus resembles Empidonax, but the bill is narrower, the margins not so convex, and with a well-defined concave curve towards the tip; the rictal bristles are more fully developed, the nostrils more distinctly exposed ; there is, moreover, a conspicuous crest formed of the prolonged occipital feathers, and the tail is longer in proportion to the wings, thus, tail >3%; wing, and in Empidonax traillt <2 wing. 1. Mitrephanes pheocercus. Tyrannula, sp. ?, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 296, no. 104’. Empidonaz, sp.?, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1858, p. 302, no. 82°. Mitrephorus pheocercus, Scl. P. Z.S. 1859, pp. 44°, 366*, 384°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 122°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 5577; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 287° Salv. Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 313°. Mitrephanes pheocercus, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 210”. | Mitrephanes pheocercus tenuirostris, Brewst. Auk, 1888, p. 187 ”. Supra obseure olivaceus, capite obscuriore; loris rufo-albidis; alis et cauda fusco-nigricantibus; alarum tectricibus fulvo terminatis: subtus ferrugineis; mento, abdomine imo, pallidioribus: rostri maxilla nigricante, mandibula pallida; pedibus obscure corylinis. Long. tota 5:0, alee 2-7, caude rect. med. 2°25, rect. ext. 2°45, tarsi 0°55, rostri a rictu 0°55. (Descr. exempl. ex Jalapa. Mus. nostr.) Juv. supra saturate brunneis, capite nigricante, plumis omnibus fulvo limbatis. Hab. Mzxico, Oposura in Sonora, Presidio near Mazatlan (J. C. Cahoon), Mazatlan (Bischoff'®, Grayson ®), Ciudad in Durango (Forrer), Sierra de Valparaiso in Zaca- tecas (W. B. Richardson), Amula and Omilteme in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Tetelco and Ixtapalapa (Ferrari-Perez), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast"), Jalapa (de Oca*, Hoge, M. Trujillo), Cofre de Perote (MM. Trujillo), Talea (Boucard), Cordova (Sallé 1), Orizaba (f. D. G.), Oaxaca (Fenochio) ; Guatama.a (Constancia ®, Skinner ®), Coban, Volcan de Fuego, Duefias, Ridge above Totonicapam, Guezalte: nango (0. 8. & F. D. G.). MITREPHANES,—EMPIDONAX. 67 Originally described from a Cordova specimen, with which others from Jalapa, Orizaba, Cofre de Perote, &c. agree. They are all rather darker than examples from the valley of Mexico, Oaxaca, and the Sierra Madre of North-western Mexico, the latter having been described by Mr. Brewster as MZ. p. tenuirostris. The difference of colour is extremely slight, but follows the usual rule where the birds of Eastern Mexico, with its greater rainfall, are rather darker than those from the drier plateau and the western sierras. The difference in the size of the bill is hardly appreciable in the series before us. In the series obtained by Mrs. Smith in the months of July and August in the Sierra Madre del Sur are light and dark coloured birds as well as young in their first plumage. In Guatemala UZ. pheocercus is common in the oak-forests lying at an elevation of 4500 feet and upwards, and is one of the most characteristic species of these woods. We never met with its nest or eggs. 2. Mitrephanes aurantiiventris. | Mitrephorus aurantiiventris, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 174’, ix. p. 114°; Salv. Ibis, 1869, p- 315°; P.Z.S. 1870, p. 198*; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 308°. Mitrephanes aurantiiventris, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 219°. Mitrephorus pheocercus, Lawr, Aun. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 114’. Preecedenti similis, sed supra magis olivaceus, abdomine medio aurantiaco distinguendus. (Descr. exempl. ex Irazu, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Tabacales 1, La Palma 2, Candelaria (v. Frantzius 25), Tucurriqui (Arcé), Irazu (Rogers), Dota 2, Barranca (Carmiol); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Chitra, Calovevora +, Calobre (Arcé). The specimens of this species differ considerably from each other in the colouring of the top of the head, some being much darker than others; but this variation seems to be due to individual, seasonal, or perhaps sexual characters. M. aurantiiventris is closely allied to the bird of the Mexican and Guatemalan high- lands, M. pheocercus, but appears to frequent places lying at a lower level, descending in some cases as low as 2000 feet above the sea. It isa common bird both in Costa Rica and the State of Panama, but its nest and eggs still remain unknown. EMPIDONAX. Empidonax, Cabanis, J. f£. Orn. 1855, p. 480 (type E. pusilius (Sw.)); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. Xiv. p. 221. Empidonaxz is one of the most complex genera of the Tyrannide as regards the differential characters of some of its species, comparable in this respect to the Old-World genus Phylloscopus. Several distinguished American ornithologists have paid great attention to Hmpidonasz, and descriptions, “ keys,” and all such aids to Q* 68 -. PYRANNIDA. determining the various species abound in their writings. The most recent of these is Mr. Ridgway’s, who, in his ‘ Manual of North-American Birds,’ gives a key whereby to determine the North-American and Mexican species. This key was adopted almost in its entirety by Mr. Sclater in the fourteenth volume of the Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum, and we have studied it closely for our present work. If we except the use of subspecific names the result we come to is not very different from Mr. Ridg- way’s, though we arrive at our conclusions by rather different means. We have not taken much account of comparative measurements, for experience shows how greatly these vary in the members of the same species. — . | In endeavouring to determine Mexican and Central-American individuals of the migratory Hmpidonaces, we are met with the difficulty arising from having to compare birds of different seasons together. By far the greater part of the birds collected in the south are obtained in the winter and early spring months, 7. ¢. in the dry season. In the States, collecting commences on the arrival of the spring migrants and extends through the summer. Thus the only birds that are properly available for comparison, so far as their plumage is concerned, are those shot in the latter part of the spring in the south just as they are preparing to leave, and those just arrived in the north from the south. Our materials do not always include birds prepared under these conditions. 7 Our task, however, has been vastly lightened by having before us the collection of Messrs. Henshaw and Merriam with its extensive series of carefully named specimens of North-American species. Empidonax is almost exclusively a genus of America north of the Isthmus of Panama. There are a few species located in the north-western parts of South America, and a small section occurs as far south as the Argentine republic; but it is doubtful if the latter do not belong rather to Empidochanes. Of eighteen species recognized by us, no less than fourteen occur within our limits, of which perhaps eight may be wholly or partially migrants, leaving six residents. The birds that perform the longest migrations are E. acadicus, E. trailli, E. minimus, EL. flaviventris, and E. hammondi. The partial migrants are E. fulvifrons, E. bairdi, and £. obscurus. Mexico retains as residents E. affinis and E. canescens, Guatemala E. salvini, Mexico and Central America generally 2. albigularis, Costa Rica and Panama L. flavescens and LE. atriceps. Like Tyrannus, Empidonax has short stiff setose feathers, which almost hide the open nostrils, and the rictal bristles are well developed but not so long as in Mitrephanes ; the bill is wide, the width at the rictus being rather more than half the length of the tomia, the sides of the bill are convex from the base to the tip; the tarsi are slender; the 3rd quill is the longest in the wing, the 2nd=4th, lst=6th ; tail moderate, ># wing, wing >4 tarsus. EMPIDONAX. 69 A. Pileus aut olivaceus aut wnbrino-brunneus, haud niger. a. Rostrum latiusculum. a’. Subtus cinnamomeus. 1. Empidonax fulvifrons. _ Muscicapa fulvifrons, Giraud, Sixteen B. Texas, t. 2. f. 2'. Empidonax fulvifrons, Scl. P. Z. 8.1858, p. 8301”; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 222°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 462*; Man. N. Am. B. p. 344’. Mitrephorus fulvifrons, Scl. P.Z.S. 1859, p. 45°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 275”. Empidonax rubicundus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 70°. Empidonax fulvifrons rubicundus, Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 154°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 463 "°; Man. N. Am. B. p. 345". Empidonax pygmeus, Coues, Ibis, 1865, p. 537 ». Empidonax fulvifrons pygmeus, Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 463°; Man. N. Am. B. p. 345". Empidonax pallescens, Coues, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1866, p. 63”. Mitrephorus fulvifrons, var. pallescens, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. i. p. 386 *°; Coues, B. N. W. p. 259"; Henshaw, U.S. Geogr. Surv. West 100th Mer. v. p. 364”. Mitrephanes fulvifrons pallescens, Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 443”. Supra omnino brunneus; capite summo paulo saturatiore; alis nigricantibus, tectricibus fulvo terminatis, secundariis quoque albo limbatis; cauda nigricante, rectrice extima utrinque in pogonio externo alba: subtus rufescenti-fulvus; gutture et abdomine paulo dilutioribus: rostri maxilla nigricante, mandibula flava; pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 4:6, ale 2°5, caude 2:0, tarsi 0°6, rostri a rictu 0°5. (Descr. maris ex Coapa prope urbem Mexico. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Nortu AMeERIcA, Southern Arizona1®’ and New Mexico !8.—Mexico 8, Tutuaca and Rio Verde in Chihuahua (W. Lloyd), Amula and Omilteme in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Ixtapalapa, Hacienda Eslava, Huipulco, Coapa, Mexicalcingo, Culhuacan, Axotla, Chimalpa, Coajimalpa, all near Mexico city (Ferrari-Perez), valley of Mexico (H. le Strange), Huehuetlan (Ferrari-Perez®); GUATEMALA, Quezaltenango, Duefias’ (0. S. & F. D. G.). Mr. Ridgway recognizes three forms of this species, namely, &. fulvifrons from Eastern Mexico and Southern Texas, Z. fulvifrons rubicundus from Southern Mexico, and &. fulvifrons pygmeus from New Mexico southwards into Western Mexico. We have now specimens from all these districts except of course from Texas, where its presence is doubtful. Our largest series comes from the vicinity of the city of Mexico, and amongst these the three forms appear to be fully represented, and, moreover, they -are united by every intermediate gradation. Our ruddiest birds come from the high- lands of Guatemala, where the species is doubtless resident, as it is elsewhere, except, perhaps, at the northern extremity of its range. Mr. Henshaw found this bird breeding at Inscription Rock in New Mexico, and he also met with it in Arizona, where, according to Dr. Coues, it is a rare summer visitor. 70 TYRANNIDZ. b’. Sudtus aut albidus aut via flavicans. a”. Supra umbrino-brunneus. 2. Empidonax albigularis. (Tab. XL. fig. 2.) Empidonaz albigularis, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 1227; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 360°; Salv. Ibis, 1874,. p. 309°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 463°; Man. N. Am. B. p. 340°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 223°. Empidonaz axillaris, Ridgw. in Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 363 7, Supra sordide olivaceo-brunneus; uropygio rufescente tincto; gutture albo; pectore et cervicis lateribus grisescenti-brunneis ; ventre et crisso pallide flavis; alis et cauda fusco-nigricantibus, illis pallide brunneo- bifasciatis, secundariis extus albido anguste limbatis; subalaribus ochraceis: rostri maxilla fusca, mandi- bula pallida; pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 4°75, ale 2:3, caude 2-1, tarsi 0-6, rostri a rictu 0-6. (Descr. maris ex Duefias, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Acapulco and Dos Arroyos in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Huipulco (Ferrari-Perez), Orizaba (Botteri*), Jalapa (I. Trujillo); Guaremata, Dueiias. (0. 8.1, L. Fraser), Coban (0. S. & F. D. G.); Pawama (Mf*Leannan *). This species was discovered by Salvin during his first expedition to Guatemala in 1858, when he obtained a single example near Duefias at an elevation of about 5000: feet above the sea. Other specimens were subsequently secured at the same place, and also at Coban, but the bird is nowhere abundant. Its northern range reaches to the Mexican State of Vera Cruz, whence specimens have been sent from several places, and also from the neighbourhood of the city of Mexico. Southward we have no trace of it until we come to the Isthmus of Panama, where its. presence is attested by a single specimen procured by the late James M‘Leannan near Lion Hill Station. b". Supra olivascens aut cinerascens. 3. Empidonax acadicus. Muscicapa acadica, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 947’. Empidonaz acadicus, Dresser, Ibis, 1865, p. 475°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 874° ;. Sennett, Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. v. p. 405*; Coues, Birds N. W. p. 249°; Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 441°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 4657; Man. N. Am. B. p. 842°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 228°. Empidonaz bairdi, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 827 (nec Scl.) ”. Empidonaz griseigularis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 471”. Supra olivaceus; alis nigricantibus, tectricibus fulvo-albido late terminatis, fasciis duabus formantibus ; secun- dariis extrorsum pallide olivaceo limbatis; cauda nigricanti-olivaceo vix limbata: subtus albus; pectore griseo; hypochondriis olivaceo lavatis; subalaribus pallide fulvis: rostri maxilla nigricante, mandibula pallida; pedibus obscure corylinis. Long. tota 5:0, alee 2°7, caude: 2°2, tarsi 0°5, rostria rictuQ°6. (Descr. exempl, ex Insula Ruatan, Honduras. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nortn America, Middle and Eastern States—Mexico, Yucatan; Honpvras,. EMPIDONAX. 71 Ruatan I. (Gaumer) ; Costa Rica (Endres) ; Panama (M‘Leannan 1 11),—Ecuapor ; CUBA. A species of the Eastern States of North America, whose southern migration in winter extends to Ecuador, and it is also found sparingly in the southern portion of ‘Central America; it has been recorded from Yucatan, and we have received several specimens from the island of Ruatan, but its southern range does not appear to spread westwards into Mexico or Guatemala. Its breeding-ground is certainly in the middle districts of the United States, but Mr. Dresser states that it is not uncommon in Texas in summer”. Its nest is described as made of strips of bark or stalks of weeds woven loosely together so as to make a very slight structure, so thin that the eggs may be seen from below. It is placed in the fork of a small branch from six to ten feet from the ground. The eggs are rich cream- ‘colour with a reddish-brown shade, and marked irregularly at the larger end with vivid blotches of red and reddish brown. 4. Empidonax trailli. Muscicapa trailli, Aud, Orn. Biogr. i. p. 236’; B. Am. i. p. 234, t. 65°. Empidonaz trailli, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 193°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 8%, ix. pp. 114°, 201°; Coues, Birds N. W. p. 2527; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 226°. Empidonaz trailli, var. pusillus, Henshaw, U. 8. Geogr. Surv. West 100th Mer. v. p. 356°; Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 27*°; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 287". Empidonaz pusillus, var. trailli, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 869”. Empidonaz pusillus trailli, Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 464°°; Man. N. Am. B. p. 343”. Platyrhynchus pusillus, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 366 (? ?)”. Empidonaz pusillus, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 194°°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557"; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 366°; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p- 384; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 225”. E. acadico similis, sed supra magis fuscus et alarum fasciis fuscescentioribus: subtus quoque grisescentior, cauda eequali fere rotundata. Hab. Norts America generally, from Sitka southwards.—Mexico, Mazatlan (Grayson 14), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria in Tamaulipas, Vera Cruz (Richardson), Orizaba (Sumichrast 1"), Tehuantepec citry (Swmichrast'°), Merida in Yucatan (Schott ®); Guaremata, San José de Guatemala (0. S.); Costa Rica, Dota (Car- miol®); Nicaragua, Sucuyd (Nutting 2°); Panama (M‘Leannan *).—Ecuapor. We agree with Dr. Coues in considering Swainson’s name Tyrannula pusilla of diffi- cult, if not of impossible, application, and as the type is no longer extant, we see no hope of its being identified with certainty. It has usually been considered to refer to the species described and figured in the ‘Fauna Boreali-Americana’ under this name; but the original description was based upon a specimen from the “ maritime parts of Mexico,” and it is thus possible that the bird with its “even tail” we now know as E. flaviventris was that originally described by Swainson as 7’. pusilla, whereas 72 TYRANNIDZ. the bird described and figured in the ‘ Fauna Boreali- Americana’ with its emarginate tail was E. minimus! Under this uncertainty we think it much better to use Audubon’s later name FE. trailli for this species; and as we wholly fail to distinguish between the eastern and western races called LZ. traiili and Ey trailli pusilius by recent American writers, we use the term £. trailli to include the whole series. Asa rule it is a larger bird than EF. minimus, and has the wing-bands of a brownish grey, the tail is even or slightly rounded, not emarginate as in HE. minimus. . trailli appears to be a very common bird during the summer months in North America; but we have not hitherto observed it in any numbers in Mexico or Central America, though specimens obtained as far south as Panama and even Ecuador seem referable to it. Our Mexican localities for this species include places near the sea-level and up to an elevation of 4000 or 5000 feet above the sea; but Sumichrast says it is a bird of the temperate region, where it is resident, being common around Orizaba in June and July 1”. The eggs of L. trailli are creamy white spotted with deep rusty brown. 5. Empidonax minimus. Tyrannula minima, W. M. & S. F. Baird, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1843, p. 284°. Empidonax minimus, Baird, Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p. 9°; B. N. Am. p. 198°; Sel. P. Z. 8. 1859, p.384*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 227°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 122°; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 837"; Dresser, Ibis, 1865, p. 474°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 872°; Lawr. Bull. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 27°; Sennett, Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. v. p- 405"; Coues, Birds N. W. p. 254"; Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 442"; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 465 , Man. N. Am. B. p. 343”. Tyrannula pusilla, Sw. Faun. Bor.-Am. ii. p. 144, t. 467°? Empidonaz pectoralis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 402. Empidonaz gracilis, Ridgw. Pr. Biol. Soc. Wash. iii. p. 23°; Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 571”. Precedenti similis et vix diversus, sed paulo minor, fasciis alarum albicantioribus et cauda sensim furcata. distinguendus. a Hab. EKastern Norra AmericA.—MeExico (Boucard), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria, Xicotencal and Tampico in Tamaulipas, Aguas Calientes and Plains of San Luis Potosi (W. B. Richardson), Venta de Z opilote, Acaguasotla, Tepetlapa, Rincon and Tierra Colorada in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Orizaba (Botteri, F. D. G.), Atoyac (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Vera Cruz (F. D. G., Richardson), Playa Vicente (Boucard +), Chihuitan, Sta. Efigenia, Tapana, Guichicovi, Gineta Mts. (Sumichrast 1°), Peto in Yucatan (G. F. Gawmer), Merida, Tabi (F. D. G.), Holbox Mujeres and Cozumel Is. (@. F. Gaumer); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (G. F. Gaumer), Belize (O. S.°); Guatumaa, Coban, Duefias®, Escuintla, Retalhuleu (0. 8. & F. D.G.); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. UM. Whitely7) ; Panama (M*Leannan ""). It is exceedingly difficult from skins always to distinguish this species from F. trailli. Though the characters are laid down with considerable precision by the most recent writers on the subject, experience shows that they cannot always be depended upon to EMPIDONAX. 73 discriminate every individual. A hundred and odd specimens before us conform fairly to the characters of this bird as given above, but we notice slight differences in coloration which we believe to be due to differences of season: thus birds shot in Central America in early spring agree fairly well with North-American examples killed during the breeding-season, but autumn birds have greyer throats and more distinctly yellow bellies. The slightly forked tail of E. minimus seems to be the best character by which to distinguish it from F. frailli, and in naming our series from Mexico and Central America we have been governed by it rather than by measurement and slight modifica- tions of colour. The difference in the colour of the eggs of E. minimus, which are spotless buffy white, and those of L. trazl/i, which are spotted with deep rusty brown, at once shows that the two birds are really quite distinct. i. minimus enjoys a wide range throughout Eastern Mexico and Central America in the winter months, but it appears to be absent from Western Mexico and the central plateau, and only crosses to the Pacific coast at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. In Guatemala it occurs on both sides of the cordillera and in the mountains up to an elevation of 5000 or 6000 feet. At higher altitudes in the Volcan de Fuego its place is taken by HL. hammond. ce. Subtus flavus. 6. Empidonax flaviventris. Tyrannula flaviventris, W. M. & 8. F. Baird, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1843, p. 2837. Empidonax flaviventris, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 198°; Scl. P.Z.S. 1859, p. 366°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 280*; Sel. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 122°; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 360°, 1870, p. 8377; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 8°, ix. p. 114°; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 27°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557"; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 378”; Salv. P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 199°; Coues, Birds N. W. p. 255; Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 442”; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 384°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 466°"; Man. N. Am. B. p. 341 ™. ?, Sel. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 296, no. 107”. Supra olivaceus; capite summo vix obscuriore; alis nigricantibus, tectricibus flavo-albido late terminatis fasciis duabus formantibus, secundariis internis late reliquis anguste extrorsum flavo-albido limbatis; oculorum ambitu pallide flavido: subtus flavus; pectore et hypochondriis olivaceo limbatis; subalaribus flavidis : rostri maxilla nigricante, mandibula flava; pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 4:5, ale 2-6, caude 2:0, tarsi 0°7, rostri a rictu 0°6. (Descr. maris ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Tyrannula Hab. Eastern Norto AMeErRiIca.—MeExico, Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria and Xicotencal in Tamaulipas (W. B. Richardson), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast 14), Colipa (f. D. G.), Jalapa (de Oca?, M. Trujillo), Cordova (Sallé 19), Teapa in Tabasco (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Guichicovi, Sta. Efigenia (Sumichrast ); G@uatEMALA (Skinner >), Choctum, Coban, Duefias, Retalhuleu (0. S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. M. Whitely"); Nicaracua, Sucuya (Nutting 1°); Costa Rica, Ango- BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IL, February 1889. 10 : 74 . TYRANNID. stura, Grecia” (Carmiol), Navarro (Cooper®); Panama, Vibalé, Chiriqui, Calove- vora 13 (Arcé), Lion-Hill Station (M‘Leannan § °). E. flaviventris is the sole representative in Eastern North America of the yellow- bellied section of the genus, and it is the only one which has the wing-bands rather conspicuously of a yellowish white; those of the allied forms being more or less tinged with grey or buff. The under surface, too, is of a brighter paler yellow, and the under wing-coverts are pale yellow rather than buff. In our country it is most probably a migratory species, breeding in the Northern United States, and still further north, occurring even in Greenland, and passing in autumn and spring along the eastern flank of the mountains of Mexico, thence through Guatemala generally, and southwards as far as the State of Panama. So far as the evidence before us goes it is absent from Central and Western Mexico, but it appears on the shores of the Pacific at Tehuantepec. Its nest is placed in clefts of old stumps or logs or similar situations, and is bulky, being composed of mosses &c. The eggs are buffy white or pale buff, speckled, chiefly round the larger end, with rusty brown or cinnamon. 7. Empidonax bairdi. Empidonazx bairdi, Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1858, p.3801*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 230°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. 11. p. 863°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 466*; Man. N. Am. B. p. 341°. Empidonax dificilis, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 198, t. 76. f. 2°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 466"; Man. N. Am. B. p. 340°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 229°. Empidonax flaviventris, var. difficilis, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 380"°; Henshaw, U.S. Geogr. Surv. West of 100th Mer. v. p. 359 *'; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 2877. Supra olivaceus; alis nigricantibus, tectricibus ochrescenti-flavis, secundariis eodem colore limbatis; cauda fusco-nigricante, ochraceo vix limbata; oculorum ambitu pallide flavo: subtus pallide ochraceo-flavidus ; pectore ochraceo-olivaceo: rostri maxilla nigricante, mandibula flavida. Long. tota 5-0, ale 2-7, caudee 2°3, tarsi 0°7, rostri a rictu 0-6. (Descr. maris ex Presidio, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Norra America, Western United States from Sitka southwards §.—MeExico, Yecara in Sonora (Lloyd), Mazatlan, 'Tres Marias Is. (Grayson 1°, Forrer), Plains of Colima (Xantus1*), Amula, Omilteme, Venta del Peregrino, Venta de Camaron, Tepetlapa, and Dos Arroyos in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Sierra de San Luis Potosi (Richardson), Coapa, Chimalpa, Cuajimalpa (Ferrari-Perez), Amecameca, El Pinal near Puebla, Jalapa (f. D. G.), Cordova (Sallé 1). According to Mr. Ridgway’s key of the genus Hmpidonax the bird called #. bairdi falls into the section which has the under wing-coverts yellow like those of E. flavi- ventris; but from the specimens before us, from Mr. Sclater’s collection, supplemented by others recently received from various parts of Mexico, we find that E. batrdi in this respect agrees with /. difficilis, and in fact is, in our opinion, undistinguishable from that species. It is true some specimens have the tips of the wing-coverts rather more ochraceous than others, but we are unable to trace anything like definite distinction EMPIDONAX. 75 between them. The range of the species, as a whole, is very extensive, and doubtless the northern birds occur only in the far north during the breeding-season ; at the same time it is very probable that in the highlands of Mexico birds of this species are to be found throughout the year, their numbers receiving a large accession during the winter. It is certainly found in the tablelands of Mexico as late as the end of Apmil. The two names EL. bairdi and E£. difficilis were published apparently in the same year, 1858. Though the titlepage of Baird’s ‘ Birds of North America’ bears the date 1860, copies, we believe, were distributed in 1858, the date of the preface. Mr. Sclater’s title H. bairdi appears in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for 1858, the paper containing the description having been read at a meeting held on 8th June. There can thus be but little doubt that the name FE. bairdi has a slight priority over L. difficilis. Grayson says this species is common on the Tres Marias Islands as well as at Tepic and Mazatlan”. All his specimens were obtained in the winter and spring months, so that he was not certain whether it remained throughout the summer. On the Tres Marias it frequented the thick forest beneath the foliage of the trees; it also might often be met with near some secluded and shady brook, from the surface of which it took its insect food. The nest and eggs are described as resembling those of #. flaviventris. 8. Empidonax salvini. Empidonaz salvini, Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, pp. 459*, 467°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 231°. Empidonaz bairdi, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 36%. E. bairdi similis, sed supra paulo olivacior: subtus quoque pectore clare olivaceo distinguendus. (Descr. maris ex Calderas, Volcan de Fuego. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. Hab. Guatemata, Coban (Constantiat, O S. & F. D. G.), Choctum, Calderas, Volcan de Fuego, Volcan de Agua above San Diego (0. S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras? (Dyson). This is a species closely allied to H. bairdi, but may be distinguished by its rather brighter upper surface ; the chest, too, is brighter olivaceous, and the throat and belly clearer yellow. Regarding the under wing-coverts we do not see much difference. When the axillary plumes overlie the coverts the latter appear to be yellow, but when the axillaries are raised the coverts are shown to be ochraceous. E. salvini is by no means uncommon in the woods of the Volcanos of Agua and Fuego up to an elevation of 7000 or 8000 feet. It is also found in Alta Vera Paz, near Coban, and northwards in the direction of Choctum. 9. Empidonax flavescens. Empidonax flavescens, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 183’, ix. p. 115’; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, 10* 76 TYRANNIDZ. p. 308°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 199‘; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 363°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 467°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 2317. Empidonaz viridescens, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 413°. Quam precedentes pectore multo magis ochraceo. Hab. Costa Rica, Barranca }2, Dota Mountains, Grecia? (Carmiol), Quebrada Honda (v. Frantzius?), Irazu (H. Rogers); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui*, Calovevora* (Arcé). | This species seems fairly separable from the more northern &#. salvini and E. bairdi, the most obvious character being the ochraceous tint on the chest. In some specimens the head and back are of a browner olive, but this is an evanescent character. Upon the specimens with the more olivaceous upper plumage Mr. Ridgway founded his E. viridescens, but with a typical specimen of E. flavescens before us, and others com- pared with the type of E. viridescens, we do not see how two Costa-Rican species can be established—some allowance must be made for age, season, &c. b. Rostrum angustulum. 10. Empidonax hammondi. Tyrannula hammondi, Xantus de Vesey, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1858, p. 117’. Empidonax hammondi, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 199, t. 76. f. 17; Coues, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1866, p. 52°; Birds N. W. p. 257*; Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 443°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 883"; Henshaw, U.S. Geogr. Surv. West 100th Mer. vy. p. 362°; Lawr. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 27°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 467"; Man. N. Am. B. p. 844"; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 232”. E, obscuro similis et forsan haud distinguendus, caude rectrice utrinque extima pogoniis ambobus fere unico- loribus. Long. tota 5:2, ale 2°8, caude 2°3, tarsi 0°65, rostri a rictu 0°55. (Descr. exempl. ex Orizaba, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Wustern Nortn America, from the Lesser Slave Lake southwards !.—Mexico, Sierra de Valparaiso in Zacatecas (Richardson), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast ), Orizaba (/. D. @), Gineta Mountains (Swmichrast®) ; Guatemata, Calderas 7500 feet, Pine-forest of Volcan de Fuego, between 10,000 and 12,000 feet (0. 8S. & F. D. G.). We are not at all sure that skins of this bird can always be distinguished from E. obscurus, the point chiefly relied upon lies in the colour of the outer web of the outermost tail-feather on either side, which in E. hammondi hardly differs from the inner web, but in £. obscurus is always whitish; moreover, E. hanunondi is usually a smaller bird than F. odscurus. We find, however, small birds with the outer web of the tail-feather paler than the inner, so that it becomes very difficult to determine accurately every individual. . hammondi has the long narrow bill of this section of Empidonaz, so that we have little doubt that it is with Z. obscurus that it should be compared, and this is the opinion of both Dr. Coues and Mr. Ridgway, though Mr. Henshaw considered that its affinity is with E. minimus 8. EMPIDONAX. 77 We know very little of this bird in Mexico, but two specimens obtained in September in the Sierra de Valparaiso by Richardson and two by Godman at _Orizaba in 1888 undoubtedly belong to it, also two examples from the upper portion of the Volcan de Fuego, in Guatemala, are inseparable from the Mexican birds *. One of these was obtained near Calderas, at an elevation of between 7000 and 8000 feet above the sea, the other in the upper pine-region which commences at a little over 10,000 feet and continues to the summit. According to Mr. Lawrence, specimens obtained by Sumichrast in the Gineta Mountains of the State of Chiapas are referable to this species °. The northern range of L. hammondi extends to the Lesser Slave Lake a little beyond the 49th parallel; thence it spreads over the intervening States to Arizona. It is, however, a summer visitor to the north, reaching Arizona in April and leaving again in October. Mr. Henshaw says it leaves the low country entirely in summer and retires to the mountains, where it may be met with in pine-woods or alders fringing some mountain-stream. There seems to be some doubt about the nest and eggs of this species, as the latest authority on the subject, Mr. Ridgway, says they are like those of EL. minimus, but qualifies his statement with a ?. 11. Empidonax obscurus. Tyrannula obscura, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 367°. Empidonax obscurus, Baird, Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p. 9, t. 9. f. 3°; B. N. Am. p. 200, t.49. f. 3°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1862, p.19*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 232°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. 11. p. 3817; Coues, B. N. W. p. 258°; Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 443°; Elenshaw, U.S..Geogr. Surv. West 100th Mer. vy. p- 360"°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 468"; Man. N. Am. B. p. 344”. Epidonax wrighti, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 200”. Supra olivaceo-griseus ; capite saturatiore; alis nigricantibus, tectricibus et secundariis internis sordide albo limbatis ; cauda nigricante, rectrice extima utrinque in pogonio externo sordide alba: loris et gutture griseo-albidis ; pectore pallide fusco; abdomine toto pallide flavicante: rostro corneo; pedibus nigri- cantibus. Long. tota 5:3, alee 2°8, caudex 2°6, tarsi 0°7, rostri a rictu 0-6. (Descr. maris ex Mexicalcingo, prope urbem Mexico. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Nortu America, Western United States from Rocky Mountains westward, south- wards from Nevada and Utah.—Mexico (Bullock +), Micoba in Sonora (Lloyd), Amulaand Omilteme in Guerrero (M/s. H. H. Smith), Patzcuaro, Morelia(/*. D. G.), Chimalpa, Coapa, Hacienda Eslava, Mexicalcingo, Tetelco, near city of Mexico (Ferrari-Perez), Amecameca, Alixco (Ff. D. G.), Villade Etla, La Parada (Boucard), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast ®). Swainson’s description of this species was based upon a specimen stated to have come from “Mexico.” It is now known as a bird of the plateau, being common in the * These birds are called Z. minimus in Mr. Sclater’s Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 228. 78 TYRANNIDZ. environs of the city of Mexico and thence southwards to La Parada and the highlands of the State of Vera Cruz. Westwards of the plateau it is found near Patzcuaro and Morelia, and in the Sierra Madre of Sonora. It has also been found at El Paso, and thence northwards to Utah and Nevada, and also in most of the country lying to the westward of the Rocky Mountains. Dr. Coues speaks of #. obscurus as migratory in Arizona, arriving in March or April and leaving in October. Some further valuable notes on this bird will be found in his ‘ Birds of the North-West,’ which we have no space to transcribe here. Mr. Henshaw says it is an abundant species in many localities in the middle and southern regions of the United States, though in others it appears to be absent. In summer it is a bird of the mountains, resorting to the deciduous trees and bushes on the banks of streams, or, as in Arizona, the oaks. In other places it is found in the barren pine-clad hills where there is no deciduous vegetation. In the autumn it leaves the hills and may be met with in its journey southwards wherever trees and bushes afford it suitable shelter 1° The nest is placed in aspen bushes, and is, like that of EZ. minimus, compactly felted, cup-shaped, composed chiefly of greyish fibres, and placed in a fork of an upright branch of a bush or small tree. The eggs are plain buffy-white. 12. Empidonax affinis. Tyrannula affinis, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 8677. Empidonaz affinis, Salv. Cat. Strick]. Coll. p. 314°. Empidonax fulvipectus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. x. p. 11°; Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 310‘; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 310°; Ibis, 1886, p. 468°; Man. N. Am. B. p. 3447. Preecedenti similis, sed omnino olivaceo, mento tantum albicante ; mandibula omnino flavida ut videtur distin- guendus. Long. tota 5:2, ale 3-0, caude 2°6, tarsi 0-7, rostri a rictu 0°55. (Deser. femine ex Ciudad in Durango. Mus. nostr.) 3 femine similis. Hab. Mexico, Tutuaca in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Ciudad in Durango (Forrer), Sierra de Valparaiso de Zacatecas (Richardson), Amula, Omilteme, and Tepetlapa in Guerrero (Mrs. HH. H. Smith), city of Mexico (fide Lawrence *), Chimalpa, Hacienda Eslava near city of Mexico (Ferrari-Perez), La Parada (Boucard), Cinco Sefiores (Galeotti 2). Swainson’s name 7yrannula affinis was given to a bird in Bullock’s collection, stated to have been obtained in the “ maritime parts of Mexico.” Various attempts to recog- nize this name have been made. Mr. Sclater, in 1859, thought it possible that it might refer to the bird he was then describing as Mitrephorus phwocercus; and, in 1866 (Proc. Ac. Phil.), Dr. Coues thought that his MW. pallescens was perhaps meant. It was not until 1882 that Salvin examined Swainson’s type and identified thereby a specimen from Cinco Sefiores in Mexico in the Strickland collection at Cambridge, and referred to it Mr. Lawrence’s L. fulvipectus. We have since compared the Strickland bird with a specimen compared with Mr. Lawrence’s type, so that our identification of F. fulvi- pectus is hardly open to question. Unfortunately this identification has been entirely EMPIDONAX. 79 overlooked by subsequent writers. Mr. Ridgway makes no reference to Tyrannula affinis, and the name does not appear in Mr. Sclater’s recently published catalogue. The latter author, though he otherwise adopts, almost in its entirety, Mr. Ridgway’s classification of Himpidonax, does not admit the distinctness of E. fulvipectus, Lawr., from FE. obscurus. But with a more extensive series before us we have little difficulty in separating them by the characters pointed out above. Li. affinis occurs throughout the valley of Mexico, together with E. obscurus and the species next described as /. canescens, all of them being equally common. It also occurs with 7. obscurus at La Parada, in the Sierra Madre del Sur, and northwards in the Sierra Madre of Durango and Sonora. Whether the three birds occupy different areas in the breeding-season remains to be proved. 13. Empidonax canescens, sp. n. E. obscuro quoque affinis, sed corpore supra multo magis griseo, dorso vix olivaceo tincto: subtus usque ad pectus griseus, gutture medio albicante, abdomine albicante flavo vix lavato: rostro angusto elongato, mandibula ad basin pallida. Long. tota 5-8, ale 3-1, caude 2°6, tarsi 0°7, rostri a rictu 0-7. (Deser. maris ex Mexicalcingo prope urbem Mexico. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. Hab. Mexico, Ixtapalapa, Culhuacan, Huipulco, Coapa, Mexicalcingo, and Chimalpa, near city of Mexico (ferrari-Perez). In Prof. Ferrari-Perez’s collection of birds made during the winter and spring months of 1887-88 are many specimens of this species, all taken in the valley of Mexico and the surrounding hills. Compared with £. obscurus and E. affinis it is a much greyer bird, with a longer narrower bill. Two specimens, in ragged plumage, g and r of Mr. Sclater’s Catalogue, and there considered young birds of E. obscurus, belong to this species. B. Pileus niger. 14. Empidonax atriceps. (Tab. XL. fig. 3.) Empidonaz atriceps, Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 198"; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus, vi. p. 413°. Mitrephanes atriceps, Ridgw. Ibis, 1886, p. 461°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 220°. Supra fuscus; uropygio et collo postico paulo dilutioribus; pileo toto nigro; alis et cauda nigricanti-fuscis, secundariis et tectricibus alarum majoribus sordide albo marginatis; rectricibus utrinque extimis extrorsum albo limbatis: subtus ochraceo-fuscus ; gula et ventre imo albicantibus ; loris et macula postoculari albidis ; campterio et subalaribus sordide albis: rostri maxilla nigra, mandibula flava; pedibus nigris. Long. tota 4-5, ale 2:3, caude 2:0, tarsi 0-6. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Volcan de Chiriqui. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Irazu (Rogers*), Pirris (J. Cooper?); Panama, Volean de Chiriqui (Arcé +). This very distinct species was discovered by our collector Arce on the southern slope of the Volcan de Chiriqui, and it has since been found in Costa Rica. Mr. Ridgway, followed by Mr. Sclater, places /. atriceps in the genus Mitrephanes, but we still think it fits much better in Empidonaz. It has no crest, the tail is not 80 TYRANNIDA. elongated, the outer web of the external rectrices is white, and its general coloration are all points wherein it differs from Mitrephanes pheocercus, the type of Mitrephanes. CONTOPUS. Contopus, Cabanis, J. f. Orn. 1855, p. 479 (type Muscicapa virens, Linn.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 234. Nuttallornis, Ridgway, Man. N. Am. B. p. 337 (type Tyrannus borealis, Sw.). This is also one of the obscure genera of Tyrannide, some of the species of the C. virens group being exceedingly difficult to define. Others, again, are well-marked and easily distinguished. Mr. Sclater recognizes nine species of Contopus, but there are several others the status of which he was unable to establish. In our region we find eight species, whereof three are migratory, spending their breeding-season in North America. | The type of Contopus (C. virens) is very like several species of Himpidonax, but larger and always to be distinguished by its proportionally shorter tarsi. The form of the bill, the supranasal feathers, &c. are much the same in both genera, as are also the proportions of the wings and tail. C. borealis departs from the type in being a larger, stouter bird, with a much stouter bill and shorter tail. C. musicus is also different in other ways, the tail being long and somewhat forked. Both these sections are also marked by having a large white patch on the flanks on either side, but this is also present in a less degree in C. virens. a. Species majores. a’. Abdomen in medio album. 1. Contopus borealis. Tyrannus borealis, Sw. Faun. Bor.-Am. u. p. 141, t. 35"; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 2037. Contopus borealis, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 188°; Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 115‘; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 27°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 199°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p- 83537; Coues, Birds N. W. p. 243°; Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 488°; Perez, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 156%; Tacz. Orn. Per. ii. p. 316"; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 837%; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 284”. Muscicapa cooperi, Nutt. Man. i. p. 282”. Tyrannus cooperi, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 297. Contopus cooperi, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 248"°. Muscicapa mesoleuca, Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vog. p. 2 (cf. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 58) 22”. Contopus mesoleucus, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 48°°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 1221"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. 1. p. 557. Supra brunneo-ardesiacus ; capite obscuriore; alis et cauda nigricantibus; alarum tectricibus pallide fusco terminatis, secundariis internis extrorsum albido limbatis: subtus medialiter albus; abdomine vix flavo tincto ; hypochondriis plaga magna alba notatis: rostri maxilla nigricante, mandibula flava; pedibus nigris. CONTOPUS. 81 Long. tota 7:0, ale 4:4, caude rect. med. 2°5, rect. lat. 2°85, tarsi 0°6, rostri a rictu 0°95. (Deser. maris ex Sierra Madre, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Mus..nostr.) Hab. Norta America, from Canada southwards.—MExico, Rio de Papagaio in Guer- rero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Hacienda de las Escobas (f. B. Armstrong), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria (W. B. Richardson), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast ?°), Cuesta de Misantla (17. Trujillo), Orizaba (Botteri 18), Cordova (Sailé 1°), La Parada (Boucard), Cacoprieto (Sumichrast >); GuatemaLa (Skinner !°), Coban, Duefias (0. S. & F. D. G.); Costa Rica (Hoffmann), Irazu (Rogers); Panama, Calobre ¢ (Arcé).—CoLomBia; Peru}. It is possible that Lichtenstein’s Muscicapa mesoleuca, described as “ Graugriinlich, mit weisslicher Kehle und dergl. Bauch,” is meant for this species; and, if so, the name has one year’s priority over Swainson’s Tyrannus borealis. But, though the specific name is suggestive, the description is very meagre, so that we are not disposed to displace the specific name Jorealis in favour of mesoleucus * for this Contopus. Mr. Sclater’s use of the same name in 1859 was made without reference to Lichtenstein’s prior application of it. Contopus mesoleucus of the later author is certainly a synonym of C. borealis. Though this species is rare in the Atlantic States of North America, it enjoys a wide summer range in the northern districts from Massachusetts westwards, and throughout the South-western States to the Mexican border. We have no record of it along the western slope of the Mexican cordillera north of the State of Guerrero nor on the plateau, but it is found abundantly on the flank of the mountains facing the Atlantic, and thence southwards to the Pacific on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. In Guatemala it occurs in the mountainous parts, and in similar districts of Costa Rica and the State of Panama, and also in South America as far as Northern Peru. The nest of C. borealis is usually placed near the extremity of a horizontal branch of a pine or other tree, and is composed of strips of bark, roots, mosses, &c. loosely put together to form a shallow structure. The eggs are creamy buff, spotted, usually in a more or less distinct ring around the larger end, with deep rusty brown or chestnut and purplish grey. b’. Abdomen in medio haud album haud ochracewm. 2. Contopus musicus. Tyrannula musica, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 368°. Contopus pertinax, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 72”; Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 231°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 235‘; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 203°; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 314°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 5577; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 356°; Henshaw, Rep. Geogr. Surv. West 100th Mer. v. p. 351°; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. il. p. 287"; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 27"; Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 489"; F.-Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p.155"°; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 337. * Elainea mesoleuca, Licht. Nomencl. p.17; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 60, from Montevideo, may also possibly refer to the same bird, wrongly attributed to Mexico. In Lichtenstein’s ‘Nomenclator’ Contopus borealis is called Myiarchus villicus. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., March 1889. 11 82 TYRANNIDZ. Contopus borealis, Scl. P. Z. S, 1858, p. 301*°, 1859, pp. 44°, 366, 384"°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 122, Supra griseo-olivaceus ; pileo obscuriore; alis et cauda fusco-nigricantibus, illarum tectricibus et secundariis pallide fusco obscure limbatis ; remige primo in pogonio externo albo marginato: subtus sordide olivaceo- grisescens; gula pallidiore; abdomine medio fulvescente, lateribus plaga magna alba celata ornatis: rostri maxilla fusca, mandibula flava; pedibus obscure corylinis. Long. tota 8:0, ale 4:3, caude rect. med. 3°4, rect. lat. 3°7, tarsi 0°7, rostri a rictu 0-9. (Descr. exempl. ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Av. ju. obscurior, tectricibus et secundariis alarum fulvo conspicue limbatis. Hab. Nort America, Southern Arizona’ *.—Mexico (Bullock'), Sierra Madre of - Sonora and Chihuahua, Rio Verde, Yecera, Tutuaca (W. Lloyd), Ciudad in Durango (Forrer), Mazatlan and Tepic (Grayson 19), Plains of Colima (Xantus 1°), Omilteme, Chilpancingo, Amula and Rincon in Guerrero (Irs. H. H. Smith), Chimalpa, Ixtapalapa, Tetelco (Ferrari-Perez), Chietla and Actopam (Ferrari- Perez '8), State of Vera Cruz (Swmichrast’), Jalapa? (de Ocal", Hoge, M. Trujillo), Cofre de Perote (IZ. Trujillo), Parada *, Cinco Sefiores 1® (Boucard), Sta. Gertrudis (Galeotti ®), Gineta Mts. (Sumichrast 1); British Honpuras, Southern Pine Ridge near Cayo (Blancaneaux); GuaTEMALA (Skinner 1°), Volcan de Fuego 3, Volcan de Agua (0. 8. & F. D. G.4). The birds from the Sierra Madre of North-Western Mexico, including those from Southern Arizona belonging to the same mountain-system, are of a greyer cast of plumage than the typical form of Contopus pertinar from Jalapa, those of the valley of Mexico agreeing with the northern rather than with the eastern type. The bird of Guatemala appears to be of a browner colour on the upper plumage and not so grey as that of the Western Sierra Madre; but it differs little, except in being rather small, from the Jalapa bird. Moreover the differences appear to be to some extent due to season and age, the young individuals being darker and browner than the old ones. This is especially to be noticed in Mrs. Smith’s specimens from the Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero; the older birds resemble those of the valley of Mexico, the younger ones those of the Eastern Sierras. Perhaps the most distinct of these forms is that found in Guatemala, the bird of the State of Vera Cruz being intermediate, but we see no sufficient grounds for giving any of them separate names. It is probable that only in the northern and higher portion of its range this species is migratory. It certainly breeds in Arizona, the Sierras of Durango, Cofre de Perote, &c., and also in Guatemala, as specimens before us were shot in September, at which time birds were still in the Sierras of Arizona. | There can be little doubt that Swainson’s name Tyrannula musica is applicable to this bird and has many years’ priority over Contopus pertinax of Cabanis and Heine. Unfortunately the former title has been entirely overlooked since it was published, so that the latter has come into general use. We believe C. musicus to be strictly applicable to the bird of the tablelands and thence northwards to Arizona. If separ- * Capt. P. M. Thorne (Auk, 1887, p. 264) records a single specimen from Colorado. Crre7rnlce ow mone aon CONTOPUS. 83 able the Jalapa bird should be called C. pertinax, and on the American system of nomenclature a basis for a trinomial can be found for the latter if required. Though, generally speaking, a bird of the upland regions of the countries where it is found, C. musicus is not strictly confined to such districts, for Grayson met with it at all seasons near Mazatlan and at Tepic. In Guatemala it usually frequents the second- growth woods at an elevation of 4000 to 6000 feet above the sea, and here it is not an uncommon bird at all seasons of the year. | ; In Arizona Mr. H. W. Henshaw met with this species in abundance from J uly to September, young birds being well fledged by the middle of the former month, so that the eggs must have been laid early in June. He gives a full account of the habits of the species as observed by him in Arizona; but he appears to have reached that country too late in the season to find it in the early stages of its breeding, and neither nest nor eggs have yet been discovered. Its chief resort is amongst the pine-woods and oaks at a lower elevation. 3. Contopus lugubris. Contopus lugubris, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 184°, ix. p. 115°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p- 808°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 851°; Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 310°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 236°. C. musico similis, sed valde minor et omnino obscurior. Hab. Costa Rica, Barranca!, Birris, and Dota (Carmiol?); Panama, Chiriqui (Arcé §). Our single specimen of this species agrees closely with Mr. Lawrence’s type, being only slightly smaller; its darker plumage is due to its feathers being more freshly moulted. This is but a small dark form of C. musicus, probably restricted in its range to the mountain-system of Costa Rica and the State of Panama. Its isolation no doubt renders its recognition certain. 4. Contopus ardesiacus. Tyrannula ardosiaca, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1844, p. 80°. - Sayornis ardosiacus, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 144°. | Contopus ardesiacus, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, pp. 515 *, 615*; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 317°; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 237°. Supra ardesiacus, capite nigricantiore ; alis et cauda nigricantibus : subtus pallidior: rostri maxilla nigricante, mandibula cornea; pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6°5, ale 3:5, caude rect. med. 2°8, rect. lat. 3-1, tarsi 0°6, rostri a rictu 0°85. (Descr. maris ex Santa Elena, Colombia. Mus. nostr.) Hab. ‘PanaMA, Truando (Wood 2)\ Sour America, from Colombia!? to Bolivia 4, Venezuela ¢ and Guiana °. This species just comes within our limits, as it was met with at the falls of the Truando river by Mr. C. J. Wood, who accompanied Lieut. Michler’s exploring expedi- tion. He observed a pair about some rocks at the foot of the mountains on the Truando. Its notes were very pleasing and almost formed a continued song. 11* 84 TYRANNIDA. Stolzmann observed this bird on trees in the forests of Palto in Peru, and it was not rare at Tambillo®. It lives at elevations between 6000 and 9000 feet above the sea. ‘In British Guiana Whitely met with it at Roraima and one of the neighbouring mountains at an elevation of about 3500 feet. c’. Abdomen omnino ochraceum. 5. Contopus ochraceus. (Tab. XX XVIII. fig. 2.) Contopus ochraceus, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 419*; Salv. Ibis, 1870, p. 115’, 1874, p. 318°; Ridgw. Ibis, 1883, p. 401‘; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 237°. Supra olivaceus, pileo obscuriore ; alis caudaque nigricantibus, secundariis et tectricibus alarum ochraceo late marginatis: subtus ochraceus, in ventre medio clarior, mentum versus obscurior : rostri maxilla nigra, mandibula flava; pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6-5, ale 3:3, caude 2°9, tarsi 0°6, rostri a rictu 0°9, (Deser. exempl. typ. ex Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Carmiol *). The single specimen which we now figure was sent us from Costa Rica by Carmiol and described in 1869, and is, we believe, still the only one known. The species is a very distinct one without near allies and may at once be recognized by the yellowish-ochre colour of its under plumage. / b. Species minores. 6. Contopus virens. Muscicapa virens, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 3277; Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vog. p. 2 (cf. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 58) ”. Contopus virens, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 190°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 122 (?)“; P. Z.S. 1870, p. 887°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 248°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 115"; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 27°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 557°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 357°; Sennett, Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. iv. p. 33”, v. p. 405”; Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 439"; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 388; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 238°; Gundl. Orn. Cab. p. 75". Contopus albicollis, Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sc. iii. p. 156; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 338”. Supra olivaceo-brunneus, capite obscuriore; supracaudalibus fuscescentibus; alis et cauda nigricantibus, alarum tectricibus fusco limbatis, secundariorum marginibus albidis: subtus cervicis et pectoris lateribus et hypochondriis fuscis ; gutture et abdomine medio albicantibus, hoc sulphureo lavato: rostri maxilla fusca, mandibula flavida; pedibus nigris. Long. tota 5°7, ale 3:3, caude 2°5, tarsi 0-5, rostri a rictu 0°6. (Descr. maris ex San Augustin, Nuevo Leon. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Eastern Nortu America, from Canada southward, westward to the great plains 1° 44, Texas 1 12._Mrxico, Vaqueria, San Agustin and San Antonio in Nuevo Leon (F. B. Armstrong), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast°), Tapana (Sumichrast *), Cozumel I. (Gaumer) ; Honpuras, Ruatan I. (Gawmer 1°), San Pedro (G. I. Whitely 5); Costa Rica (Hoffmann °*).—CotomsBia and Ecuapor; Cusa’®. This is a bird of the Eastern States of North America, where it abounds in many CONTOPUS. 85 parts during the breeding-season. The line of its southern migration does not appear quite clear. We certainly find it in the North Mexican State of Nuevo Leon and again on the islands of Cozumel and Ruatan and on the mainland of Honduras, but we have not met with it again till we come to Santa Marta in Colombia, where Mr. Simons obtained a bird undoubtedly of this species in 1879; thence it passes into Kcuador. It will be noticed that we have not included Guatemala or Panama as within the winter range of this bird, though specimens from those countries, which we now believe to belong rather to C. richardsoni, have been assigned by Mr. Sclater to C. virens. We think on the whole they are best placed here. Other Mexican localities are inserted on the authority of Sumichrast’s specimens ®®; and as regards Costa Rica, Hoffmann’s example, as determined by Prof. Cabanis °%, is the only record we have of its occurrence there. The habits of Contopus virens are fully given by American authors, with whom it is a very familiar bird. Its nest is described as a beautiful saucer-shaped structure, covered exteriorly with green and grey lichens, and usually secured to a thick horizontal branch of a tree. The eggs are pale creamy buff or creamy white, spotted, generally in a ring round the larger end, with rich madder-brown and lilac-grey. 7. Contopus richardsoni. Tyrannula richardsoni, Sw. Faun. Bor.-Am. ii. p. 146, t. 46°; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 203°. Contopus richardsoni, Baird, Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p. 9°; Birds N. Am. p. 189°; Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 360°, 1879, p. 615°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 115°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 308°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 199°; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 888°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 239”. Contopus virens, var. richardsoni, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p.360; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 887%; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 27; Henshaw, Rep. U.S. Geogr. Surv. West 100th Mer. v. p. 353"; Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 440”. Contopus sordidulus, Scl. P. Z.S. 1859, p. 437; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 122; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557”. Contopus plebeius, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 71” (?); Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 248”. Praecedenti similis, sed plerumque major, supra minus olivaceus : subtus pectore latiore fusco, abdomine flavido vix tincto. (Descr. exempl. ex San José, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Western Nortu AMERICA, eastward to the great plains !°!2.—Mexico 1’, Mazatlan (Grayson 18), Presidio near Mazatlan (Forrer), Chilpancingo, Venta de Zopilote, Venta de Camaron and Acapulco in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Monterey (Couch *), Vaqueria in Nuevo Leon (F. B. Armstrong), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria (W. B. Richardson), Chimalpa (Ferrari-Perez), State of Vera Cruz (Sumi- chrast 1°), Orizaba (Botteri !!), Tapana, Tehuantepec city (Sumichrast 1+); Britisa Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gawmer); Guatemata 17 (Skinner ®), Coban, Duefias, Retalhuleu (0. S. & F. D. G.) ; Costa Rica” (Hoffmann *"), San José (Frantzius 78), Frailes, Barranca (Carmiol"), Irazu (Rogers); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui®, 86 TYRANNIDA. Bugaba®, Calovevora® (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan*), Chepo (Arcé).—SovuTH America, Ecuador !! and Bolivia °. A series of specimens of this Tyrant-Flycatcher from the northern part of its range when compared with a similar series of C. virens shows that these species are barely separable. The upper plumage, however, of C. richardsoni is slightly less olivaceous than that of C. virens; the chest is more continuously and distinctly cinereous and the abdomen scarcely tinged with yellow. When, however, we come to the migratory flocks which spread southward at the approach of winter and distribute themselves throughout Mexico and Central America, we find the greatest difficulty in discrimi- . nating between these two birds. In naming our specimens we have been governed a good deal by their geographical distribution, and we believe that the western form in winter spreads over the greater part of Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama, and thence southwards as far as Bolivia. The only point where the two birds come into contact as shown by our specimens is in the North Mexican State of Nuevo Leon, whence Mr. Armstrong has recently sent us specimens which must certainly be referred to C. virens, while others are almost as certainly referable to C. richardsoni. In general appearance C. richardsoni is also exceedingly like C. brachytarsus ; but the latter may be distinguished by its shorter and more rounded wing, the first primary hardly exceeding the fifth in length. In C. richardsoni it is obviously longer. We are in some doubt whether C. plebeius applies to this species or to C. brachy- tarsus, and the question cannot be settled without an examination of the types, which are said to have come from Mexico”. The measurement of the wing points rather to the latter bird. “ The writings of North-American ornithologists give full details concerning this bird, and from them we gather that its breeding-range comprises a vast area extending from Arizona and Texas to the Great Slave Lake. The nest is described as constructed chiefly of plant-fibres, sometimes, though rarely, ornamented with lichens and secured in the fork of a branch of a tree. The eggs are like those of C. virens. 8. Contopus brachytarsus. Empidonaz brachytarsus, Scl. Ibis, 1859, p. 441"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 8272. Contopus brachytarsus, Salv. Ibis, 1861, p. 354° ; P. Z. 8.1870, p.199*; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p- 860°; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 339°, x. p. 589"; Sel. Cat, Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p- 240°. Contopus schotti, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 202°; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 571”. Contopus depressirostris, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 403”. C. virenti quoque similis, sed minor, alis magis rotundatis, remige primo quinto fere quali haud longiore ut videtur distinguendus. (Descr. feminz exempl. typ. ex Cordova, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Mexico, Cordova, Santecomapan (Sallé!), Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Merida in CONTOPUS.—MYIARCHUS. 87 Yucatan (Schott), Cozumel I. (Benedict °, Gaumer); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gaumer); Guatemata, Chisec, Choctum, Cahabon, Retalhuleu (0. S. & F. D. G.), Escuintla (Fraser®) ; Honpuras, Segovia river (Henderson") ; Nicaracva, Los Sabalos (Nutting 11); Panama, Bugaba, Calovevora 4 (4rcé), Lion Hill (M*Lean- nan 25), Paraiso (Hughes).—Souta America, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guiana to the Amazons valley, Brazil, and the Argentine Republic ®. This is a small short-winged resident race of this section of Contopus, tolerably common from the State of Vera Cruz southwards through Yucatan and Guatemala to Panama and thence throughout the greater portion of Tropical South America. In Guatemala we found it in the forest regions on both sides of the cordillera up to an elevation of about 1500 feet. Regarding the synonyms of this bird which have been founded on Central-American specimens, C. schotti is now admitted on all hands to be C. brachytarsus. C. depressi- rostris we believe to be also referable to it. Some time ago Mr. Ridgway kindly sent us his types for examination, and as we could not distinguish them specifically from a specimen of C. brachytarsus from Escuintla, Guatemala, we then considered and still consider them to belong to that species. MYIARCHUS. Myiarchus, Cabanis in Tsch. Fauna Per., Aves, p. 152 (1845) (type Muscicapa ferox, Gm.) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 246. Myiarchus is one of the most characteristic genera of Tyrannide and is found through- out the Neotropical Region and beyond it as far north as Canada (where M. crinitus occurs in summer) and the Rocky Mountains, the summer-quarters of M. cinerascens. Other species, such as WZ. magister and UM. lawrencii, reach the Rio Grande valley, but the majority of the known species are more strictly neotropical in their range. We now know twenty-six species of Mytarchus, of which ten occur in our region. The relationship of Myiarchus is evidently with Tyrannus, but it is of slighter build, with longer tail and more slender bill. There is no occipital crest and the outer wing- feathers have their inner webs entire to the tip and not marginate as in Tyrannus and Milvulus. The wing is rounded, the 3rd and 4th quills being longest, 2nd = oth, Ist = 7th; the tail is rather long and nearly even, > $ wing, < 5 tarsus. a. Majores (M. crinitus &c.). al. Rostrum angustum, elongatum, pectus haud flammulatum. a’. Rectrices wa in pogonio interno plerumque rufe. 1. Myiarchus crinitus. Muscicapa crinita, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 325°. 88 TYRANNIDZ. Myiarchus crinitus, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 121 >. Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 250°; Lawr. Ann. ; Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 327‘, ix. p. 115°; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p.27°%; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 3087; Coues, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1872, p. 63°; Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 484°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 334°; Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141"; Salv. Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 315”; Berl. J. f. Orn. 1884, p. 303; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 333™; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 247”. Myjiarchus cinerascens, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 121 (partim) *°. Supra olivaceus, capite paulo obscuriore; alis nigricantibus, rectricibus et secundariis internis pallide fusco limbatis, remigibus medialiter stricte rufo marginatis ; cauda nigricante, rectricibus omnibus preter duas medias in pogonio interno usque ad apicem rufis, parte rhachidi proxima stricte nigricante: subtus usque ad pectus cinereus ; abdomine et subalaribus sulphureis : rostro corneo, pedibus nigris. Long. tota 8:0, ale 3°75, caudee 3:4, tarsi 0°85, rostri a rictu 1:0. (Descr. femine ex Livingston, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) do femine similis. Hab. Norra America, Canada and Eastern States to the edge of the great plains southwards 10 14,-Mexrco (Galeotti 2), Soto la Marina in Tamaulipas (W. B. Richardson), Guanajuato (Dugés"), Tehuantepec city (Sumichrast 5); BRITISH Honpuras, Cayo (Blancaneauax); GuatemaLa (Skinner ®), Livingston '*, Choctum (0. S. & F. D. G.); Costa Rica 3 (v. Frantzius®, Carmiol *) ; Panama, Lion Hill (M‘Leannan*).—CotomBia ® ; Cusa. The decidedly olive tint of the back, the deeper grey of the throat and breast, and the brighter yellow of the under surface render this species readily distinguishable both from WM. cinerascens and M. magister, though in the distribution of the rufous colour on the inner web of the lateral tail-feathers all these birds resemble one another. M. crinitus is a familiar species in the Eastern States, where it is a summer visitor during the breeding-season, and its habits are fully described by writers on North- American birds. Its nest is placed in a hole in a tree and the eggs “ curiously marked with fine ‘pen-lines’ and intricate pencillings of black and various shades of rich purplish brown over a buffy or creamy brown” 7°. 2. Myiarchus inquietus, sp. n. — M. crinito similis, sed multo minor, abdomine pallidiore flavo distinguendus. Long. tota 7-0, ala 3-4, caudee 3°3, rostri a rictu 0°9, tarsi 0°8. (Descr. femine ex Acaguisotla, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Acaguisotla, Chilpancingo, Tierra Colorada, Rio Papagaio and Acapulco in the State of Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith). In the large collection of birds recently received from Mr. and Mrs. Herbert H. Smith from the State of Guerrero are several specimens of a Myiarchus which we are unable to associate with any known species. At first we thought they might belong to the long disputed I. mexicanus, but the shorter wings and brighter yellow abdomen show that this is not the case. The species is evidently a small resident form of the migratory VV. crinitus of Eastern America, which, being isolated in the Sierra Madre del Sur, has acquired distinctive characters. MYIARCHUS. 89 The series includes several specimens in fresh plumage and others in full moult; the former shot in October, the latter in August 1888. A young example has a great deal of rufous colouring on the tail, the shaft and a small portion of the webs on either side being fuscous. In the adults the proportion of rufous is much as in MM. crinitus, and that colour runs out to the tip of the lateral tail-feathers. They thus differ from typical Mf. cinerascens, and also in their yellower abdomen and more olivaceous mantle. This species appears to be not uncommon in the State of Guerrero, and ranges from the sea-level at Acapulco to an altitude of 4600 feet at Chilpancingo. 3. Myiarchus magister. Tyrannula cooperi, Kaup, P.Z.S. 1851, p. 51 (nec Nuttall) *. Myiarchus cooperi, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 180°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 384°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p- 122‘; P.Z.S. 1870, p. 837°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 202°. Myjiarchus crinitus var. cooperi, Coues, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1872, p. 67"; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 331°; Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 28°. Myiarchus erythrocercus var. cooperi, Ridgw. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. i. p. 188 ”. Myiarchus crinitus erythrocercus, Coues & Sennett, Bull. U. 8S. Geol. Surv. iv. p. 32”; Sennett, Bull. U. 8S. Geol. Surv. v. p. 402 *; Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 435”. Myjiarchus mexicanus, Dresser, Ibis, 1865, p. 473°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p- 557; Grayson, Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 278*°; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p- 2877"; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ili. p. 13°; Man. N. Am. B. p. 833; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 250°. Myjiarchus mexicanus magister, Ridgw. Pr. Biol. Soc. Wash. ii. p. 90"; Man. N. Am. B. p. 333 ”. Supra pallide olivaceo-brunneus, capite summo paulo brunnescentiore ; uropygio rufescente tincto; alis nigri- cantibus interne rufo marginatis, tectricibus et secundariis internis sordide albo extrorsum limbatis, remigibus medialiter extrorsum rufo marginatis; cauda nigricante, rectricibus (preter duas medias) in pogonio interno late rufo marginatis, parte rhachidi proxima nigricante, rectrice extima utrinque in pogonio externo pro dimidio proximo albido limbata ; loris, cervicis lateribus et corpore subtus usque ad pectus cinereis ; abdomine et subalaribus pallide sulphureis: rostro et pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 8:5, alee 4°3, caudee 3:9, tarsi 0°9, rostri a rictu 1-1. (Descr. maris ex Vera Cruz, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nortu America, Southern Arizona 22 and Texas !4.—Mexico, Ysleta in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Mazatlan, Tres Marias Is.'° (Grayson, Forrer), Ceralvo, Hacienda de los Trevifios, Vaqueria, Hacienda de las Escobas, Villa Grande, Rio de la Silla, Topo Chico, Estancia (/. B. Armstrong), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria, Soto la Marina, Tampico (W. B. Richardson), Vera Cruz (F. D. G. & W. B. Richardson), Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Peto, Buctzotz, Cozumel I. (G. F. Gaumer) ; Britisu Honpuras, Cayo (Blancaneaux), Orange Walk (G. F. Gaumer); Guatemata (Skinner +); Honpuras, Ruatan I. (G. F. Gaumer), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely®). This species is involved in considerable difficulty both as to its limits and as to its proper title. Putting the South-American species aside, Mr. Ridgway, in his recent BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. ITI., March 1889. 12 90 TYRANNIDA. ‘Manual of North-American Birds,’ recognized two forms which he called MM. mexicanus and M. m. magister—the former a smaller bird, ranging from the lower Rio Grande valley through Eastern and Southern Mexico to Guatemala and Salvador; the latter a larger bird, ranging from Southern Arizona through Western Mexico to Tehuantepec. As the character of size completely fails to distinguish every individual, and it is the only one he relies upon to discriminate his races, we have no alternative but to treat them all as one species. The fifty-two specinfens before us seem fully to justify this view. Mr. Sclater places these forms under the name of J. mexicanus, and he includes with them two birds from Southern Mexico which we hesitate to associate with the rest; their general dimensions do not differ materially from the more northern bird, but the bills are obviously very much smaller. These two birds undoubtedly belong to the true IZ. mexicanus of Kaup—not only do they agree with the description, but they have been compared with the type with which they correspond; they are again mentioned under the account of the next species. ‘The larger-billed bird is the Tyrannula cooperi of Kaup (nec Nuttall), as long ago recognized by Baird ; and it would have saved much perplexity if Baird’s suggestion for the employment of this name had been followed by subsequent writers. The fact of Muscicapa coopert of Nuttall being a synonym of Contopus borealis has caused its rejection in the present case. As we now unite the birds of Eastern and Western Mexico, Mr. Ridgway’s name for the western bird becomes available. MM. magister is not easily differentiated from the South-American I/. tyrannulus; but the northern seems to be the larger bird, rather lighter on the back, and with the rump rather more rufescent. These differences, however, are very trivial, and were the range of the two birds continuous we should hardly hesitate to unite them; but there is a wide tract of country lying between Colombia and Honduras unoccupied by this form, thus rendering slight differences of more importance. M. magister is common in the valley of the Rio Grande and also in Yucatan and the islands off the north and east coasts of that promontory. It is much rarer in Guate- mala, where we never met with it ourselves, though a specimen from one of Skinner’s collections must certainly be referred to it. Merrill found it breeding abundantly in the Lower Rio Grande valley, the nests being composed of felted locks of wool and hair, and placed not far from the ground, either in old holes of Woodpeckers or in natural hollows in decayed trees or stumps. Mr. W. E. D. Scott speaks of I. m. magister* as common in spring and summer about Tucson and other places in Arizona, including the foot-hills of the Catalina Mountains up to an altitude of about 4500 feet. A nest found in a deserted Wood- pecker’s hole in a dead stump of a sycamore was quite like that of MW. crinitus. The eggs also are similar to those of that species but a little larger. * ¢ Auk, 1887, p. 17. MYTIARCHUS. 91 4. Myiarchus cinerascens. Tyrannula cinerascens, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. v. p. 121 (1851) *. Myjiarchus cinerascens, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 121 (partim) ’; Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1859, p. 384°; Coues, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1872, p. 69*; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 288°; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 28°; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 155”. Myjiarchus crinitus var. cinerascens, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 337°. Tyrannula mexicana, Kaup, P.Z. 8. 1851, p. 51°. Myiarchus mexicanus, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 179, t. 5”. Myionax mexicanus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 747". Myiarchus pertinax, Baird, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1859, p. 303». M. magistro similis, sed abdomine pallidiore, rostro minore, rectrice caude extima utrinque in pogonio interno fere ad rhachidem (preter apicem) fulva. (Descr. maris ex Atlixco, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nortu America, Western States from the Rocky Mountains westward, and from Wyoming southwards, Lower California’.—Muxico 9 11, Yecera in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Mazatlan (Grayson *®, Forrer), Topo Chico in Nuevo Leon (Ff. B. Armstrong), San Juan del Rio (Rébouch), Huehuetlan (Ferrari-Perez), Atlixco (Boucard & F. D.G.), Oaxaca (Boucard*, Fenochio), 'Tapana, Sta. Efigenia, Tehuantepec city (Sumi- chrast ®°) ; GuatemaLa, Duefias?, Barranco Hondo, Chuacus (0. S. & F. D. G.). This species is distinguished from its near ally Jf. magister chiefly by its smaller bill, the paler colour of the abdomen, and the distribution of the fylvous in the tail- feathers, which in most cases occupies the greater part of the inner web of the outer feather, and diverging from the shaft as it approaches the tip leaves the tip itself dark. But the variation in the amount of the dark tip in different individuals is very considerable. In the young bird in the first plumage the distribution is somewhat different, as the rufous colour runs close to the shaft to the end of the feather; this fact gives us a clue to unravel the complicated synonymy of this species. We have already stated that Tyrannula mexicana of Kaup is the smaller-billed of the two birds described by him in 1851, that with the larger bill being the preceding species. We have two specimens before us which have been compared with Kaup’s type in the Darmstadt Museum, one of these is from Atlixco, the other from Oaxaca; they differ from the typical YZ. cinerascens in that the tip of the inner web of the outer tail- feather is rufous, but with the young of I. cinerascens before us we have little doubt that in their next moult their tails would be normally coloured. It therefore comes to this, that Baird was perfectly right when he placed Tyrannulus cinerascens of Lawrence as a synonym of 7. mexicana of Kaup; but the latter name has been so differently applied and in so many ways by various authors for the last thirty years, during which the title I. cinerascens has acquired increasing stability, that we at least have no hesita- tion in employing MW. cinerascens here instead of the ill-defined IZ. mexicanus, which may or may not have a slight priority. M. cinerascens is a bird of the south-western portions of the United States, where it is asummer visitor. Dr. Coues found it abundant in Arizona, arriving late in April and 12* 92 TYRANNIDA. leaving again towards the end of September. It usually resorted to openings in the oak-forests, bushy ravines, and the fringes of wood along the streams. In its habits it resembles MM. crinitus in every way, building in old Woodpeckers’ holes and laying cream-coloured eggs marked and speckled with purplish-red dashes and blotches of neutral tint. In Guatemala we found this species in several places, but chiefly on the flank of the cordillera between the volcanos of Agua and Fuego amongst the groves of oaks which abound there. 5. Myiarchus nuttingi. Mytarchus nuttingi, Ridgw. Pr. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 390°; Pr. Biol. Soc. Wash. ii. p. 927; Man. N. Am. B. p. 384°; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 374‘, 893°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 250°. M. cinerascenti similis, sed rostro paulo majore, caude rectricibus lateralibus in pogonio interno usque ad rhachi- dem rufis. Hab. Mexico, Guanajuato, Tehuantepec, Chiapas (fide Ridgway) ; Nicaragua, Omotepe I.° and San Juan del Sur+ (Nutting); Costa Rica (Carmiol ®), La Palma (Nutting). We know very little of this bird, which was separated by Mr. Ridgway on Costa Rica specimens. It is closely allied to VW. magister, but is of rather smaller dimensions, though the bill is a little larger; the chief difference is in the tail, the inner web of the lateral rectrices being rufous to the shaft *. b". Rectrices omnes nigricantes haud rufo ornate. 6. Myiarchus ferox. Muscicapa ferox, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 984°; Berl. Ibis, 1883, p. 189 *. Myiarchus ferox, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 143°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 253%. Myiarchus panamensis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. pp. 284°, 295°, ix. p. 1157; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 860°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 308°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 199”. Myiarchus tyrannulus, Coues, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1872, p. 71 (nec Mill.) *. Supra olivascenti-fuscus, capite obscuriore plumis medialiter fuscis; supracaudalibus brunneis; alis nigri- cantibus, extrorsum pallide fusco limbatis ; cauda nigricante: subtus usque ad pectus cinereus; abdomine et subalaribus sulphureis. (Descr. maris ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. Hab. Panama, Calovevora (Arcé ©), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan®**), Paraiso (Hughes), * Myiarchus brachyurus (Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 334) is no doubt included in the references to MZ. nut- tingt given above, as it is based on one of Mr. Nutting’s Omotepe specimens. Its claims to distinction rest on its larger size, comparatively short tail, and rusty tail-coverts. With only a single Costa Rican specimen supposed to belong to M. nutting? before us, we are not in a position to give any opinion concerning M. brachyurus. MYIARCHUS. 93 Truando river (C. J. Wood 3)—Souta America generally southward to the Argen- tine Republic 4. This bird is subject to very considerable variation throughout its wide range, some examples being much more olivaceous and paler on the back than others which are darker brown with darker heads. In most South-American localities we find darker and lighter birds together with intermediate forms in nearly equal proportions, but in the State of Panama we have as yet only met with the paler olivaceous form. This was described by Mr. Lawrence as Myiarchus panamensis ; but we are not convinced of its specific distinctness, for it is by no means confined to the State of Panama, and in the south becomes inextricably involved with darker forms. Mr. Lawrence’ (followed by von Frantzius%) includes MZ. panamensis in his list of Costa Rica birds on the authority of “ Enrique Arcé,” but we cannot find any record of specimens having been sent us from Costa Rica by that collector. b. Minores (M. LawRENcI &c.). 7. Myiarchus yucatanensis. Myiarchus yucatanensis, Lawr. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1871, p. 235+; Ridgw. Pr. Biol. Soc. Wash. ii. p. 927; Man. N. Am. B. p. 334°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 260°. Myiarchus mexicanus, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 202°. Supra obscure olivaceus, capite paulo saturatiore; supracaudalibus rufescente tinctis; alis nigricantibus, tectricibus pallide fusco limbatis, secundariis internis albido marginatis, remigibus intus et extus stricte medialiter rufo limbatis ; cauda nigricante, rectrice extima utrinque anguste, reliquis (preter duas medias) in pogonio interno late rufo marginatis: subtus usque ad pectus griseus ; abdomine et subalaribus pallide sulphureis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 7:0, ale 3:3, caude 3°3, tarsi 0°85, rostri a rictu 0°85. (Descr. maris ex Tabi, Yucatan. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Merida in Yucatan (Schott*), Tabi (Ff. D. G.), Peto, Cozumel I. (G. £. Gaumer *). An obscure species, the position of which is not very clear. Mr. Ridgway separates it from WM. lawrenciit by the shape of the bill, which is less flattened and deeper through the middle. This is not altogether a satisfactory character, and we see very little difference between these Yucatan birds and the form of M. lawrencii found in Eastern Mexico from Vera Cruz northwards. Both have a considerable margin of red on the inner web of the tail-feathers (except the outermost pair), but J. lawrencii, from the district named, has a more elongated wider bill and is of rather larger dimensions. Compared with MZ. lawrencii from more southern localities, including Yucatan itself, the amount of red in the tail of IZ. yucatanensis becomes a more conspicuous character, and the difference between the two is more obvious. We have now a fair series of this species, which shows that its range is restricted to the promontory of Yucatan and the adjoining island of Cozumel. 94 TYRANNIDA. Mr. Lawrence’s description was based upon a specimen in poor condition obtained by Dr. A. Schott near Merida. Godman found it during his recent visit to Yucatan, but most of our examples are from our indefatigable correspondent, Mr. G. F. Gaumer. 8. Myiarchus lawrencii. Muscicapa lawrencii, Giraud, Sixteen B. Texas, t. 2. f. 1°. Myiarchus lawrencii, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 181, t. 47. f£. 3°; Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p. 8°; Scl. P.Z.S.1859, pp. 366‘, 384°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p.121°; P.Z.S. 1870, p. 8377; Taylor, Ibis, 1860, p. 114°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 249°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 183”, ix. pp. 115", 204"; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 288°; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 28"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 308”; Grayson, Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 279'"; Coues, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1872, p. 74°; Salv. Cat. Strick]. Coll. p. 316°; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 385”; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 256”. Myiarchus mexicanus, Scl. P. Z.S. 1856, p. 296 (nec Kaup) *. Myiarchus rufomarginatus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 73”. Myiarchus nigricapillus, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 250%; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 148 *, 1870, p. 199”; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 279°"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. ix. p. 115”; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 257”. Myjiarchus lawrencii nigricapillus, Nutt. & Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 884%, 393”. Myjiarchus lawrencii olivaceus, Ridgw. Pr. Biol. Soc. Wash. ii. p. 91%; Man. N. Am. B. p. 335. Myiarchus tristis var. lawrencii, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 333". Myiarchus platyrhynchus, Ridgw. Pr. Biol. Soc. Wash. iii. p. 23; Man. N. Am. B. p. 335". Supra obscure olivaceus, capite brunnescente; uropygio rufescente tincto; alis nigricantibus, remigibus et secundariis externis rufo limbatis, secundariis internis albido marginatis; cauda nigricante, rectricibus extrorsum anguste, introrsum late rufo marginatis, hoc colore frequenter absente: subtus, usque ad medium corporis, pallide cinereus ; abdomine toto pallide sulphureo. Long. tota 7-0, ale 3-5, caudee 3°35, tarsi 0-7, rostriarictu1-0. (Descr. maris ex Misantla, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. Hab. Nortu America, Southern Arizona, Texas 1—Mexico?3, Yecera, Realito, and Guadalupe in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Tres Marias Is., Mazatlan (Grayson "", Forrer), Plains of Colima (Xantus }%), Chilpancingo, Amula, Omilteme, Acaguisotla, Tepetlapa, Dos Arroyos, and Rincon in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), San Diego in Nuevo Leon (Couch *), Ceralvo, Hacienda de las Escobas, Rio de las Escobas, Topo Chico and Monte Morelos in Nuevo Leon (Ff. B. Armstrong), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria, Tampico (fichardson), Cordova (Sallé?*), Jalapa (de Oca‘), Misantla, Jalapa, Orizaba (7. D. G.), Talea (Boucard *), Cofre de Perote (MZ. Tru- jillo), Atoyac and Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Comaltepec (Galeotti 1), Sta. Efigenia and Dondominguillo (Sumichrast 1+), Merida in Yucatan (Schott 12), Peto in Yucatan (G.F.Gaumer), Cozumel I. (Benedict,Gaumer**); Britist Honpuras, Orange Walk (G. F. Gaumer), Belize, Cayo (Blancaneaux) ; GuatemaLa, Choctum, Yaxcamnal, Coban, Tactic, Teleman, San Gerénimo, Duefias®, Volcan de Agua, Retalhuleu (0. 8. & F. D. G.); Satvapor, La Union (0. S.); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. MZ. Whitely’), MYIARCHUS. 95 Tigre I. (G. C. Taylor’); Nicaragua, Blewfields (Wickham?"), Greytown (Holland), Sucuyaé °°, Omotepe I.3! (Nutting) ; Costa Rica®, Angostura '', Sarchi 1, Grecia ?8, Barranca *®, San José*8, Pacuar™ (Carmiol), Ivazu (Rogers), Tucuriqui (Arcé) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Chitra 2° and Santa Fé 5 (Arcé). We have before us about 130 specimens of this species from various points ranging from Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico down to the State of Panama, and, though we can see obvious differences in selected birds from several places, other speci- mens undoubtedly blend the whole series together. Thus the Arizona birds separated by Mr. Ridgway as I. /. olivascens are, for the most part, as he describes them—pale, with the top of the head hair-brown or olive, very little darker than the back, the tail- feathers in the adult bird without rufous edgings on the inner web. Birds from Sonora exactly resemble those from Arizona, while those from Mazatlan are a trifle darker, and have the top of the head more distinctly coloured. Specimens from Northern Yucatan included in the same race by Mr. Ridgway are, again, a trifle darker as regards the head, and we can match them with some specimens from Teapa selected from numbers of the more typical form, and from them, too, Cozumel birds cannot satisfactorily be discriminated. Returning to Mexico we find that birds from the north-eastern States of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas and the slopes of the mountains of Northern Vera Cruz are distinguished by their larger size and by the broad rufous edging to the tail-feathers. This latter character seems gradually to disappear in birds from further south ; in those from Orizaba it is but slightly shown, and in Tabasco examples it has altogether disappeared. ‘The Guatemala bird precisely resembles that of Tabasco, nor do we see how that of Costa Rica and the western portion of the State of Panama can be satisfactorily discriminated. Under these circumstances we think it best to unite all these forms under one specific name. The plan adopted by American ornithologists would be much as follows :—We should have M. lawrencii from North- eastern Mexico and a portion of the State of Vera Cruz, M. J. olivascens from Arizona southwards through Western Mexico and Yucatan including Cozumel, and, lastly, M. 1. nigricapillus from Vera Cruz southward through Tabasco to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the State of Panama; but such an arrangement would not enable us to name with certainty many intermediate birds; we therefore prefer to include them all under one comprehensive name. Myiarchus lawrencit is a common bird wherever it is found, its chief abode being the low lands bordering both oceans up to an elevation of 4000 or 5000 feet. On the Tres Marias Islands Grayson says it is abundant in all parts of the woods. In Guatemala it is common, and though more often seen in the forests of the hotter parts of the country may not unfrequently be met with in the temperate districts, such as Coban, Tactic, and Duefias. The eggs of this species taken by M. Boucard at Talea® are described as pure white, 96 TYRANNIDZ. with spots of two shades of brown, principally towards the larger end, where they form a ring. 9. Myiarchus nigriceps. Myiarchus nigriceps, Scl. P. Z. S. 1860, p. 68°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 258°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 827 (?)°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 360°; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 324°. Myiarchus brnnneiceps, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 827°. M. lawrencii persimilis, tectricibus alarum haud rufo limbatis distinguendus. Ay. juv. primariis plus minusve rufo marginatis. - Hab. Panama, Lion Hill (/‘Zeannan? 4 *).—Soutn America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru5, Venezuela, Guiana, and Amazons valley 2. We believe that this bird, when adult, may always be distinguished from MM. law- rencit by the absence of the rufous edgings to the quill-feathers. The crown, too, is more intensely black, but this is a very variable feature in the allied form. The boundary between the two birds seems fairly definite: MZ. nigriceps just enters our fauna as far as the line of the Panama Railway; a little further westward U/. law- rencit takes its place. M. nigriceps was first described from specimens obtained by Fraser at Pallatanga in Ecuador, and it has since been discovered to exist over a wide area of northern South America from the valley of the Amazons to the Caribbean sea. In Peru Stolzmann speaks of it as common at Tambillo, frequenting the edges of the forests and in other places even at an elevation of 9500 feet at Cutervo. b’. Rostrum latum, breviusculum, pectus distincte flammulatum. 10. Myiarchus flammulatus. (Tab. XXXVII. fig. 2.) Myiarchus flammulatus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. xi. p. 71°; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 28°; Ridgw. Pr. Biol. Soc. Wash. i. p. 93°; Man. N. Am. B. p. 335%; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 263°. Supra olivaceus, capite vix obscuriore ; alis fuscescentibus, tectricibus pallide rufo terminatis, remigibus et secundariis externis eodem colore limbatis, secundariis internis sordide albo terminatis ; cauda fuscescente stricte extrorsum limbata: subtus usque ad pectus albidi-cinereo flammulatus ; abdomine pallide sulphureo, subalaribus ochraceo tinctis : rostro et pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 6°3, ale 3-2, caude 3-0, tarsi 0°7, rostri a rictu 08. (Descr. exempl. ex Tehuantepec, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Mazatlan (fide Ridgway *), Cacoprieto, Tehuantepec (Swmichrast 1?°). A very distinct species, doubtfully referable to Mytarchus. The bill is much shorter than in typical Mytarchus, and broader in comparison with its length. We only know of its occurrence on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, where Sumichrast discovered it. Mr. Ridgway, however, extends its range to Mazatlan. TYRANNUS. 97 TYRANNUS. Tyrannus, Cuvier, Leg. An. Comp. i. t. 2 (1800); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 267. Laphyctes, Reich. Av. Syst. t. xvi. (1850). | Melittarchus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 80. Of the eleven recognized species of Tyrannus seven occur within our limits, of which T. pipiri is a winter visitor from the north, 7. griseus and T. magnirostris stragglers from the Antilles, and 7. verticalis from western North America. This leaves three resident species, of which 7. melancholicus is by far the most abundant, being found in all but the more elevated districts; the others are 7. crassirostris of Western Mexico and Guatemala, and 7. vociferans of the Mexican and Guatemalan highlands, a bird which also occurs in Western North America. Tyrannus has a stout bill, the width of which at the gape is considerably less than half the length of the tomia; the sides of the bill are nearly straight or slightly convex, the terminal hook being well developed ; the supranasal feathers are short and stiff, the setee extending over the otherwise open nearly round nostril; the rictal bristles are short but strong; the tarsi are short, and with the feet moderately strong. The wings have the outer feathers pointed by the abrupt reduction of the width of their inner webs; but this is characteristic of the male, these feathers in the female being normal. The 3rd quill is slightly shorter than the 2nd and 4th; lst < 6th > 7th; the tail is forked in some species, slightly rounded in others, ># wing, <5 tarsus. A. Rostrum mediocre haud incrassatum. a. Subtus albus. 1. Tyrannus pipiri. Lanius tyrannus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 186°. Tyrannus tyrannus, Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 328’. Lanius tyrannus, y. carolinensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 302°. Tyrannus carolinensis, Baird, B. N. Am. p.171*; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. vii. p. 183°; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 28°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 8316"; Sennett, Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. iv. p. 31°; Coues, Birds N. W. p. 235°; Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 482"; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus.i. p. 471". Tyrannus pipiri, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. i. p. 73, t. 44°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 837"; Gundl. Orn. Cub. p. 74"*; Boucard, P. Z. 8S. 1883, p. 448"; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 267. Tyrannus intrepidus, Vieill. Gal. Ois. p. 214, t. 1837; Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 868°; Scl. P. Z. 8. 1858, p. 802", 1859, p. 883”; Moore, P. Z.S. 1859, p. 55”; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 120”; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 295”; Salv. Ibis, 1864, pp. 878~, 380”; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557°. Supra griseo-nigricans ; capite nigro, crista coccinea celata ornato; uropygio nigro albido limbato; alis nigris D D ’ >] > 2 g BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., March 1889. 13 98 TYRANNID ZA. albo limbatis ; cauda nigra albo terminata: subtus albus, pectore cinerascente, subalaribus fumosis ; alis et cauda nigris. Long. tota 8°3, ale 4:9, caude 3°5, tarsi,0°75, rostri a rictu 0°95. (Descr. exempl. ex Cozumel I. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nortn America, temperate districts, +, Rocky Mountains eastward, rarer towards the Pacific 2—Muxtco (Bullock 18), Acatepec (Boucard 1°), Playa Vicente (Boucard *°), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast 2°), Ventosa 6, Tapana ® (Swmichrast), Tizimin’, Buctzotz, Cozumel I. (G. F. Gawmer); British Honpuras, Saddle Cay *4, Half Moon Cay 25 (0. S.); Guatemata (Skinner 2), Yzabal, Retalhuleu (0. S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, Omoa (Leyland 21), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely 18); Nicaracua, Greytown (Holland 5); Panama, Lion Hill (/:Leannan ?*), Paraiso Station (Hughes).—Soutu. America, Colombia, Amazons valley, and Bolivia16; Banamas?; Cupa™. Tyrannus pipiri is a very well-known bird in North America during the spring and summer months, where it is a migratory species. It passes southwards in autumn, and returns again in spring. In Mexico and Central America it is probably only present during the winter months and during passage. In Mexico its range seems strictly confined to the eastern slope of the mountain- range until we come to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, where it crosses to the Pacific and is found on both sides of the cordillera of Guatemala and thence southwards to Panama. In South America its range is very extensive, as it reaches across the Amazons valley to Bolivia 1°. Its habits in North America, where it is a very familiar bird, have been very fully described’. Its nest resembles those of 7. griseus and T. melancholicus. 'The eggs are white, with a roseate tinge and spotted with blotches of purple, brown, and red-brown, which are sometimes collected in a ring round the larger end, and sometimes scattered over the whole surface of the egg. 2. Tyrannus griseus. Tyrannus griseus, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. i. p. 76, t. 46; Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 368 (?) *; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 183°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 271%. Melittarchus griseus, Gundl. Orn. Cub. p. 73°. Lanius tyrannus, 8. dominicensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 802°. Tyrannus dominicensis, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 172"; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 319°; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. i. p. 470°, vill. p. 570”; Man. N. Am. B. p. 329%; Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 483”; Cory, Auk, 1886, p. 244”. Tyrannus rostratus, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 361. Supra griseus, capite crista celata aurantiaca ornato, loris et regione parotica nigricantibus ; alis nigricantibus, tectricibus et secundariis albido limbatis; cauda nigricante albo stricte marginata: subtus albus, pectore et hypochondriis pallide griseo lavatis, subalaribus albis flavo vix tinctis. Long. tota 8°5, ale 4°6, caude rect. lat. 3°5, rect. med. 3:1, tarsi 0-7, rostri a rictu 1:2. (Descr. maris ex Santa Marta, Colombia. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Norta America, Florida §\—Mexico (Bullock???), Cozumel I. (Benedict 1°) ; TYRANNUS. . 99 Nicaragua, Greytown (Holland *) ; Panama, Lion Hill (M‘Leannan 4).—Co.omsia *. Bahamas, Greater Antilles to Virgin Islands 1%. This species is probably of only casual occurrence in our region. It is a very common and characteristic bird in the Greater Antilles and Virgin Islands, but in the Windward Islands is represented by 7. rostratus, which is doubtfully distinguished by its larger bill. The accounts of this species in the West Indies are numerous and full of interesting details as to its habits, nesting, &c. ; and copious extracts from the writings of Gosse, Hill, Professor Newton, and others are given by Brewer in the ‘History of North- American Birds’®. It is there also stated to appear in Florida as a migratory species, arriving in March and leaving again in September. It is also said to migrate to and from Jamaica. The rarity of the species on the mainland of Central and South America makes us doubt whether there is any very general movement from the larger islands, for were this the case we should undoubtedly find it in greater abundance on the mainland. As it is, we have a very few instances of its occurrence on record, and these only of single individuals from widely distant points. The nest and eggs of this species are very similar to those of 7. melancholicus. b. Subtus flavus. al. Cauda fere rotundata. 3. Tyrannus vociferans. Tyrannus vociferans, Sw. Quart. Journ. Sci. xx. p. 273’; Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 368°; Baird, B. N. Am. p.174,t. 48°; Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p. 8‘; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 121°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 383°, 1864, p. 176"; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 269°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 557°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 327°; Coues, Birds N. W. p. 238"; Key N. Am. Birds, ed. 2, p. 433°; Henshaw, Rep. Geol. Surv. West 100th Mer. v. p. 343; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 288"; Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141"; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. i. p. 480%; Man. N. Am. B. p. 380"; Zeledon, Cat. Av. de Costa Rica, p. 15"; Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 155. Laphyctes vociferans, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 77”. Tyrannus cassini, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. v. p. 39, t. 3. £. 2”. Muscicapa satelles, Licht. Mus. Berol.” T. melancholico similis, sed rostro minore, pectore saturate cinereo, cauda quadrata stricte albo terminata, facile distinguendus. Hab. Nortu America, Rocky Mountains from Wyoming southwards, Southern Cali- fornia 17.—Mextico 7° (Bullock?), Santa Rosa, Trinidad, Micoba in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Los Nogales (Kennerly*), Plains of Colima (Xantus™), Guanajuato (Dugés !°), near Mexico city (White’, le Strange), Culhuacan, Coapa, Ixtapalapa, Coajimalpa, and Chimalpa in the vicinity of Mexico city (Lerrari-Perez), 13* 100 | TYRANNIDZ. Huexotitla and Llano de San Baltazar (Ferrari-Perez 18), Chilpancingo and Amula in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith); Morelia, Atlixco (F. D. G.), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast °), Oaxaca (Boucard®); Guatemana, Salama (Skinner ®), Duefias (L. Fraser); Costa Rica (Zeledon 18). Sumichrast states? that this species is common in the hot and temperate regions of the State of Vera Cruz, and is also found on the plateau; but, so far as our experience goes, it is the only species of the highlands, and is far more abundant on the western side of Mexico than elsewhere. Xantus found it breeding on the Volcano of Colima, but at what elevation.is not stated. Northwards it spreads throughout the Western Sierra Madre, and thence across the United States frontier to the Rocky Mountains, as far north as Wyoming. But in the north it is only a summer visitor, retiring southwards after the breeding-season, at the approach of winter. In Guatemala it is perhaps more abundant than would appear at first sight, as its resemblance to 7. melancholicus is close enough to render it easily mistaken for that bird. Many years ago Skinner gave us a specimen said to have been shot near Salama in Vera Paz, and during his short stay in Guatemala Fraser obtained one near Dueias. These are the only authentic specimens from that country we have seen. Its occurrence in Costa Rica rests on a statement to that effect in the ‘ History of North-American Birds,’ and its mention in Zeledon’s ‘ Catalogue of Costa Rican Birds.’ We have no record to add of its occurrence so far south. The nest obtained by Xantus is described by Brewer as a slight structure composed of wiry grass mixed with bits of wool and lined with finer grasses. The eggs are pure white, freckled on the larger end with purplish brown and greyish lilac. 4. Tyrannus verticalis. Tyrannus verticalis, Say in Long’s Exp. ii. p. 60'; Baird, B. N. Am. p. 173°; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 824°; Coues, Birds N. W. p. 286°; Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p- 433°; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 288°; Henshaw, Rep. Geol. Surv. West 100th Mer. v. p. 83427; Sennett, Bull. U. 8. Geol. Surv. v. p. 401°; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 330°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 269”. T. melancholico quoque similis, sed rostro minore alarum tectricibus vix lavatis, cauda quadrata rectrice extima utrinque in pogonio externo omnino alba ab omnibus hujus generis distinguendus. Long. tota 8-0, ale 4:9, caudex 3-6, tarsi 0°75, rostri a rictu 0°95. (Descr. femine ex Volcan de Agua. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Western Nortu America together with the great plains southwards.—MeExioo, Tepic (Grayson®), Plains of Colima (Xantus*); Guatemata, Volcan de Agua (0. S. & F. D. G.), Duefias (F. Oates). Though a well-known bird in Western North America, 7. verticalis appears to be seldom found in Mexico, and at present the only records we have of its occurrence in that country are those of Grayson and Xantus mentioned above at Tepic and Colima ®. TYRANNUS. 101 In Guatemala it has only been found on the slopes of the cordillera, between the volcanos of Agua and Fuego. Here the late Mr. Frank Oates, who a few years afterwards lost his life in South Africa, discovered it near Duefias, where we subse- quently met with it. The white margin to the outer tail-feathers shows rather conspicuously when the bird is flying, rendering it distinguishable from the common T. melancholicus. In California the species is stated to be migratory, arriving towards the end of March, and leaving again in October. Where these birds pass the winter months has yet to be determined. The nest is described as built on a low branch, and constructed of lichens, twigs, coarse grass and wool, and lined with hair. The eggs are creamy white, spotted with purple of two shades near the larger end °. b’. Cauda furcata. 5. Tyrannus melancholicus. Tyrannus melancholicus, Vieill. N. Dict. d’Hist. N. xxxv, p. 48°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, pp, 1412, 297 *, 1859, p. 866*; Ibis, 1873, p. 373°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 273°; Moore, P. Z. 8S. 1859, p. 557; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 121, t.5. f£.4 (egg)*; P. ZS. 1870, p. 837°; Taylor, Ibis, 1860, p. 1138"; Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 143"°; Owen, Ibis, 1861, p. 63; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 295", ix. p. 116“; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 148; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 8317"°; Scl. & Hudson, Arg. Orn. i. p. 158". Muscicapa despotes, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 55°; Preis-Verz. mex. Vég. p. 2 (cf. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 58)’. Tyrannus couchi, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 175, t. 49. f. 1°; Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, p. 8”. Tyrannus melancholicus, var. couchi, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 329”; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 288. Tyrannus melancholicus couchi, Sennett, Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. iv. p. 81”, v. p. 401”; Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 484°; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 570°7; Man. N. Am. B, p. 829”; F.-Perez, Pr. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 155”. Laphyctes satrapa, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 77°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 251". Tyrannus satrapa, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 360”, 1867, p. 279"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y, viii. p- 183 **, ix. p. 204 *. Tyrannus melancholicus, var. satrapa, Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 288 °°; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 28%. Tyrannus melancholicus satrapa, Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 894°, vi. p. 496”; Nutting & Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 374°, 384, 3937, x. p. 589, Supra cinereus, dorso toto plus minusve viridi-olivaceo lavato ; vertice crista celata coccinea ornato 3 subalaribus nigricantibus olivaceo limbatis ; alis et cauda nigricantibus sordide albido limbatis ; loris et regione parotica griseo-nigricantibus : subtus sulphureus, gula grisescente, pectore olivaceo-griseo, subalaribus flavis ; rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 8°0, ale 4:5, caude 3-7, tarsi 0°7, rostri a rictu 1-1. (Descr. maris ex Teapa, Tabasco, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis, Hab. Nortu America, Arizona», Texas 24 5,-Mxxico (Deppe®, Sallé?, Galeotti 16), 102 TYRANNIDA. San Diego in Nuevo Leon (Couch 21), Ceralvo, San Antonio, Estancia, and Topo Chico near Monterey (F. B. Armstrong), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria, Soto la Marina, Aldama, Tampico (W. B. Richardson), Hacienda de los Atlixcos (F. D. G.), Cuesta de Misantla (IZ. Trujillo), Jalapa (de Oca+, Ferrari-Perez *), Vera Cruz (Richardson), Teapa in Tabasco (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Merida in Yucatan (Schott *>), Peto and Buctzotz in Yucatan (G. F. Gaumer), Tabi (F. D. G.), Holbox, Meco, Mujeres Is. (G. F. Gaumer), Cozumel I. (Benedict 2", G. F. Gaumer), Rio Mayo in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Mazatlan (Grayson 23 36, Forrer), Tierra Colorada (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Acapulco (A. H. Markham, Mrs. H. H. Smith), Plains of Colima (Xantus **), Chihuitan °7, Tapana 3’, Barrio 37, Dondominguillo 3’, Sta. Efigenia, Tehuantepec (Sumichrast); British Honpuras, Belize (Blancaneauz) ; GUATEMALA (Constancia 1°), Coban, Tactic, Yzabal, San Gerénimo 12, Dueiias 8, Escuintla, Retalhuleu (0. 8S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras (G. C.. Taylor), Omoa (Leyland °), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely °), Segovia River (Henderson*?) ; Nicaragua, Blewfields (Wickham *°), Greytown (Holland *4), Chontales (Belt *), Omotepe I.?°, San Juan del Sur#, and Sucuyd4? (Nutting); Costa Rica (v. Frantzius 31), San José, Grecia 4, Sarchi '4, Barranca “ (Carmiol), Bebedero, Nicoya, Tucuriqui (Arcé), Irazu (Rogers), La Palma (Nutting 38); Panama, David (Bridges ?), Calo- vevora, Calobre, Castillo (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan 13 32), Paraiso (Hughes), Truando R. ( Wood 11)—Sourn America generally to the Argentine Republic ¢ 1’, Specimens from the extreme southern range of Tyrannus melancholicus differ from those of the extreme north in having rather greyer throats, and blacker and more deeply forked tails. In Guiana and other parts of the northern portion of South America intermediate forms occur; and though the species has been separated into three races they are admitted on all hands to be not capable of precise definition. There is considerable variation in individuals from the same district, and the upper surface varies from dark olive to nearly pure grey; the throat, too, is whiter in some specimens than in others. Some stress has been laid on the colour of the tail between northern and southern birds; but this seems to be due to a considerable extent to the age of the feathers in the individuals examined, for in freshly moulted birds we see no difference in this respect. The various names given to this bird are strictly applicable as follows :—Zyrannus melancholicus to the southern bird, 7. couchi to that of the Rio Grande valley, and L. satrapa to that of the northern part of the South-American continent. . despotes is probably a synonym of 7. melancholicus, and so also is Muscicapa furcata of Spix, and 7. crudelis of Swainson. Except in the higher lands of Mexico, Tyrannus melancholicus is a very common species almost everywhere throughout our region, and in all the more open country may be seen in constant pursuit of its insect food, and from its conspicuous yellow plumage and its noisy restless habits is a species that is more frequently noticed than almost any TYRANNUS. 103 other. At Duefias, in Guatemala, it builds in May an open nest of slight structure, composed chiefly of small sticks and dried roots, with a little horse-hair for a lining. It is placed at the end of a branch of a low tree, at various heights from the ground. The eggs, usually four in number, are creamy white spotted with three shades of red. B. Rostrum incrassatum. 6. Tyrannus crassirostris. Tyrannus crassirostris, Sw. Quart. Journ. Se. xx. p. 2781; Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 3687; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 399°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1862, p.19*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 271°; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 288°; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 287; F.-Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 155°. Melittarchus crassirostris, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 80°. Megarhynchus crassirostris, Finsch, Abh. nat. Bremen, 1870, p. 829°°. Muscicapa gnatho, Licht. Mus. Berol.” Supra brunneus ; dorso medio olivaceo vix tincto; capite summo nigricanti-brunneo, crista celata flava ornato; alis et cauda nigricanti-fuscis; regione parotica nigra: subtus flavus; gutture albo; pectore cinerescente ; subalaribus flavis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 9-0, ale 5:2, caudex 4:1, tarsi 0°8, rostri a rictu 1-2. (Descr. maris ex Tehuantepec. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. Hab. Muxtco, Sauz in Sinaloa (W. Lloyd), Mazatlan (Grayson °, Forrer), Chilpancingo, Omilteme and Acaguisotla in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), San Juan del Rio (Rébouch), Chietla (Lerrari-Perez), Oaxaca (Boucard+), Cacoprieto, Chihuitan 7, Los Cues‘ (Sumichrast); Guatemata, Escuintla (0. 8.3), This is a species exclusively found on the western side of the cordillera of Mexico from Western Sonora in the north to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and thence to Western Guatemala, where we found it on one occasion at Escuintla, in the forest region bordering the Pacific °. Grayson met with it on the banks of the Rio Mazatlan, where he says it frequents the tops of the loftiest trees, preferring a withered branch for its perch, whence to watch for passing insects, which it seizes in the air, and returning to its perch beats to death against the branch and swallows entire. During the breeding-season pairs consort together, and are very tyrannical, attacking with great ferocity every bird that passes too near their domicile ®, The species is probably resident wherever it is found, and resorts chiefly to the low- lands, but ascends the mountains up to an elevation of 8000 feet above the sea. 7. Tyrannus magnirostris. Tyrannus magnirostris, @’Orb. in R. de la Sagra’s Hist. Fis. y Pol. de Cuba, iti. p. 69, t. 137; Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xi. p. 667; Cory, Auk, 1886, p. 243°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 273%. Melittarchus magnirostris, Cab. J. £. Orn. 1855, p. 477°; Gundl. Orn. Cub. p. 73°, 104 TYRANNIDA. Supra griseo-brunneus ; capite nigricante, crista celata fulvo-aurantiaca ornato ; alis nigricantibus, tectricibus et secundariis internis sordide albo limbatis; cauda nigricante, rectricibus omnibus albido sstricte terminatis: subtus albus; subalaribus pallide flavo vix lavatis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 9-5, ale 5:2, caudee 3°75, tarsi 0-9, rostri a rictu 1-65. (Descr. exempl. ex insula Mugeres. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Mujeres I. (G. F. Gaumer?).—Cupa 13456; Bananas *. Mr. Gaumer’s collection from the island of Mujeres off the extreme north-eastern point of the promontory of Yucutan contained a single specimen of this species. The species had previously only been known from the island of Cuba, and with some doubt? from the island of Inagua. In Cuba, according to Gundlach *, 7. magnirostris is not an uncommon bird, being sedentary, and living in the woods, and on the plains where large trees grow. Its food consists of insects, young birds, and lizards, and it also preys to some extent on honey- bees. Its nest is composed of twigs, fibrous roots, and grasses, and is placed on a horizontal branch of some large tree, such as the Ceiba (Eriodendron); its eggs are like those of LT. griseus. MILVULUS. Milvulus, Swainson, Zool. Journ. iii. p. 165 (1827) (type Muscicapa tyrannus, Linn.) ; Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 277. The two species constituting the genus Milvulus have, as a common character, very elongated deeply forked tails, the bills also and the development of the supranasal feathers are similar, but in other respects they differ rather widely, not only in coloration but also in the way in which the outer quill-feathers in the males are reduced at their extremities. Thus in M. forficatus the outermost feather only is narrowed in this way, whereas in JW. tyrannus three are involved. The range of the two species is widely different, MW. forficatus being a bird of the prairies of South-western North America, Eastern Mexico, Guatemala, and thence south- wards as a rare visitor to Costa Rica. I. tyrannus, on the other hand, occurs in suitable open localities over the greater part of South America, and in Central America as far north as Southern Mexico. 1. Milvulus tyrannus. Muscicapa tyrannus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 325°. Milvulus tyrannus, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, pp. 141°, 297°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 277‘; Moore, P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 55°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 251°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 1787, ix. p.116°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.8. 1864, p. 361°, 1879, p. 516"; Salv. P.Z. 8. 1867, p. 149", 1870, p. 199”; Ibis, 1872, p. 318"; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 309"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p.556"; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 309°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 496; Nutt. & Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 875"; Sel. & Huds. Arg. Orn. i. p. 160”. Tyrannus violentus, Vieill. N. Dict. d’Hist. N. xxxv. p. 89”. MILVULUS. 105 Tyrannus (Milvulus) monachus, Hartl. Rev. Zool. 1844, p. 214”. Milvulus monachus, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 121”; P. Z. S. 1859, p. 884”; Taylor, Ibis, 1860, p. 114"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 295”. Supra griseus; uropygio nigricante; capite nigerrimo, crista celata sulphurea ornato; alis fuscis, tectricibus et secundariis sordide griseo limbatis; cauda nigra, rectrice extima utrinque in pogonio externo pro dimidio basali alba: subtus pure albus. Long. tota 14:5, ale 4:1, caude rect. med. 2°5, rect. lat. 10°5, tarsi 0-7, rostri a rictu 0°8. © mari similis, sed cauda multo breviore. (Descr. maris et femine ex Poctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nortu America, accidental 16—Muxico, Playa Vicente (Boucard**), Plains of Vera Cruz (Sallé?, Sumichrast 1°): British Honpuras, Old River and Pine-ridges of Belize (Leyland °), Saddle Cay 74, Half-Moon Cay 7° (0. S.); Guaremata 1, Peten (Leyland *), Pine-ridge of Poctum (0. 8S. &@ &. D. G.), San Gerénimo, Estansuelas 7” (O. S.); Honpuras, Omoa and Comayagua (Leyland®), Langui and Agua Azul (Taylor 2+); Nicaragua, Chontales (Lel¢ 1%), San Juan del Sur (Nutting 18); Costa Rica ® (v. Frantzius +), Orosi and San José’ (Carmiol}, Irazu (Nutting ", Rogers), Turrialba (Arcé); Panama, David (Bridges?, Hicks"), Castillo !*, Calovevora 1, Calobre '*, Santiago de Veraguas !', Santa Fé 1 (Areé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan ® ?°). —Soutu America generally +, from Colombia !° to the Argentine Republic !°. The occurrence of this species in North America appears to be quite accidental, and most of the records rest upon Audubon’s observations!®. In Mexico it is stated by Sumichrast to be abundant in winter in the savannahs of the hot lands of Vera Cruz, up to an elevation of about 2300 feet 1°. We, however, know little of its occurrence in Mexico, as none of our recent collections from that country contained specimens. There is, however, one example from that country in the British Museum, obtained by M. Boucard, but without precise locality. That traveller, however, is stated to have found it at Playa Vicente 2%. In the pine-districts and more open country of British Honduras and the adjoining parts of Guatemala in the district of Peten, Milvulus tyrannus is tolerably common, and several specimens were obtained in the pine-ridge of Poctum, where small flocks were observed frequenting the patches of trees and flying about displaying conspicuously their long forked scissor-like tails. South- wards of this district of Guatemala this species appears to occur in all suitable localities to the State of Panama, and thence over the greater part of South America to the Argentine Republic!®. Mr. Hudson has given some interesting notes on this bird as observed by him in the Argentine Republic, where he states it is migratory. Salmon, who found it breeding in the Colombian State of Antioquia, describes its nest as made of grass-stalks, roots, and fibres, intermixed with cotton, silk, and a variety of other substances, the lining being composed of dry roots or grass. This structure is placed on the spreading branch of a tree at no great height from the ground. The eggs are creamy white, distinctly spotted with dark red, especially at the larger end 1°, BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., December 1890. 14 106 TYRANNIDZ. 2. Milvulus forficatus. Muscicapa forficata, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 931°. Milvulus forficatus, Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 204°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 279°; Baird, Mex. Bound. Surv., Zool., Birds, i. p.7*; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 121°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. ‘Hein. ii. p. 79°; Taylor, Ibis, 1860, p. 1147; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 252°; Dresser, Ibis, 1865, p. 472°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 309*°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. 1. p. 556"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 116”; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 28"; Salvin, Ibis, 1872, p. 318"; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 311”; Sennett, Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. iv. p. 30", v. p. 40117; Nutt. & Ridgw. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 374°, 384” ; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 155°. Supra griseus, dorso medio aut ochraceo aut roseo nonnunquam lavato; capite summo crista parva coccinea ornato ; alis nigricantibus, tectricibus et secundariis albido limbatis; cauda elongata, rectricibus sex mediis nigris, duabus utrinque albis rosaceo tinctis et nigro terminatis: subtus griseo-albus, axillaribus rosaceo- rubris, hypochondriis crisso et subalaribus eodem colore lavatis: rostro corneo, pedibus nigris. Long. tota 14-0, alee 4:8, caudee rect. med. 2:6, rect. lat. 8°8, tarsi 0°75, rostri a rictu-1-0. Q mari similis, sed cauda multo breviore. (Descr. maris et femine ex Tampico, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Norra America, Lower Mississippi valley!® and Texas? 1617.—Mexico, San Antonio, San Augustin, and Vaqueria in Nuevo Leon (F. Armstrong), Tamaulipas (Couch *), Soto la Marina, Tampico (W. B. Richardson), Hacienda de los Atlixcos, Otrobanda (F. D. G.), Vera Cruz (Richardson), Huehuetlan (F. Ferrari-Perez®°), Chihuitan and Tehuantepec city (Sumichrast 1%); Briviso Honpuras, Cayo (Blancaneaua) ; Guatemala (Skinner®), Coban, San Gerénimo, Duefias and near Guatemala city, Sta. Isabel near the port of San José (0. S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, Langui (Taylor’); Nicaragua, Sucuyd}®, San Juan del Sur ® (Nutting), Chinandega (Henshaw coll.) ; Costa Rica (von Frantzius® ° , Carmiol). Milvulus forficatus is probably more abundant in the prairies of Texas and the lower Rio Grande valley than elsewhere; but it appears to be almost equally common over the eastern districts of Mexico and thence to British Honduras and Guatemala, being generally distributed in the open parts of the latter country. Its southern extension includes Nicaragua and Costa Rica, where, however, it is rare. At Langui in Honduras G. C. Taylor says VW. forficatus was very plentiful ’. Numbers of birds would here assemble in the evening on the tops of trees, where they would remain till nearly dark and then fly off to the woods. In Mexico it is chiefly a denizen of the eastern low-lands, but occasional individuals ascend the mountains as high as 4000 feet 4. At the Isthmus of Tehuantepec it crosses to the Pacific side of the cordillera and thence spreads along both sides of the moun- tains of Guatemala, and is also found in open places up to an elevation of 5000 feet near the city of Guatemala, occurring at the same time near the sea-level at Santa Isabel, a few miles from the port of San José de Guatemala. We are not aware if it remains to breed in Central America or Southern Mexico ; but in the Rio Grande valley it does so in numbers, building in the mesquite trees, and laying pure white eggs blotched with large spots of dark red. PIPRITES. 107 Fam. PIPRIDA*. Subfam. PIPRINA. PIPRITES. Piprites, Cabanis,in Wiegm. Arch. f. Naturg. xiii. pt. i. p. 234 (1847); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. Xiv. p. 2838. Hemipipo, Cab. 1. s. ec. Piprites is a small genus containing five species, found in the mountainous parts of South America, one species occurring in Costa Rica, having near allies in Guiana, the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, and in South-eastern Brazil. The genus, as now understood, comprises both Piprites and Hemipipo of Cabanis. The former contains P. pileatus alone ; the latter the other four species including P. griseiceps of Costa Rica. In general structure there seem to be insufficient grounds for separating the two groups, the difference resting almost entirely on the coloration of the plumage. Unlike the general rule in the Piprinz, the sexes are similarly clothed. The bill in P. griseiceps is strong, wide at the base, and with a very distinct notch near the end of the tomia of the maxilla; the nostrils are large, and open at the end of the nasal fossa, and overhung by the setose supra-nasal feathers; the rictal bristles are strong. The second, third, and fourth primaries are subequal, the first < fifth. The tail is rounded; the tarsi and toes slender, the outer toe a little longer than the inner. 1. Piprites griseiceps. (Tab. XLI. fig. 3.) Piprites griseiceps, Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 583'; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 116°; Pelz. & Madar. Mon. Pipride, pt. i. p. 9, t. 3. fig. 2°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 285 *. * The Pipride is a purely neotropical family containing about seventy species, which are distributed over the hotter forest-clad parts of South America, from Paraguay northwards, and through Central America to the middle of the Mexican State of Vera Cruz. Thirteen species only occur within our limits, belonging to five of the nineteen genera into which the family has been divided. Mr. Sclater, in his recent Catalogue (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 282), divides the family into two subfamilies—Piprine and Ptilochlorine. The former, represented in our country by the genera Piprites, Pipra, Chiroxiphia, and Chiromacheris, he distinguishes by the bill being short and wide at the base, the maxilla hardly notched near the tip, the rictal bristles feebly developed, and the general contrast between the sexes as regards the coloration of their plumage, the males in most cases being brightly clad. The latter subfamily is represented by Heteropelma alone, in which the above characters are reversed. The Pipride as well as the Cotingide have the toes united at the base, but the tarsi are differently covered. The divisions of the Pipride as thus defined will have to be reconsidered at some future time, for the contrast between such birds as Piprites and Metopothri« is so great that they cannot well remain under the common definition assigned to them. In Piprites the bill is short, wide at the base, the subterminal notch quite distinct, and the rictal bristles well developed. In Metopothria the bill is long and narrow, the tomia of the maxilla is destitute of a notch, and there are no traces of rictal bristles. We can only here indicate these discrepancies, and leave the reconstruction of the classification of these complex families to a future monographer. 14.* 108 PIPRIDZ. Supra olivaceo-viridis, alis et cauda nigricantibus, dorsi colore limbatis, illarum secundariis intimis in pogonio interno lactescenti-albidis; capite toto griseo, oculorum ambitu albo: subtus viridi-flavus, pectore et hypochondriis olivaceis, subalaribus flavido-albidis, tectricibus elongatis, margine alarum juxta nigris remigibus interne ochraceo-albidis: rostro et pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 4°5, ale 2-5, caude 1°8, rostri a rictu 0:5, tarsi 0°5. (Deser. exemp. typ. ex Tucurriqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé !*), A single specimen sent us by our collector Enrique Arcé from Costa Rica in 1864 is the only one that has as yet come under our notice. It belongs to a little group of four species which are distributed over the chief mountain masses of South America; thus Eastern Brazil has P. chloris, the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru P. tschudii, and Guiana P. chlorion, whilst P. griseiceps belongs to the mountains of Costa Rica. P. griseiceps is perhaps most nearly allied to P. tschudii, but differs in having the whole of the top of the head grey, and in the absence of the yellowish-white tips to the greater wing-coverts, innermost secondaries, and the rectrices. Our figure is taken from the type, which also served for that in Von Pelzeln’s and Von Madarasz’s Monograph on the Pipride. PIPRA. Pipra, Linneus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 338 (1766); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 292. Five of the eighteen known species of Pipra occur within the limits of Central America, only one of which, however, P. mentalis, is found as far north as Guatemala, British Honduras, and the southern portion of the Mexican State of Vera Cruz. The rest occur in Nicaragua and the countries lying to the south-eastward. Mr. Sclater divides the genus into three chief sections, based upon the coloration of the sexes. The first of these alone is represented in our region. Pipra mentalis has a much more elongated nostril than Péprites, which occupies the anterior lower portion of the nasal fossa and is slightly overhung by the membrane ; the subterminal notch of the tomia is not so distinct, but the rictal bristles are well developed; the wings, tail, and tarsi are much shorter. The sexes, too, are very differently coloured. a. Gula plerumque nigra (mento interdum flavo). a’. Vertex aut coccineus aut flavus. 1. Pipra mentalis. Pipra mental, Scl. P. Z.S. 1856, p. 299, t. 121*; 1859, p. 285°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 295° ; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 125*; P.Z.S. 1864, p. 362°; 1870, p. 837°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 558"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p.116°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 809°; Salv. P. Z. S, 1870, p. 200”; Ibis, 1872, p. 318"; 1889, p. 364"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 66°. 7 Chiroxiphia mentalis, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 296 **. PIPRA. 109 Nitide nigerrima ; capite toto coccineo, plumis ad basin albis, mento, femoribus et subalaribus citrinis : rostro et pedibus carneis. Long. tota 4-0, ale 2:3, caude 1:1, rostri a rictu 0°5, tarsi 0-5. © olivaceo-viridis: subtus pallidior, subalaribus pallide flavidis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Choctum, Guatemala, Mus. nostr.) , Hab. Mexico, Cordova (Sallé1), Playa Vicente (Boucard 2), Teapa in Tabasco (Mrs. H. Hf. Smith), Tizimin in Yucatan, Meco and Mugeres Islands (Gauwmer); Britisu Honpuras, Orange walk (Gaumer), Cayo (Blancaneauxz); GuaTeMata, Choctum, Yzabal (0. S. & F. D. G.); Nicaragua, Chontales (Belé1°) ; Costa Rica, Tucurriqui, Turrialba (Arcé), Angostura (Carmiol’); Panama, Bugaba, Mina de Chorcha (Arcé?°), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan *). M. Sallé was the first to discover this pretty Pipra in the forests in the vicinity of Cordova in the Mexican State of Vera Cruz, and this is the most northern point recorded of its range; but from this place southwards it occurs nearly uninterruptedly in the forests on the eastern side of the Cordillera to the State of Panama, where it is also found in the forests bordered by the Pacific Ocean. It has not yet been met with in any portion of Western Mexico or Guatemala; but in the hotter portions of British Honduras and Vera Paz it is abundant up to an eleva- tion of about 2000 feet. It frequents the underwood in the mixed tropical forest of lofty trees. Pipra mentalis is the only species having a yellow chin, thighs, and under wing- coverts. P. chloromeros of Peru and Bolivia also has yellow thighs, but the chin and under wing-coverts are black. . 2. Pipra auricapilla. Manacus aurocapillus, Briss. Orn. iv. p. 448, t. 84. f. 2°. Pipra erythrocephala, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 339°. Pipra auricapilla, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 29°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 92*; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 296°. Nitide nigerrima ; capite et nucha aureis, margine postico coccineo; femoribus extrorsum coccineis, introrsum albis; subalaribus albido intermixtis: rostro et pedibus carneis. Long. tota 3°5, ale 2°2, caudee 0-8, rostri a rictu 0-45, tarsi 0°55, (Descr. maris ex Chepo, Panama. Mus. nostr.) 2 olivaceo-viridis, subtus pallidior. Hab. Panama, Chepo (Arcé).— South America, Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana 1, and Amazons valley. This common South-American species can hardly be called a member of our fauna, but we include it here since we possess a male specimen from Chepo, on the isthmus of Panama, a little to the south-eastward of the railway. As P. mentalis occurs on the line of railway itself, the boundary of the ranges of the two species is probably thus indicated to within a few miles. P. auricapilla is also found in the Cauca valley, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guiana, and the whole of the Amazons valley up to the base of the Andes. 110 PIPRIDA. Linneus’s name P. erythrocephala is chiefly applicable to this species, but as it conveys a wrong impression as to the colour of the head, it has never been generally used, b’. Vertex ceruleus. 3. Pipra velutina. Pipra velutina, Berl. Ibis, 1883, p. 492*; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 299°. Chiroxiphia cyaneocapilla, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 296 (nec Hahn)’. Pipra cyaneocapilla, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1864, p. 362*; 1879, p. 519°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 149°; 1870, p. 200’. Nitide nigerrima; capite summo lete cyaneo, fronte nigra. Long. tota 3:5, rostro et pedibus nigricantibus, ale 2°3, caude 1:0, rostri a rictu 0°4, tarsi 0-5. viridis, subtus pallidior, pectore et hypochondriis dorso fere concoloribus. (Descr. maris et feminw ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama (Ribbe +), Bugaba’, V. de Chiriqui’, Santiago de Veraguas ¢ (Arcé,), Lion Hill (¢‘Leannan ? *).—NortHern Coiomsia®, This species, which was separated by Count Berlepsch, is very closely allied to P. cyaneocapilla of the Amazons valley, but the blue of the crown of the head is of rather a deeper tint, the forehead is more decidedly black, and there is no indication of the indigo tint which suffuses the lower back of P. cyaneocapilla. The bird has been known to us for some time from specimens sent us by M‘Leannan from Lion Hill, on the Panama Railway. In the list of the birds of his collection allusion was made to the differences presented between them and typical examples of P. cyaneocapilla, but it was not then thought advisable to separate the Panama bird as was subsequently done by Count Berlepsch from specimens obtained in the State of Panama by the entomological collector Ribbe. Its range is limited to the State of Panama, as we have no record of its occurrence in Costa Rica; but southwards it spreads into the Cauca valley of Colombia. Nothing has been recorded of its habits. ce. Vertex albus. 4, Pipra leucocilla. Pipra leucocilla, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 840’; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 93°; Salv. P.Z. 8S. 1867, p. 149°; 1870, p. 200°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 297°. Pipra coracina, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 29 °. Nitide nigerrima; capite toto summo et nucha niveis, rostro et pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 4, ale 3-3, caudee 1-1, rostri a rictu 0-5, tarsi 0-5. (Descr. maris ex Chitra, Panama. Mus. nostr.) @ olivacea; subtus medialiter dilutior, gula et subalaribus grisescentibus. Hab. Panama, Cordillera de Tolé?, Chitra 4, Calovevora 4, Santa Fé (Arcé).—Sovutu AMERICA, Colombia and Guiana to Brazil 2. Adult males from our country are hardly so glossy as specimens from the south, but PIPRA.—CHIROXIPHIA. lil the difference is insignificant. The species appears to be not uncommon in the State of Panama, the limit of its range in this direction; it thence spreads southwards over the greater part of Tropical South America to the southern confines of Brazil. b. Gula alba. 5. Pipra leucorrhoa. Pipra leucorrhoa, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1863, p. 63, t. 10'; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 801’; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p. 149°; 1870, p. 200‘; Ibis, 1872, p. 318°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 116% Supra nitide purpureo-nigra, gutture et crisso albis; rostro et pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 3°5, ale 2°3, caude 1-2, rostri a rictu 0:5, tarsi 0-6. (Descr. maris ex Chitra, Panama. Mus. nostr.) @ supra viridis ; subtus medialiter albicans, gutture griseo-albicante, Hab. Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt 5); Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé), Angostura, Guaitil (Carmiol ®); Panama, Chiriqui +, Bugaba 4, Laguna de Castillo*, Boquete de Chitra‘, Calovevora 4, Santa Fé 3 (Arcé).—Cotompta }. This species is a close ally of P. gutturalis of Guiana, but may be readily distin- guished by the upper surface being of a uniform shiny purple, P. gutturalis having a dull ring round the back of the neck and a dull patch on the lower back; moreover the last-named species has a large white patch on each wing, which must show conspicuously when the wing is extended. The ends of the under tail-coverts of P. leucorrhoa are white. The females are very like that sex of P. leucocilla, but may be distinguished by the upper surface being of a uniform green: the best character, ‘however, for distinction is in the nostrils; these in P. /ewcorrhoa are more open than in P. leucocilla. CHIROXIPHIA. Chiroxiphia, Cabanis, in Wiegm. Arch. f. Naturg. xiii. pt. i. p. 235 (1847); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 307. Chiroxiphia contains six well-defined species, which are distributed over Tropical America from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to S. Brazil and Bolivia. Two occur in Central America, of which C. lanceolata is a species of the northern portion of South America, which enters our fauna in the State of Panama. The other, C. linearis, is peculiar to Central America, and ranges from Costa Rica to Tehuantepec, but is found almost exclusively in the forests bordering the Pacific Ocean. In general structure Chiroxiphia resembles Pipra; but the male has peculiar characters of coloration, and the nostrils open at the end of the nasal fossa, though hidden by the supra-nasal feathers. The central rectrices of C. linearis are much lengthened, those of C. danceolata less so; but this character is not found in all the members of the genus. 112 PIPRIDZ. 1. Chiroxiphia lanceolata. Pipra lanceolata, Wag]. Isis, 1830, p. 931°. Chiroxiphia lanceolata, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 967; Scl. & Salv. P.Z. 8. 1864, p. 362°; Salv. P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 150*; 1870, p. 200°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 309°. Pipra melanocephala, Vieill. Enc. Méth. p. 389 (?)"; Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 141 °. Pipra pareola, Hahn & Kiist. Vog. Lief. xvi. t. 4 (nec Linn.) ’. Chiroxiphia caudata, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 296 (nec Shaw) *°. Niger; dorso toto ceruleo, crista verticali triangulari miniata, loris et fronte stricte nigris; caude rectricibus _ dnabus mediis modice elongatis: rostro nigricanti-corneo, pedibus carneis. Long. tota 4-5, alee 2°8, caudee rect. lat. 2°4, rect. med. 3:1, rostri a rictu 0°5, tarsi 0°7. virescens; subtus pallidior, abdomine medio albicante, subalaribus albicantibus. (Descr. maris et femine ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, David (Bridges), Mina de Chorcha ®, Chitra®, Boquete de Chitra ®, Cas- tillo®, Calovevora 5, Santa Fé4 (Arcé), Lion Hill Station (M‘Leannan?), Paraiso Station (Hughes)—Soutn America, Colombia 2, Venezuela 2, Trinidad. This species of the northern part of South America occurs in the State of Panama as far as the confines of Costa Rica, where its place is taken by C. linearis. From this bird the male may at once be distinguished by its much less lengthened central rectrices. C. pareola of Guiana has a square tail. 2. Chiroxiphia linearis. Pipra linearis, Bp. P. Z. 8. 1837, p. 113°; Gould, Zool. Voy. Sulph., Birds, p. 40. t. 20°. Chiroxiphia linearis, Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 172°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 124°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p- 100°; 1872, p. 318°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 957; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 116°; Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 29°; Nutting, Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. v. p. 396”; vi. p. 38477, Ceropena linearis, Bp. Consp. Vol. Anisod. p. 6”. Pipra fastuosa, Less. Rev. Zool. 1842, p. 174°. Preecedenti similis, sed fronte latiore nigro et caude rectricibus duabus mediis valde elongatis (5°5) facile distinguenda. © cauda elongata quoque distinguenda. Hab. Muxico, Tapana, Tehuantepec (Sumichrast®); Guatemaa, Volcan de Agua above San Diego, La Trinidad, Medio Monte and Savana Grande on the slopes of the Volcan de Fuego, Retalhulen (0. S. & FL. D. G.); Nicaracua, Virgin Bay (Bridges), Sucuya (Nutting), Chontales (Belt); Costa Rica, Bebedero, Gulf of Nicoya (Arcé), Dota mountains (Carmiol), San Juan (von Frantzius), Lrazu (Rogers). The Pacific side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is the extreme limit of the range of this species in this direction; thence it spreads throughout Central America to the confines of the State of Panama, but is restricted northward of Nicaragua to the forests bordering the Pacific Ocean, being entirely absent from the more eastern CHIROXIPHIA.—CHIROMACH ARIS. 113 forests of Mexico and Guatemala. In Guatemala it is far from uncommon in the wooded slopes of the Volcanos Agua and Fuego, up to an elevation of about 3500 feet, and though we never actually met with it ourselves, our Indian hunters frequently brought us specimens from that district. Sumichrast, whe met with this species on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, writes concerning it as follows ® :—“ This Manakin, the only one I have found in the western part of the isthmus, dwells only in certain localities, thickly wooded, at the foot of the Cordilleras, on the banks of streams, and still it is only in the solitary ravines and most shady nooks that they need be looked for. Very difficult to discover at any other time in the midst of the thick forests that they choose for their dwelling, their retreat is easily discovered in the breeding-season by the loud continuous cries made by the males during the greater part of the day. Two males are almost always found together perched side by side on the same branch, a curious fact which I have a long time wondered at, but the following observation enlightened me. A female pluming herself is perched a few steps away from these two gallants, who, anxious to please her, begin a loving joust the most diverting, ascending and descending with their wings half closed, their feathers disheveled, and their throats inflated with pleasure and the effort of singing. This continues sometimes for more than a quarter of an hour, and recommences after a few minutes rest, during which the female shows her pleasure by the trembling of her body and the fluttering of her wings. Nothing can be more graceful than this picture when a ray of sunlight piercing the dark vault of the forest enlivens the scene and brings out the bright tints of black velvet, of azure and purple that adorn the coats of these little feathered actors. With an excessive natural confidence the Chiroxiphie allow themselves to be approached very near without showing any fear, and the sound of a gun hardly frightens them.” Mr. Nutting ©, who observed two males dancing, says that they were upon a bare twig about four feet from the ground; the two birds were about a foot and a half apart and were alternately jumping about two feet into the air, and alighting exactly upon the spot whence they jumped. They kept time as regularly as clockwork, one bird jumping up the instant the other alighted, each bird accompanying himself to the tune ot ‘ to-lé-do, to-lé-do, to-lé-do,” sounding the syllable ‘“‘¢to” as he crouched to spring, «/é” while in the air, and “ do” as he alighted. CHIROMACH ARIS. Chiromacheris, Cabanis, in Wiegm. Arch. f. Naturg. xiii. pt. 1, p. 285 (1847); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 312. Chiromacheris contains seven species, which are spread over Tropical America from Southern Mexico to Southern Brazil. Three of these species occur within our limits, of which C. vitellina alone enters the northern part of Colombia. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., December 1890. 15 114 PIPRIDZ. The plumage of Chiromacheris differs in texture from that of Pipra, being rather looser and fuller. None of the species are so brightly coloured as some members of Pipra; but they are, nevertheless, peculiar birds, the males having long gular feathers, pointed remiges, the shafts of the inner primaries and the secondaries are thickened. The tail and tarsi are longer than in typical Pipra. 1. Chiromacheris candzi. Pipra candei, Parz. Rev. Zool. 1841, p. 306°. Manacus candei, Bp. Consp. i. p. 171°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 899°; 1859, p. 285%; Moore, P.Z.S. 1859, p. 56°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 124°; 1860, p. 877; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 558°. Chiromacheris candei, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 97°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 184°; ix. p. 117"; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 837°; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 403” ; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 580; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 314”. Supra nigra, dorso postico et tectricibus caude superioribus olivaceis; cervice tota, tectricibus alarum pro majore parte, genis et gutture toto albis; abdomine flava: rostro nigro, pedibus carneis. Long. tota 4-7, ale 2°2, caude 1:4, rostri a rictu 0°6, tarsi 0°9. @ olivacea, uropygio paulo dilutiore, abdomine toto flavescentiore. (Descr. maris et femine ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Cordova (Sallé*), Playa Vicente (Boucard*), State of Vera Cruz (Sumi- chrast); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gaumer), Belize (Blancaneauz) ; GuateMaLA, Peten (Leyland), Choctum, Teleman, Yzabal (0. 8S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras®, Truxillo (Lownsend 4), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely); Nicaragua, Greytown (Holland }°), Los Sabalos (Nutting 1%); Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé), Angostura (Carmiol 14), Chiromacheris candi is a bird of the eastern forests of our country throughout its range, which extends from the vicinity of Cordova in the State of Vera Cruz to Costa Rica, and is common in that region from near the sea-level to a height of from 2000 to 3000 feet. It frequents the undergrowth of the denser forests, and its presence is easily detected by its note, which resembles the crack of a whip, followed by a rustling noise, probably produced by the quills of the wing-feathers. We have no knowledge of the nesting-habits of this species, which probably resemble those of C. vitellina described below. 2. Chiromacheris vitellina. Pipra vitellina, Gould, P. Z. 8. 1843, p. 103°; Zool. Voy. Sulph., Birds, p. 41, t. 21°; Latr. Rev. Zool. 1847, p. 69°; Bp. Consp. i. p. 173%. Chiromacheris vitellina, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 97°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 22°; 1879, p. 517"; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 315°. Chiroxiphia vitellina, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 296°. CHIROMACH ZRIS.— HETEROPELMA. 115 Supra nigra; dorso postico, supracaudalibus et abdomine toto olivaceis ; cervice tota, genis et gutture toto luteis ; rostro nigro, pedibus carneis. Long. tota 4:0, ale 2-1, caude 1:1, rostri a rictu 0°5, tarsi 0°85. olivacea; subtus dilutior, abdomine medio flavescente. (Descr. maris et femine ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama? ?, “Veraguas (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan®°), Obispo (0. S.), Paraiso Station (Hughes).—Norruern Cotomsta 7. Specimens obtained by Salmon in the Cauca Valley in Northern Colombia have the throat a little paler yellow than in typical Panama examples, but the difference is very slight. Mr. Sclater includes Nicaragua in the range of this species, on the strength of a specimen in the British Museum, said to have been obtained by Delattre in that country ; we believe, however, an error in the record of the locality of this specimen has been made, for we have been unable to trace the species beyond the immediate neigh- bourhood of the Panama railway. C. vitellina is common in the woods about Obispo on the Panama railway, where Salvin observed males on several occasions. He could not be certain how the sharp noise like the crack of a whip was produced, but the wings when the bird flies make a buzzing noise like the rattling of quills together. The male also utters a double note, thrusting forward its long chin-feathers at the same time. Salmon says? that the eggs are creamy white (reddish in some specimens), thickly blotched with chocolate-red ; these blotches in some specimens are almost, in others quite, confluent at the larger end. He also found the nest of C. manacus, an allied species; this he describes as a shallow slight structure of grasses, suspended from the fork of a branch of a low shrub. 3. Chiromacheris aurantiaca. (Tab. XLI. figg.1 3,2 ¢.) Chiromacheris aurantiaca, Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 200*; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 3162. Preecedenti similis, sed colore luteo multo magis aurantio abdomineque aurantio nec olivaceo distinguenda. Hab. Panama, Bugaba, Mina de Chorcha (Arcé!). A species closely allied to C. eite/lina but obviously distinct, its range lying between those of C. witellina and C. candei, and confined to a very limited district at the western end of the State of Panama. Subfam. PTILOCHLORINA. HETEROPELMA. Heteropelma, Bp. Consp. Vol. Anisod. p. 4 (1854) ; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p- 318, This is the only genus of the subfamily Ptilochlorine found within our limits. It contains nine species, which are divisible into two groups, one of which comprises six ill-defined species ; the members of the other group all have yellow occipital crests, a 15* 116 . PIPRIDZ. feature so common in the Tyrannide. In our country we find two species of the first section and none of the second. | They are dull-coloured birds, alike as to the sexes, and without bright markings of any sort. Their range extends from Southern Mexico to Panama, and the allied southern forms spread over most of Tropical America to South-eastern Brazil. Like other Pipride they are found only in dense forest. The bill is much more compressed than in the typical Piprine, and the subterminal maxillary notch is very distinct; the nostrils are elliptical and open, and are situated at the lower end of the nasal fossa; the rictal bristles are well developed. The wings are rounded, the fourth primary a little longer than the third and fifth, the first equals the tenth. The tarsi and toes are slender, the outer toe united to the middle toe a long way from the base. 1. Heteropelma verez-pacis. Heteropelma vere-pacis, Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1860, p. 300"; 1870, p. 837°; Ibis, 1860, p. 400°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1862, p. 19*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 320°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii p- 473°; ix. p. 1167; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 200°. Supra olivaceo-brunneum ; alis et cauda rufescentioribus ; abdomine medio olivaceo: rostro et pedibus corneis, mandibule basi pallida. Long. tota 6-5, ale 3°5, caude 2°5, rostri a rictu 0°8, tarsi 0°38. (Descr. maris ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. Hab. Mexico, Playa Vicente (Boucard*); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gaumer) ; GuaTEMALA, Choctum 1, Yzabal (0. S & F. D. G.); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. WV. Whitely 2); Costa Rica, Balza, Angostura, Cervantes (Carmiol) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Bugaba, Chiriqui, Castillo, Chitra, Calovevora (Arcé §). The specimens of this species from Costa Rica and Panama are rather darker than typical examples from Vera Paz, but the difference is hardly tangible. The darkest of all our specimens are from Chitra and Calovevora, these contrast strongly with examples obtained close to the line of railway which we attribute to H. stenorhynchum. Hetero- pelma vere-pacis is an inhabitant of the forest-region of Eastern Guatemala, where it is not uncommon; it spreads northward to Playa Vicente in the Mexican State of Vera Cruz*. Its range in altitude extends from the sea-level to an altitude of about 1500 feet. It frequents the undergrowth of the lofty forest, keeping near the ground. 2. Heteropelma stenorhynchum. Heteropelma stenorhynchum, Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1868, pp. 628, 632"; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 320°. Heteropelma vere-pacis, Salv. P. Z.S. 1883, p. 424°. Preecedenti similis, sed supra pallidior; alis minus rufescentibus, pileo rufescente tincto, abdomine toto grises- cente. (Descr. exempl. ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama (A. H. Markham *, Arcé).—VENEZUELA 1, HETEROPELMA.—TITYRA. 117 We have two specimens of this bird trom the neighbourhood of Panama which agree much better with the Venezuelan form than with specimens from countries lying more immediately to the north. Hi. stenorhynchum is scarcely distinguishable from H. amazonum from the Amazons Valley, but the head is rather more rufescent and the belly somewhat paler. The narrowness of the bill, on which some stress was laid in the original descriptions, seems to us now to be of slight importance. Mr. Goering, who discovered this species at San Esteban in Venezuela, states that in life the iris of the eye is white 1. Fam. COTINGIDA*. Subfam. 7/TY RIN. The ‘Tityrine can be distinguished from the other five subfamilies of Cotingide by a singular well-marked feature—the adult males in all the species having the second or penultimate primary so reduced in size as to be not more than half the length of the outermost primary (see Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 327). In the female this feather is of the normal shape and size. TITYRA. | Tityra, Vieillot, Anal. p. 89 (1816) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 328. My. Sclater makes two main divisions of Z?¢yra—one with bare lores, the other with the lores feathered. ‘This second section has also a more flattened bill and is probably of generic rank, and might be separated under Kaup’s title Hrator. The genus, as a whole, according to Mr. Sclater, contains five species, to which we now add two of the Erator section. The bill of 7. semifasciata is stout (wider and flatter in 7. albitorques), with a distinct * Mr. Sclater (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 326) recognizes six subfamilies of Cotingide, all of which, except the Rupicoline, are represented in our region. The family, as a whole, strictly belongs to the Neotropical Region, a few members reaching its northern limits in Mexico, and others the confines of the Argentine Republic. It numbers about 110 species, of which twenty-six are found within our borders. The family Cotingide as at present constituted is one of the most heterogeneous of all the groups of birds. One has only to compare the little brightly coloured Calyptura cristata with the large sombre Umbrella-birds (Cephalopterus) to see how obviously this is the case. Unfortunately the anatomy of a large number of the species has not yet been studied, so that the classification of the family mainly rests upon external characters. The bond of union at present is the structure of the tarsal covering, which, to use Sundevall’s term, is “‘pycnaspidean.” This structure includes the Phytotomide, which are again separable by their serrate bills. 118 COTINGIDA. subterminal maxillary notch ; the nostrils are round, placed at the end of the nasal fossa, which is ill-defined; the lores are almost, and the area round the eye quite, destitute of feathers, (In Z. albitorques both lores and ocular region are fully feathered.) The tarsi and toes are strong, the outer toe united at the base to the middle toe for fully the length of the first phalanges. The tail is short and even. ‘The wings rather pointed, the third, fourth, and fifth quills the longest. 1. Tityra semifasciata. Pachyrhynchus semifasciata, Spix, Av. Braz. ii. p. 52, t. 44. f. 2°. Tityra semifusciata, Sc]. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 330°. Tityra personata, Jard. & Selb. Ill. Orn. i. t. 24°; Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 56°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 124°; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 361°; 1870, p. 8877; 1879, p. 517°; Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, pp. 285°, 8366"; 1864, p.176"; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 252%; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p- 295"; ix. pp. 116™, 204°; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4. p. 28"°; Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 2897; Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1867, p. 149 ; 1870, p. 199”; Ibis, 1872, p. 318”; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 558”; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 397”; vi. p. 893"; Boucard, P. Z. 8S. 1883, p. 448”; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 156; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 589”. Psaris mexicanus, Less. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 41°. Tityra mexicana, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, pp. 141, 297”. Psaris tityroides, Less. Rev. Zool. 1842, p. 210”. Supra pallide grisea; vertice postico et nucha albicantibus ; alis et cauda nigris, hujus rectricum dimidio basali et apicibus albis; alarum rectricibus dorso concoloribus; fronte, capitis lateribus nigris: subtus alba; pectore et hypochondriis leviter griseo tinctis : rostri dimidio basali rosaceo, dimidio apicali nigro, oculorum ambitu quoque rosaceo, pedibus nigris. Long. tota 8°5, ale 5:0, caude 3:0, rostri a rictu 1°2, tarsi 1-0. 2 brunnea; capite summo obscuriore, alarum tectricibus griseo tinctis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Teapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mxxtco (Salle *8, White"), Presidio de Mazatlan (Forrer), Mazatlan (Grayson, Bischoff’), San Blas (W. B. Richardson), Sierra Madre de Colima (Xantus), Santiago near Manzanillo, Tolima, and Beltran in Jalisco (W. Lloyd), Dos Arroyos in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Real del Monte (Jenkins*), State of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast, Ferrari-Perez), Jalapa (de Oca"), Huatusco and S. Lorenzo near Cordova (1. Ferrari- Perez), Orizaba (Sumichrast), Playa Vicente (Boucard®, M. Trujillo), Tapana, Sta. Efigenia (Sumichrast 1°), Yucatan (Gaumer), Merida (Schott); British Honpuras, Pine-ridges (Leyland*), Cayo Western District and Belize (Blancaneaux); Gua- TEMALA, Choctum, San Gerénimo, Iguana, Barranco Hondo (0. 8. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. M. Whitely), Segovia River (Henderson *>) ; Nicaragua, Omotepe I. (Nutting 22), Chontales (Belé 19); Costa Rica, San José (v. Frantzius), Guaitil, Barranca (Carmiol), Caché (Rogers), La Palma (Nutting); Panama, David (Bridges), Bugaba, Calovevora (Arcé 1°), Lion Hill (1/‘Leannan °).—SovuTH AMERICA from Colombia ® to Bolivia and the Amazons valley !. TITYRA. 119 It has long been the custom to keep Mexican and Central-American Tityr@ of this form distinct under the name of 7’. personata, but with a large series before us from all parts of its range we are unable to find any tangible grounds for separation, and therefore follow Mr. Sclater in uniting them all under the name of 7. semifasciata, which was originally applied to the Brazilian bird. Comparing a specimen from Misantla, in Eastern Mexico, with one from Lion Hill on the Panama Railway we find scarcely any perceptible difference; the back of the latter is a little paler, and this seems to be generally the case in southern specimens. As will be seen from the list of localities where this species occurs, its distribution is pretty general throughout our region, except in the northern and central States of Mexico, and its range in altitude extends from the sea-level to a height of about 4000 feet in the mountains. Grayson!’ says that in the neighbourhood of Mazatlan it is generally seen in very lofty trees, either in small flocks, but more usually solitary or in pairs. It feeds on various kinds of fruit and also insects, which he saw it dart after like the Flycatchers. He found it near Mazatlan in the months of November, February, April, and June. It doubtless breeds in the mountain region of that latitude. Tt has no song, the voice being rather harsh. Mr. Nutting?! gives a similar account of its food and method of catching insects, except that he does not include fruit as part of its diet. Salmon 8, on the other hand, mentions fruit as its only food. No doubt much depends upon the time of year and the food most accessible, as all these birds, including some of the Tyrannide, eat both insects and fruit. Though chiefly a denizen of the forest country, it also frequents pine-regions, such as are found in British Honduras; and Mr. Nutting shot one at La Palma in Costa Rica in a large tree standing in an open field. Salmon says the nest is placed in a hole in a decayed tree almost on a level with the entrance. The egg is white. The bare portion round the eye and the basal half of the bill in life is a reddish flesh- colour. ‘The iris is dark red, and the feet and toes lead-colour. 2. Tityra albitorques. Tityra albitorques, Du Bus, Bull. Ac. Brux. xiy. pt. 2, p. 104°; Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p- 56°; Sel. P.Z.S. 1859, p. 284°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 400‘; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N.Y. vii. p. 295°; vill. p. 182°; 1x. p. 116". Exetastes albitorques, Cab. & Hein. Mus. Hein. ii. p. 84°. Erator aibitorques, Sumichrast, Mus. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p- 558°. Tityria frasert, Kaup, P. Z. 8. 1851, p. 47, tt. 87,38; Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 199"'; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 837; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1883, p. 449”; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 589", Tityria albitorques fraseri, Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 397™. Supra pallide grisea ; loris et capite summo nigris ; alis nigris, remigibus interne ad basin albis; tectricibus minoribus dorso concoloribus, majoribus nigris; cauda alba, fascia subterminali et rhachidibus supra nigris ; 120 COTINGIDA. rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 7:0, ale 4:3, caude 2°5, rostri a rictu 2°35, tarsi 0-95. (Deser. maris ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) a © supra pallide brunnea, fronte et capitis lateribus rufescentibus, aliter mari similis. (Descr. femine ex Oaxaca, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Mexico, Sochiapa (MM. Trujillo), Playa Vicente (Boucard *), hot region of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast®), Teapa (Mis. H. H. Smith), Tizimin in Northern Yucatan (Gaumer); Bririst Honpuras (Blancaneaur); GuatemMaa, Peten (Leyland 2), Choctum (0. S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. WM. Whitely 1”), Segovia River (Hendersom 4); Nicaragua, Greytown (Holland *); Costa Rica, Bebedero (Arcé), La Palma (Nutting 15), Pacuar (Carmiol’); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Bugaba (Arcé14), Lion Hill (‘Leannan’).—SovutaH America from Colombia to ‘Keuador and Peru !. The name 7’. albitorques was applied by Du Bus to Peruvian specimens 4, and the bird from southern localities seems to be strictly conspecific with that of Central America and Mexico, to which the name 7’. fraseri has sometimes been applied 1°. Females differ a good deal in the intensity of the brown colouring of the back, which is sometimes almost replaced by grey of a darker shade than that of the male, but none of them possess the spotted mantle found in 7’. inquisitor. A young bird from Bugaba, marked as a female, has the crown rufous like the sides of the head, the subterminal band of the tail is almost broken into spots on the central feathers. 7. albitorques is easily distinguished from T. inquisitor not only by the coloration of the tail, but also by its white instead of black ear-coverts; the female, too, has the mantle spotted with black. Besides these two forms there are two others which cannot be satisfactorily placed with either of them. One, which we describe below as 7. pelzelni *, was obtained in Matto Grosso by Natterer, and more recently by Mr. Herbert H. Smith; this has the tail of 7. albitorques, but the black ear-coverts of T. inquisitor. The other, which we propose to call T. buckleyi +, has the tail of T. inquisitor, and the white ear-coverts of 7. albitorques, moreover the lower back of this bird is much whiter than that of any of its allies. Tityra albitorques, though a much rarer bird than T. semifasciata, has a very similar range, but it appears to be absent from Western Mexico and Western Guatemala, and * Tityra pelzelni. Tityra albitorques, Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 120 (nec Du Bus). T. albitorqui affinis et cauda eodem modo fasciata, auricularibus nigris sicut in 7’. inquisitore differt. Hab. Brazil, Prov. Matto Grosso (Natterer, H. H. Smith). t Tityra buckleyi. 7. inquisitori affinis et cauda nigra basi tantum alba, auricularibus albis sicut in 7’. albitorque dorso imo pure albo quoque distinguenda. Hab, Ecuador orientalis, Yanayacu (C. Buckley). TITYRA.—HADROSTOMUS. 12} also from the Amazons valley. Its range in altitude is also restricted to a lower level, which probably does not exceed 1500 feet, the approximate altitude of Choctum in Guatemala. Very little is recorded of its habits. Mr. Nutting!° says that it is common at La Palma in Costa Rica, and is usually found in rather open country associating in flocks. of six or eight, and that it is noisy and quarrelsome. HADROSTOMUS. Hadrostomus, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii, p. 84 (1859); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 333.. Five species are included in the genus Hadrostomus, which range from Northern Mexico to Southern Brazil, one species, H. aglaiw, even passing beyond these limits. into Southern Arizona. Two species only are found within our borders, the widely spread and variable H. aglaie and H. homochrous, and these appear to be not very definitely separable. Though very similar in structure to Pachyrhamphus, with which it was long united, Hadrostomus is a fairly natural genus, being composed of birds of larger size and stouter build. The bill is larger in proportion, and the colours of the plumage more uniform and devoid of definite pattern. ‘The males are grey or blackish, the females more or less rufous. 1. Hadrostomus aglaiz. Pachyrhynchus aglaie, “afr. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 98°. Psaris aglaie, Kaup, P. Z. 8. 1851, p. 46°. Pachyrhamphus aglaie, Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1856, p. 297°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 124*; Owen, Ibis, 1861, p. 64°. Platypsaris aglaie, Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1859, p. 285°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 5587; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 240°. Hadrostomus aglaie, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. i. p. 85°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 252°; Sel. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 176"; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 885”; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. pp. 116%, 204"; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4. p. 28”; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 309"; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 837°"; Grays. Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 279"; Ferrari- Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 156. Platypsaris affinis, Elliot, Ibis, 1859, p. 394°; Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 866”; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.1. p. 558”. Hadrostomus aglaie, var. affinis, Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 289”. Pachyrhamphus latirostris, Bp. Compt. Rend. xxxviii. p. 658%; Not. Orn. p. 87”; Scl. P. Z.S. 1857, p. 74°. Hadrostomus latirostris, Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 3937". Platypsaris latirostris, Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 240”. Hadrostomus albiventris, Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 289”; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 335”. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IT., December 1890. 16 122 COTINGIDZ. Platypsaris albiventris, Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 325"; A. O. U. Check-list N. Am. B., 2nd Suppl., Auk, vii. p. 62. Platypsaris insularis, Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 325”. Supra nigricanti-cinereus; capite summo pure nigro ; alis et cauda nigricantibus; scapularibus ad basin albis: subtus fusco-cinereus, plaga magna gulari rosacea: rostro et pedibus nigricanti-plumbeis. Long. tota 7-0, ale 3-7, caude 2-9, rostri a rictu 0°9, tarsi 0°9. Q rufa: capite summo nigricante, fronte sordide fusca; alis extus et cauda castaneis: subtus pallidior. (Descr. maris et feminge ex Misantla, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Rio Camacho, Villa Grande, Rio de Monterey (Armstrong), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria, Soto la Marina, Aldama, Tampico (Richardson), hot, tempe- rate, and alpine regions of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast™), Misantla, Colipa (F. D. G.), Jalapa® (F.D.G., deOca!, M. Trujillo), Coatepec, Huatusco (F. Ferrari-Perez), Cor- dova (Sallé?), Vera Cruz (F. D. G., Richardson), Playa Vicente (Boucard®), Sochiapa (M. Trujillo), Rancho de Almihinte in Puebla, Yauhuitlan in Oaxaca (/. Ferrari- Perez), Oaxaca (Boucard®), Dondomingillo (Sumichrast'*), Teapa in Tabasco (Mrs. H.H. Smith), Santiagoand San Blas(W. B. Richardson), Tres MariasIs. (Grayson 18 33), Ysleta in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Presidio de Mazatlan (Forrer), Mazatlan (Grayson, Bischoff), Zapotlan, Beltran, and Sta. Ana in Jalisco (Lloyd), Plains of Colima (Xantus °°), Amula in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Sola, Juchatengo (MZ. Trujillo), Merida in Yucatan (Schott '*), Buctzotz, Peto, Tizimin, Holbox I. (Gaumer), Cozumel Island (Devis), Tonila, Cacoprieto, Tehuantepec (Sumichrast ©); Guate- MALA, Retahuleu, Barranco Hondo, Calderas on the Volcan de Fuego®, Chuacus (Owen®), Chisec, Choctum, Cahabon (0. 8S. & F. D. G.°); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. WM. Whitely™); Nicaraeua (Delattre 74), Omotepe I. (Nutting *"); Costa Rica (Ellendorf°). This species, taken as a whole, is subject to a great amount of variation, not only as regards the intensity of the colour of the back and under surface, but also as regards the rosy spot on the throat. The females also vary in the intensity of their general rufous coloration. The darkest males are found in the province of Tabasco, and thence southwards through Eastern Guatemala, and northwards along the coast of the State of Vera Cruz to Tampico. At Jalapa and in the Eastern Sierra Madre the back is generally a little greyer; and this is the case in birds from the Tres Marias Islands, the mountains facing the Pacific coast of Guatemala, and also in those from Nicaragua. ‘The palest examples are from Western Mexico, in which the back is grey and the under surface nearly white, and with these specimens from the northern part of Yucatan agree very closely. The assumption of the rosy spot of immature males appears usually to commence at an early stage, and is often of full size before the wing-feathers have assumed their adult coloration. In other specimens, which are apparently fully adult in other respects, this rosy spot can barely be traced. We have already referred to the variation in the rufous colouring of the female; the crown of the head also varies from HADROSTOMUS. 128 deep black to grey, and even to chestnut, as in a specimen before us from Vera Cruz the crown is but a few shades darker than the back. ‘The bill also varies greatly in size. Our specimen with the largest bill is from the island of Cozumel, but this is almost matched by others from Yucatan. Regarding the names applied to this bird, H. aglaic, the oldest, seems applicable to the Jalapa form, in which the back is slightly tinged with grey. The type appears from the description to have been somewhat immature, as in the adult the nape and rump cannot be said to be slightly rufescent. Platypsaris affinis of Elliot is probably strictly congeneric with H. aglaie. H. latirostris of Bonaparte was applied to a Nicaraguan individual without a rosy throat, a character which we believe to be strictly individual, as we find it represented in birds associated with numbers of the ordinary type and intermediate examples occur connecting the two. JH. albiventris was applied to the bird of Western Mexico, and with them Mr. Ridgway has recently associated the pale birds of Northern Yucatan. The distribution thus indicated for H. albiventris is so completely severed by a wide tract of country occupied by darker forms, that we are convinced that the similarity of the birds of the divided districts is not due to relationship but to some local cause acting so as to produce a similar effect, and we are further inclined to attribute the existence of dark and intermediate forms to a difference of climate and greater rainfall and density of vegetation. The various forms in which this bird presents itself are not sufficiently pronounced to enable us to define them with certainty and attach to them specificnames. We may add that we have before us upwards of 150 specimens from nearly all the localities mentioned above. It is right, however, to quote here Sumichrast’s opinion on the varieties of this bird, which is as follows ’:—**I am led to believe that there are two varieties of this bird in the State of Vera Cruz. The one, especially found in the hot and temperate regions, of stouter pro- portions, and in the adult male at least with darker plumage, &c. The other, which I have met with several times in the Alpine region, is appreciably inferior in size to the preceding, and with lighter tints in the adult male. It is possible that to the latter variety the name of P. affinis has been given.” In all parts of our region the range in altitude of this species is very considerable, and extends from the sea-level to an altitude of at least 8000 feet. In the Tres Marias, Grayson '® found it only in the thick woods, where it is seen searching for insects, some- times darting after them when on the wing, at other times looking for them amongst the leaves and branches, not unlike the Warblers. Its notes are feeble and but seldom uttered, and its habits are solitary. This island bird has been separated by Mr. Ridg- way as Platypsaris insularis. My. Robert Owen ® found a nest of this bird on 15th May, 1860, at Chuacus in Guatemala, and sent us the female, its nest, and two eggs. The nest was entirely composed of tendrils, strips of bark, and grass, so as to form a hanging nest open at the top and about two inches deep. It was built between and hung from the forked branch of a sapling at the foot of a mountain. The egg is white, beautifully 16* 124 COTINGIDA. marked with pencilings of pinkish red and scattered spots of the same colour; these markings are much blended and concentrated at the larger end. H. aglaie is included in the birds of North America as an inhabitant of the Rio Grande Valley, but it has not yet, so far as we know, occurred north of the river. The western form, H. albiventris, is found in Southern Arizona *. 2. Hadrostomus homochrous. Hadrostomus homochrous, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 142"; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 334°. Hadrostomus homochrous ?, Ridgw. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. v. p. 397°. Pachyrhamphus homochrous, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 473%. Supra niger; capite summo saturatiore ; scapularibus ad basin albis; subtus cinereis ; rostro et pedibus nigri- cantibus. Long. tota 7-0, ale 3:5, caude 2°5, rostri a rictu 1:0, tarsi 0°85. (Descr. maris ex Ecuador. Mus. nostr.) © supra cinnamomea fere unicolor ; subtus multo pallidior. (Descr. feminee ex Lion Hill, Panama, Mus, nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (?), La Palma (Nutting 3); Panama, Lion Hill (Jf‘Leannan).—Soutu America, from Colombia to Peru. This species very closely resembles examples of H. aglaie in which the rosy patch on the throat is not developed, a character which is never seen in southern specimens, but it is evanescent in examples from Nicaragua. Its southern range extends to Peru, and it is apparently common in Western Ecuador!. Its range northward of the Isthmus of Panama is a little doubtful, and rests, so far as Costa Rica is concerned, on a female specimen obtained by Mr. Nutting at La Palma®. We have no examples from Chiriqui, but a female from the Isthmus of Panama agrees best with others from Western Ecuador. Salmon described the nest and eggs of a bird referred to H. homochrous, but his description differs so widely from that of the nest and eges of the allied H. aglaiw sent us by Mr. Owen, about which we have not the smallest doubt, that we think Salmon wrongly identified the nest he found. PACHYRHAMPHUS. Pachyrhynchus, Spix, Av. Bras. 11. p. 31 (1825). Pachyrhamphus, Gray, List Gen. B. p. 31 (1840) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 337. Of the fourteen species included in this genus, six occur within our limits, the most northern of which, P. major, extends its range to the middle of the Mexican State of Tamaulipas. The genus is strictly a neotropical one, and spreads over South America as far as the Argentine Republic. As compared with Hadrostomus, the species of Pachyrhamphus are smaller and more slender birds, usually with more mottled plumage, longer wings, and rounder tails, and a wide difference in the coloration of the sexes; but P. cinnamomeus and P. rufus are PACHYRHAMPHUS. 125 exceptions in the latter respect, the sexes being alike, and only to be distinguished by the form of the second primary in the male. Mr. Ridgway gives us a character whereby to distinguish Platypsaris (= Hadro- stomus) from Pachyrhamphus, by the covering inner surface of the posterior half of the tarsus, which in the former, he says, is covered with a series of large scales, but in the latter is naked; this seems to hold good when Z. aglaie and P. major are compared, but nearly all the other species of Pachyrhamphus agree in this respect with Hadro- stomus, so that this character does not seem to be trustworthy for diagnostic purposes. A. Sexes dissimiles, marium rectricibus stricte albo marginatis. 1. Pachyrhamphus versicolor. Vireo versicolor, Hartl. Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 289°. Callopsaris versicolor, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 89. Pachyrhamphus versicolor, Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 65°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 339+. Supra niger ; dorso imo cinereo ; alis nigris ; secundariis internis et tectricibus albo marginatis; cauda cinerea albido stricte terminata: subtus albus nigro indistincte fasciatus; loris, gula et cervicis lateribus viridi- flavo lavatis; subalaribus albis: rostro et pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 4°7, alse 2°7, caude 1:9, rostri a rictu 0°55, tarsi 0°6. 2 supra viridi-olivacea, capite summo griseo; alis castaneo marginatis: subtus mari similis, sed undique viridi-flavo lavatus. (Descr. maris et feminee ex Intac, Ecuador. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Candelaria (Boucard *).—Cotomsia 12; Ecuapor. This species is included here on the authority of M. Boucard, who obtained a single specimen at Candelaria in Costa Rica during his visit to that country in 1877. It occurs in the Colombian State of Antioquia, is commonly seen in the trade collections made in the vicinity of Bogota, and is also found in the northern districts of Ecuador. P. versicolor stands alone in the genus, no other species having the under surface barred in a similar manner. Nothing as to its habits is on record. 2. Pachyrhamphus cinereus. Pipra cinerea, Bodd. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 43', ex Daub. Pl. Enl. 687, p. 1”. Pachyrhamphus cinereus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 320°; Scl. & Salv. P.Z. S. 1864, p. 361‘; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 841° Supra cinereus ; dorso medio olivaceo lavato; capite summo nigro; loris et fronte stricte albis; alis nigris, tectricibus et secundariis intimis griseis albo marginatis; cauda grisea, plumis omnibus medialiter nigris albido stricte marginatis : subtus albidus, pectore et hypochondriis cinereis, illo quoque olivaceo vix tincto: rostro et pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 5-0, ale 2°75, caudex 2:0, rostri a rictu 0°65, tarsi 0°7. Q cinnamomea, capite paulo obscuriore ; alis nigricantibus extus et intus cinnamomeo marginatis. (Deser. maris et femine ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Lion Hill (M/*‘Zeannan‘), Paraiso (Hughes), Chepo (Arcé).—Soutu America from Colombia to Guiana. 126 COTINGIDZ. The females of this species are very like those of P. cinnamomeus, and are only to be distinguished by their smaller size; the males of course are widely different, being cinereous above and white beneath, instead of wholly of a cinnamon colour like the female. : P. cinereus has a wide range along the northern portion of the South American continent. It just enters our fauna, occurring along the line of the Panama railway, ‘but not, so far as we know, farther to the westward. B. Seres similes, cinnamomet. 8. Pachyrhamphus cinnamomeus. Pachyrhamphus cinnamomeus, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 295°; vill. p-. 182°; ix. p.116°; Sel. & Salv. P. Z. 8.1879, p. 518*; Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. p. 326°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 342°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S, Nat. Mus. x. p. 589%. . ‘ Pachyrhamphus sp.?, Scl. & Salv. Tbis, 1860, p. 36°. Pachyrhamphus sp. ?, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 296°. Supra cinnamomeus ; capite summo paulo saturatiore ; alis nigricantibus extus et intus castaneo marginatis : subtus dilutior, loris, mento et abdomine medio albicantioribus : rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 5-5, ale. 3:0, caudee 2°3, rostri a rictu 0°7, tarsi 0°8. @ mari similis remige secundo integro. (Deser. maris et femine ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. British Honpuras, Cayo (Blancaneaua) ; GuarEeMALA, Coban, Choctum (0. S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, Segovia river (Henderson’); Nicaragua, Greytown (/Zol- land 2); Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé, Zeledon*), Angostura, Turrialba (Carmiol *); Panama, Lion Hill (1/‘Leannan 1), Chepo (Arcé).—Sovutu America, Colombia * and Ecuador. | It is now generally considered that the sexes of this species are alike in coloration, and differ only in the form of the second primary, which is much reduced in size in the male but normal in the female. At one time it was believed that all these cinnamon-coloured birds were either young birds or females of a species having a black or cinereous male ; against this supposition is the fact that no such male has yet been found in Central America north of the Isthmus of Panama, whereas the supposed females and young birds are common in many places up to the confines of Mexico. The probability, therefore, is that P. cinnamomeus isa distinct species in which the sexes are similarly coloured. Though this species is common in the forest-region of Vera Paz and the adjoining parts of British Honduras, it is absent from all the low-lying lands bordering on the Pacific Ocean, but in the State of Panama it is found all across the isthmus. PACHYRHAMPHUS. 127 C. Sexes dissimiles, rectricibus amborum macula magna terminatis. 4. Pachyrhamphus cinereiventris. (Tab. XLIII. fig. 1.) | Pachyrhamphus cinereiventris, Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 242; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 844°; Sel. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 361°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p. 149*; 1870, p.199°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 116°; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 385%. Pachyrhamphus marginatus ?, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 330°. Supra niger ; capite summo nitido ; alis nigris, pluamis omnibus late albo marginatis ; cauda nigra albo terminata :, subtus cinereus, subalaribus et remigibus interne albicantibus. Long. tota 5:3, ale 2°7, caude rect. med. 2-2, rect. lat. 1-6, rostri a rictu 0-6, tarsi 0°65. (Descr. maris ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) 2 olivacea; capite summo obscure cinerescente ; alis nigricantibus fulvo marginatis; cauda nigricante fulvo terminata, rectricibus intermediis dorso concoloribus: subtus medialiter flavescens. (Descr. femine ex Bugaba, Panama. Mus. nosir.) Hab. Guatemata, Choctum (0. S. & Ff. D. G.); Nicaragua, Sucuya (Nutting *) ; Costa Rica, Angostura, San Mateo, Barranca (Carmiol °); Panama, Bugaba °, Calovevora, Santa Fé 4 (Arcé), Lion Hill (/‘Leannan ? *).—Cotomsia 1. This species is doubtfully distinct from the Brazilian P. polychropterus, but seems to be smaller and to have the white tips to the tail-feathers rather wider and extending further along the outer web of the feather. It was originally described from a specimen obtained near Santa Marta in Colombia, and skins of it occur in the trade collections made in the neighbourhood of Bogota. In our country it is much more common in the portion bordering the southern continent. Mr. Nutting says’ that it is not common in the deep woods near Sucuya in Nicaragua, and we have only seen one or two specimens in native collections made in Vera Paz, Guatemala, so that we have no personal acquaintance with the species. 5. Pachyrhamphus major. Bathmidurus major, Cab. in Wiegm. Arch. 1847, i. p. 246°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii, p. 89°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 558°. | Pachyrhamphus major, Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1857, p. 204°; 1858, p. 97°; 1859, p. 366°; 1864, p. 1767; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 846°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 36°. Pachyrhamphus marginatus ?, Scl. P. Z.S. 1856, p. 298”. Pachyrhamphus polychropterus, Moore, P. Z. 8. 1859, p.56"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 182”. Pachyrhamphus polychropterus ?, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 124”. Supra cinereus ; capite summo nitide nigro ; interscapulio plus minusve nigro notato ; alis nigris, plumis omnibus late alho marginatis ; scapularibus albis; cauda nigra late albo marginata, rectricum medianarum bitriente basali cinereis: loris et corpore subtus cinereo-albis ; subalaribus et remigibus interne albis: rostro et. pedi- bus plumbeis. Long. tota 6-0, alee 3:4, caude rect. med. 2°6, rect. lat. 1°75, rostri a rictu 0-75, tarsi 0-8. 2 castanea ; capite summo nitide nigro; alarum plumis omnibus late rufo marginatis; cauda nigra, rectricibus duabus mediis et reliquis ad apicem castaneis : subtus flavido undique tinctus. (Descr. maris et feminze ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico (Sallé!, White"), Sierra Madre above Ciudad Victoria (Richardson), Jalapa? 128 COTINGIDA. (Sallé+, de Oca®, Hoge, M. Trujillo, F. D. G.), Huatusco (Ferrari-Perez), Amula in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Peto, Buctzotz in Yucatan (Gaumer) ; GUATEMALA, Choctum, Coban, Duefias, Medio Monte, Calderas on the Volcan de Fuego (0. 8. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, Omoa (Leyland 11) ; Nicaragua, Greytown (Holland 1). This species, so far as the male is concerned, is exceedingly like the South-American P. atricapillus ; but besides being decidedly smaller, appears never to have the back quite so black as in some individuals of the southern bird. The female may at once be distinguished by its cinnamon back and black crown. P. major has a wide range in Mexico, extending northwards as far as the high ground above Ciudad Victoria in Tamaulipas, and also occurring in the Sierra Madre del Sur, near the town of Chilpancingo. Sumichrast? found it in the State of Vera Cruz in the lowlands, and at various elevations up to an altitude of more than 8000 feet, and we observed that it had a similar range in altitude in Guatemala, where it occurs in the Volcan de Fuego as high as between 7000 and 8000 feet, and at Choc- tum which is less than 1500. It occurs also near the sea-level in Yucatan, and at Omoa in Honduras. It is nowhere common. 6. Pachyrhamphus albogriseus. (Tab. XLIII. fige. 23, 3°.) Pachyrhamphus albogriseus, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1857, p. 78°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 347°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 199°. Preecedenti similis, sed dorso cinereo unicolore diversus. © supra olivacea, capite summo rufescente. Hab. Nicaracua, Corinto (0. S.2) ; Panama, Bugaba, Calovevora (Arcé ?).—CoLoMBIA ; EcuaDoR ; VENEZUELA. This is a smaller species than P. major and may be distinguished by its cinereous back, in which there is no admixture of black; the female, too, differs in having an olive-coloured back and a red instead of a black crown, so that the two species are really very distinct. Moreover it would appear that P. albogriseus takes to a great extent the place of P. major in the more southern portion of our country, and thence passes southwards into the north-western districts of South America. The only part of our country where it appears to be at all common is the neighbour- hood of Chiriqui, whence Arcé sent us several specimens; our single Nicaraguan example was shot by Salvin in the bush at the back of the seaport town of Corinto. Subfam. LJPAUGINA. Lipaugine, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 348. The Lipaugine form the first subfamily of Mr. Sclater’s second section (B) of the Cotingide, in which the second primary in the male is normal and not abbreviated as LATHRIA. 129 in the Tityrine ; it is further defined as one of the “smaller forms; bill turdine ; rictus bristled ; bill broader, slightly hooked.” Looking at the various genera comprised in this second section of the Cotingide, we doubt if these characters are sufficiently definite for practical use. In the first place, there are species of Lathria considerably exceeding in size Querula cruenta, a species of Gymnoderine; the bills of all this section are very varied in form and cannot be satisfactorily classed as ‘‘ turdine ” in character. At the same time it is obvious that Chirocylla, Lathria, Aulia, and LInipaugus form a fairly natural group of allied genera. The structure of the feet, the form of the wings (if we except Chirocylla) and tail are similar in all of them; though there are minor points of difference which we mention under each genus. LATHRIA. Lathria, Swainson, Classif. B. i. p. 255 (1837) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 350. There are cight known species of this genus, which are distributed over Tropical America from Southern Mexico to Bolivia and South Brazil. Only one species occurs within our limits, which spreads from Southern Mexico to the northern portion of the United States of Colombia. ‘The bill in Lathria unirufa is stout, wide at the base, the culmen arched, terminating in a distinct hook, with a well-defined subterminal notch on the tomia of the maxilla; the nostrils are nearly round, and placed at the end of the nasal fossa, and are only partially covered by the supra-nasal plumes; the rictal bristles are moderately strong; the tarsi are short and not rough beneath at their proximal ends ; the outer toe is a little longer than the inner toe and is united to the middle toe as far as the end of the first phalange; the wings are rounded, the third and fourth primaries being the longest (second < the fifth, first=the tenth); the tail is long and nearly even. 1. Lathria unirufa. Lipaugus unirufus, Scl. P.Z. 8.1859, p. 8385"; 1861, p. 211°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 36°; P.Z.S. 1864, p. 8361‘; 1867, p. 279°; Ex. Orn. pp. 1, 6, t. 1°; Cass. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 148°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N.Y. vii. p. 330°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 149°; 1870, p.199*; Ibis, 1872, p. 318"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 558”. Lathria unirufa, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1879, p. 518%; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 404"; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 353. Cinnamomea, subtus pallidior, remigibus intus brunnescentibus; rostro corneo, pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 9°5, ale 5°3, caude 4:5, rostri a rictu 1-0, tarsi 0°8. (Deser. exempl. ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. Hab. Mexico, Playa Vicente (Boucard+); Brivisq Honporas (Blancaneaux); Guate- MALA (Skinner), Coban1%, Choctum (0. 8. & F. D. G.); Nicaracua, Chontales (Belé 1), Los Sabalos (Nutting *), Blewfields (Wickham*); Panama, Bugaba !, Veraguas® (Arcé), Lion Hill (d*Leannan*), Chepo (Arcé), Turbo, R. Truando (C. J. Wood*).—Cotomsia }°. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., February 1891. 17 130 COTINGIDZ. This Lathria is easily distinguished from all other members of the genus by its uniform cinnamon plumage. It was first described by Mr. Sclater from a specimen obtained in March 1859 by Boucard! at Playa Vicente in the State of Vera Cruz, near the foot of the eastern slope of the mountain-range which traverses the State of Oaxaca, and others from Guatemala collected by Skinner and Salvin. From Southern Mexico it spreads over the low-lying forest-region of British Honduras and Guate- mala, and ascends the mountains up to an elevation of about 2000 feet. It is absent, so far as we know, from the forests bordering on the Pacific, both in Mexico and Guate- mala, until we come to the State of Panama. In South America it is only known in the extreme north-west of Colombia, in the State of Antioquia, where Salmon obtained it at Nichi and Remedios in the Cauca valley 1°. L. unirufa frequents the interior of the forest, and is usually found perched among the lower branches of the larger trees; its food consists principally of fruit, and, according to Mr. C. J. Wood, of large Coleoptera which abound in the dry parts of the forests at Turbo and the cordillera of the Isthmus of Darien 7: AULIA. Aulia, Bonaparte, Consp. Vol. Anis. p. 4 (1854) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 354. Aulia contains two species, of which one, A. rufescens, alone is found in our country, and has nearly the same range as Lathria unirufa, though its northern limit does not extend beyond Eastern Guatemala ; the other species, A. hypopyrrha, has a wide range in South America, extending over the Amazons valley and South-eastern Brazil. In many points of structure Aulia resembles Lathria; but the outer and middle toes are more united at the base, the rictal bristles not so strongly developed, and the male has peculiarities in its plumage, described below, which are not found in the other allied forms. 1. Aulia rufescens. Lipaugus rufescens, Scl. P. Z.S. 1857, p. 276"; 1861, p. 211°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 124°; P.Z. 8. 1864, p. 361*; Ex. Orn. pp. 5, 6, t. 3°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 330°; ix. p. 116"; Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1867, p. 149°. Aulia rufescens, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1879, p. 519°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p-. 355°. Laniocerca rufescens, Ridgw. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. x. p. 589”. Cinnamomea, subtus pallidior ; uropygio et corpore subtus fusco transvittatis; pectore et abdomine maculis rotundis nigris sparsim irregulariter notatis ; hypochondriis plumarum fascicula flavarum utrinque ornatis ; alis nigricantibus, intus et extus cinnamomeo limbatis, tectricibus mediis et majoribus ad apicem cinna- momeis purpureo-nigro terminatis, subcaudalibus longissimis eodem modo ornatis: rostro corneo, pedibus orylinis. Long. tot. 8:5, ale 4-4, caude 3°6, rostri a rictu 1:0, tarsi 0°7. (Deser. maris ex Santa Fé, Panama. Mus. nostr.) 2 mari similis, maculis abdominis nigris et alarum tectricum apicibus nigris absentibus distinguenda. AULIA.—LIPAUGUS. 131 Hab. Guatemata, Coban (Delattre, mus. Derb.1*); Honpuras, Segovia River (Hender- son 1); Costa Rica, Barranca (Carmiol’), Tucurriqui (Zeledon’); Panama, Santa Fé (Areé *), Lion Hill (1/*Leannan*), Chepo (Arcé).—CoLomBia 9. The type of this species, now in the Derby Museum at Liverpool, is stated to have been obtained at Coban in Guatemala!; but as no other examples for a long period came under our notice, we were inclined at one time to doubt the correctness of the locality 45. There was, however, in 1873, a Guatemalan specimen in the Museum of the Sociedad Economica de Guatemala, and more recently a specimen from Coban was submitted to us by M. Boucard, thus confirming the original statement. It must, however, be an exceedingly rare bird in Guatemala, as we have never found another example amongst the thousands of skins from that country that we have examined. Southwards of Guatemala its presence has been recorded in several parts of Central America, and in the State of Panama Arcé and M‘Leannan cbtained a few specimens. In Colombia, Salmon found it near Remedios, in the State of Antioquia, and this point seems to be the southern limit of its range. The two specimens from his collection before us are perhaps not quite adult, and have a greyish tinge on the throat, head, and lower back, not found in our Central-American examples. The dark spots on the under surface and the dark tips to the wing-coverts appear to be characteristic of the male sex; the flank-tufts are also of a reddish-orange hue in the female, those of the male being clearer yellow. This species, like Lathria unirufa and Lipaugus holerythrus, can be distinguished from the rest of its congeners by the cinnamon colour of its plumage. LIPAUGUS. Lipaugus, Boie, Isis, 1828, p. 818; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 356. There are three species in this genus which have their representatives, so far as their coloration is concerned, in the genera Lathria and Aulia; but they are of smaller size, the rictal bristles are much more fully developed, and the tarsi beneath are rough towards their proximal end; the nostrils, too, are more hidden by the supra-nasal feathers. 1. Lipaugus holerythrus. Lipaugus holerythrus, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1860, p. 8300'; 1864, p. 361°; 1867, p. 279°; 1879, p. 519*; Ibis, 1860, p. 400°; Ex. Orn. p.6°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 3807; ix. p. 116°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 149°; 1870, p. 199"; Wyatt, Ibis, 1871, p. dd4 “; Berl. J. f. Orn. 1884, p. 318°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 357 ©. Cinnamomeus unicolor, subtus pallidior ; alis nigricantibus utrinque cinnamomeo limbatis; rostro corneo, pedibus corylinis. Long. tot. 8-3, ale 4:2, caude 3-8, rostri a rictu 0°85, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. 17* 132 COTINGIDA. Hab. Mexico 238; Guaremata, Choctum (0. S.1 & F. D. G.); Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol 8), Tucurriqui (Arcé) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui 10, Chitra 1°, Boquete de Chitra1°, Calovevora!®, Santa Fé® (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan ?*).— CoomBia 4 11 12, The occurrence of this species in Mexico is somewhat doubtful, and at present rests on the authority of a single skin formerly in Gould’s collection said to have come from that country 18, Like Lathria unirufa it is very likely to be found in the southern parts of the State of Vera Cruz. In Guatemala we only know of its occurrence in the forest country north of Coban, drained by the affluents of the Rio de la Pasion: here the type was obtained, and the bird is found in some abundance. Southward of Guatemala it occurs probably in all low-lying heavily-forested country as far south as the Colombian State of Antioquia +. According to Salmon the food of this species consists of insects. L. holerythrus may at once be distinguished from all its South-American congeners by its cinnamon-coloured plumage. Subfam. ATTILINA. The position of the Attiline has long been a matter of doubt, and it has been assigned to the families Tyrannide, Formicariide, and Cotingide. Sundevall placed it in the last-named family, and in so doing he was followed by Mr. Sclater, though with doubt. In this, we think, the last-named writer was justified, for the form of the bill, the greater length of the tarsi, and the greater separation of the toes are all suggestive of a different position from that now assigned to it. It is to be hoped that when the internal structure is examined, more satisfactory indications of the affinities of Attila will be revealed. ATTILA. Attila, Lesson, Traité d’Orn. p. 360 (1831) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 358. The number of species in the genus Attila as at present known cannot be stated exactly. In his recently published Catalogue, Mr. Sclater admitted twelve species, but half of these he only separated “ geographically ;” he also mentioned six other names which applied to birds with which he was unacquainted. We now add two names, so that there may be twenty nominal species of Attila, possibly a larger number than actually exist. ‘he difficulty connected with these birds lies in the apparent instability of their characiers, which seem to be to some extent independent of age, sex, or locality ; and it is only by apparently insignificant characters that we are enabled to define the various local forms, of which there appear to be six within the limits of our fauna. ‘These may be characterized as follows :— a. Abdeomine albo. a’. Cauda obscure rufa 1. citreapygius. ATTILA. 133 6’. Cauda brunneo-rufa. a’’, Gutture cinereo. a", Uropygio pallide cinnamomeo . 2. gaumeri. b'", Uropygio saturate cinnamomeo 3. cozumele. 6’. Gutture viridescente 4. sclatert. ce’. Cauda lete rufa 5. cinnamomeus. 6. Abdomine flavo 6. hypoxanthus. The bill in Attila is very strong, rather wide at the gape, and gradually converging to the end, the culmen is nearly straight for most of its length, when it curves rather abruptly into a strong hook ; there is a distinct subterminal notch on the tomia of the maxilla, which is slightly convex ; the tomia of the mandible is slightly upturned, and there is a notch near the end; the nostrils are oval and open at the end of the nasal fossa and partly covered by the setose supra-nasal feathers; the rictal bristles are long and strong. ‘The third and fourth primaries are the longest in the wing, the second (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan+?), San Pablo (0. S.4).—Sourn Amznrica, Eastern Ecuador. This is another of the brown-tailed group, differing, however, from the preceding in having the under surface from the throat to the abdomen yellowish green, with dark central streaks to the feathers. Its distinctness from A. citreopygius is obvious when the more typical specimens are compared; but Costa Rican examples sometimes have the base of the tail more rufous, so that the line of distinction becomes obscured. ATTILA. 135 5. Attila cinnamomeus. Aitila cinnamomeus, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. x. p. 8°; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 285°. A. citreopygio similis, sed supra multo pallidior et magis cinnamomeus; cauda pallide cinnamomea, uropygio quoque pallidiore. (Descr. maris ex Santiago Tepic, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Santiago Terr. de Tepic (W. B. Richardson), Beltran, Hacienda de San Marcos and Tonila in Jalisco, Santiago in Colima (Lloyd), Omilteme, Amula, and Rincon in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Juchatengo and Sola in Oaxaca (i. Trujillo). This is a western form of Attila, extending from the territory of Tepic to Oaxaca. Generally speaking it is of a more cinnamon tint on the upper surface, and the tail is of a brighter cinnamon than in any of the allied forms. The under surface as far as the abdomen is usually pale grey with dark streaks, and few specimens have any tinge of yellow. 6. Attila hypoxanthus. Preecedentibus similis, sed subtus undique sulphureo suffusus ; uropygio sicut in A. cozumele et A. citreopyyio ; cauda fere ut in A. cinnamomeo. (Descr. exempl. ex Vera Paz, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Venta de Pelegrino in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith); Guaremaua, Vera Paz (0. S. & F. D. G.). The two birds we here separate appear to differ so much from the other forms that we are strongly inclined to consider them distinct. None of the others have the yellow of the underparts spread over the whole surface, all of them having more or less white on the abdomen, and grey tints usually prevail over the throat and breast. Though we separate these birds under a distinct name, we confess that the distribution of this and the allied forms is difficult to understand: that two forms should coexist in the same area is not what we should expect. If, on the other hand, these two birds are only extreme forms of the prevalent local race of the area in which they were found, one of them would belong to A. cinnamomeus and the other to A. citreopygius, the two individuals being practically inseparable. The whole question of the separation of the various forms of Attila is, as we have already said, so complicated that no certain decision can at present be arrived at. In separating A. hypoxanthus the problem seems to be a little clearer, but we should not be surprised if the whole group had to be entirely recast. Subfam. COTINGIN ZL. This subfamily contains some of the most highly coloured birds of the family Cotingide, the members of the genus Cotinga being amongst the most beautiful of South-American birds. The development of the rictal bristles has been used as a character by which to 136 COTINGIDA. separate the Rupicoline and Cotingine from the Lipaugine and Attiline, but we doubt if their supposed absence or presence will eventually prove of much use in the classifi- cation of these groups. In Cotinga the bristles are small, and in Carpodectes they appear to be wholly wanting ; but in all the other genera they can be traced without much difficulty. Their development, of course, is not nearly so advanced as in Attila and Lipaugus, but still they can be seen. The Cotingine had therefore better for the present be defined as Cotingide in which the rictal bristles are absent or small. This will bring Chasmorhynchus into the Cotin- gine and remove it from the Queruline, in which the rictal bristles are very strong. COTINGA. Cotinga, Brisson, Orn. ii. p. 339 (1760) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 382. Cotinga contains eight species which are spread over the tropical portions of the Neotropical Region from the forests of the southern parts of the Mexican State of Vera Cruz to South-eastern Brazil. Two allied species are found within our region—one, C. amabilis, extending from Southern Mexico to Eastern Costa Rica; the other, C. ridgwayi, occurring in Western Costa Rica and the State of Panama. The bill in C. amabilis is short, wide at the base, and converging in concave lines to the tip; the culmen is gradually curved from the base, a little more abruptly towards the tip, and there is a small subterminal notch on the tomia of the maxilla; the nostrils are open and fully exposed, the short thick-set frontal and supra-nasal feathers not extending to the proximal end of the opening. The rictal bristles are small ; the tarsi are short, and the outer and middle toes are but slightly united at the base. The differences in the comparative lengths and form of the primaries in Cotinga are most remarkable. In C. amabilis the second primary is the longest, the first longer than the third, the fourth shorter than the fifth; none of them are much reduced in width, and the ends are rounded. In C. ridgwayt the fourth is the longest, the third and fifth are equal, the first=the sixth, the second a little longer than the first. Both first and second are reduced in width, the second more than the first, and it is moreover slightly curved inwards towards the tip. The two species are thus quite different as regards the form of the wing. Of the other species of Cotinga, C. cerulea and C. cincta resemble C. amabilis in having a shortened fourth primary, but the first three are all more pointed. C. cayana has a fourth primary as long as the third, and the first and second are pointed, the third being normal. C. maynana has the third primary a trifle shorter than the second and fourth, and both it and the first are narrower towards the tip than the second. The wing of C. nattereri is a slight modification of that of C. redgwayt. C. porphyrolema has a normal wing, none of the feathers being shortened out of erder or attenuated. COTINGA. 137 \ | Wing of C. amabilis. Wing of C. ridgwayr. Wing of C. cerulea. Wing of C. cayana. Wing of C. maynana. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IL., February 1891. 18 138 COTINGIDA. All the variations in the wings of the various species of Cotinga, where they occur, appear to be found in the male alone, the wings of the females being of normal structure, except, perhaps, in the female of C. ridgway?, in which (we have only one immature specimen) the first and second primaries are abnormally narrow, though much less so than in the adult male. Using the structure of the primaries as a chief character with others whereby to define the members of the genus Cotinga, the following key may be useful :— Clavis specierum Cotingarum. a. Remigibus abnormalibus irregulariter abbreviatis aut attenuatis; coloribus nitidis czeruleis et purpureis. a’. Remigibus subtus omnino nigris. a, Remige 4° quam 35 et 5¥S breviore. al", Remigibus 1° et 2° angustatis acutis, 2° et 3° longissimis. a‘. Pectore et abdomine medio rubro-purpureis, fascia pectorali cerulea nulla . 1. cerulea. b*. Fascia pectorali cerulea . . . . 1. . ss « © 2 Cincta. b'. Remigibus 1° et 2° fere normalibus, vix attenuatis aut acutis, 2° longissimo. . . 3. amabilis. b", Remigibus 4° et 5° fere eequalibus, ‘Jo. et 90 attenuatis ‘sed hand acutis, 2° quam 1¥* angustiore. ec, Gule plumis ad basin fuscis, fascia transversa mediana nigra notatis . . 1. . 1 1 ee ew ee ewe A naatioreri. da. Gule plumis fascia alba nec nigra transnotatis . . . . 5. ridgwayt. 4', Remigibus subtus ad basin in pogonio interno plus minusve albis. c", Corporis plumis ceruleis ad basin nigris; remigibus 1°, 2°, 3°, et 4° fere equalibus, duobus exterioribus ad apicem attenuatis . . ew ww ee eee ee ee ee «6 Cana. d", Corporis plumis ceeruleis ad basin albis in medio rubro-purpureo transfasciatis ; remigibus 2°, 3°, et 4° fere zequalibus, 1° bre- viore, omnibus ad apicem attenuatis, 3° multo mags quam reliquis . . . . . . . . ~ oe 6 + 7. maynana. 4. Remigibus normalibus haud invegulariter abbreviatis aut attenuatis ; coloribus plerumque nigro etalbo . . . . . . . . . . © «68. porphyrolema. 1. Cotinga amabilis. Cotinga amabilis, Gould, P. Z.S. 1857, p. 64, t. 123°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 125°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 100°; Sel. P. Z.S. 1860, p. 252°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 354°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 473°; ix. p.117". Ampelis amabilis, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 253°. Nitide cerulea ; capite summo cyanescentiore ; alis et cauda nigris extrorsum cxruleo limbatis ; gula et abdomine medio vinaceo-purpureis ; pectore et hypochondriis dorso concoloribus ; tectricibus caude supra et subtus elongatis, fere ad finem rectricum medianarum extensis. Long. tota 7:1, ale 4:6, caudew 2°5, rostri a rictu 0°75, tarsi 0°8. (Descr. maris ex Choctum. Mus. nostr.) COTINGA. 139 2 supra fusca, plumis omnibus albido terminatis: subtus albida, plumis pectoris et hypochondriorum fuscis, albido limbatis ; alis et cauda nigricantibus ; secundariis et tectricibus albido limbatis. (Descr. femine ex Coban, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) 3 juv. femine similis, plumis maris ceruleis et purpureis huc illuc apparentibus. Hab. Mexico, Orizaba (Sallé +), Chimalapa, Tehuantepec (W. B. Richardson); GuatE- MALA, Choctum, Coban (F. D. G. & O.S.), Vera Paz (Skinner 2); Costa Rica (Van Patten), San José (v. Frantzius?); Panama (?) (Mf‘Leannan °). This well-marked Cotinga represents in Central America the well-known C. cincta of Brazil, having the same distribution of colours; but the pectoral band and the flanks, as well as the upper surface, are of a much paler shade of blue than in the southern bird, and there is some difference in the form of the primaries. C. amabilis was first described by Gould from specimens sent him from Guatemala by Skinner!. During our visits to Vera Paz we found it not uncommon in the vicinity of Coban and in the forest-country lying to the northward. Near Coban the country is broken up by a series of isolated hills, on the summits of most of which a patch of forest remains, the lower country being occupied by cultivated ground and second-growth woods. In these patches of forest C. amabdilis was to be fourid at seasons when certain fruits on which they fed were ripe, at other times they frequented the lower forest-country. The northern extension of this species reaches Orizaba, where Sallé met with it and obtained one female example*. It must, however, be a very rare bird in this district, as Sumichrast omits all mention of it in his list of the birds of Vera Cruz, and no specimens have reached us from that part of Mexico; but Mr. Richardson has recently sent us a skin of a female bird which he shot at Chimalapa, on the eastern side of the Cordillera of Tehuantepec, in March 1890. Its southern range extends to Eastern Costa Rica, whence we have specimens certainly referable to this bird. Mr. Lawrence includes C. amabilis in his list of M‘Leannan’s collections made on the Isthmus of Panama ; but this identification requires to be reconsidered, for we believe that M‘Leannan’s skins will prove to belong to C. ridgwayi or to be Guatemalan specimens wrongly attributed to Panama. The peculiar structure of the wing of C. amabilis and its difference in this respect from that of C. ridgwayi is described under the genus. 2. Cotinga ridgwayi. Cotinga amabilis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 473+; Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 200°. Cotinga ridgwayt, Zeledon, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 1°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 384+. C. amabili similis sed minor, colore cxruleo pallidiore, ciliis oculorum et frontis lateribus ad basin nigris (nec ceruleis), tectricibus caude multo brevioribus et alis diversis facile distinguenda. @ supra cervino-punctata, subtus abdomine fusco ; plumis omnibus cervino limbatis. Hab. Costa Rica, Pozo Azul (Zeledon?); Panama, Bugaba (Arcé ?). An immature bird sent us by Arcé from Chiriqui, and described in 1870 as doubtfully 18* 140 COTINGIDA. C. amabilis, belongs to this species, which was fully characterized by Mr. Ridgway in 1887 from an adult male sent him by Mr. Zeledon from Pozo Azul in Costa Rica. Mr. Sclater, in his recent Catalogue, doubted its distinctness from C. amabilis, but we think there can be no question on the subject ; the several points of distinction referred to above and also by Mr. Ridgway are quite sufficient to determine its status as an excellent species. Its occurrence on the line of the Panama Railway is probable, but requires confir- mation ; its extension further southwards rests on the authority of a skin of Bogota make in the National Museum at Washington, which also should be re-examined, as we believe it will prove to be the allied species C. nattereri, Boiss.* CARPODECTES. Carpodectes, Salv. P.Z. S. 1864, p.583; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 389. This peculiar genus, remarkable for the nearly pure white plumage of the males, con- tains only two species, both of them found in Costa Rica—one on the eastern side of the Cordillera and extending northwards into Nicaragua, the other on the western side. The bill in Carpodectes is stronger and more compressed than in Cotinga, and the culmen more arched; the nostrils are open and fully exposed. The rictal bristles appear to be altogether absent or at least very small. The wings are normal, none of the quills being narrowed or shortened out of order ; the fourth quill is the longest, the second, third, and fifth a little shorter and equal, first—seventh. The tail is short and nearly even, the upper coverts covering less than half the rectrices. Compared with Ampelio, Carpodectes has a stouter, more compressed bill, with a more arched culmen. ‘The rictal bristles in Ampelio are much more evident, the wings shorter and the tail longer. In addition to these differences the great diversity in colour is very obvious. 1. Carpodectes nitidus. (Tab. XLIL,¢ ¢.) Carpodectes nitidus, Salv. P. Z. 8, 1864, p. 583, t. 386°; Lawr. Ann, Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 1842; ix. p- 117°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 810°; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 65°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. i. p. 255°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 889", Albus plumbeo vix tinctus ; capitis lateribus, alis et corpore subtus fere pure albis: rostro plumbeo, pedibus nigris. Long. tota 8-0, ale 5:5, caude 2:7, rostri a rictu 0°95, tarsi 1:0. (Deser. exempl. typ. ex Tucur- riqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) 2 supra saturate grisea; fronte, capitis lateribus et gula albicantioribus, oculorum ambitu albo ; alis nigris, * Of C. nattereri, Boiss. (Rev. Zool. 1840, p. 2), there is a single adult male specimen in the British Museum. It is the bird marked ¢ under the name of C. ridgwayt of Mr. Sclater’s Catalogue (vol. xiv. p. 384). It differs from the true C. ridgwayi in having the bases of the purple feathers of the thr a black band dividing that colour from the blue extremity, white. The first and second primaries are rather wider the fifth instead of the fourth is the longest in the wing. oat and abdomen dusky, with whereas in the allied species this median band is and longer in O. nattereri than in O. ridgwayt, and CARPODECTES.—CHASMORHYNCHUS. 141 extus pallide griseo limbatis: subtus dilutior, abdomine imo, subcaudalibus, subalaribus et tibiis alhican- tibus; cauda supra nigricante, subtus cinerea. (Descr. femine ex Costa Rica. Mus. Boucard.) Hab. Nicaragua, Greytown (Holland?); Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé1), Pacuare (Zeledon®), San Carlos (Boucard®). The first specimen of this remarkable bird was sent us by our collector Arcé in 1864}, and formed the type of the description and figure in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for that year. It was shot near Tucurriqui, a hamlet in a valley on the Atlantic slope of the mountains of Costa Rica. Another specimen, a male, was obtained by Mr. H. E. Holland in the following year near Greytown in Nicaragua?. Others have since been obtained by Mr. Zeledon and M. Boucard ; the last-named traveller shot an adult female at San Carlos, which is the only female we have seen, and owing to his kindness is that figured on our Plate. A young male in the Museum of the University of Cambridge resembles the adult, but has the first (unmoulted) primary in each wing like that of the female. All the places where this bird has hitherto been found are on the Atlantic slope of the Costa-Rican Cordillera, where a dense tropical forest prevails. 2. Carpodectes antonia. Carpodectes antonie, Ridgw. Ibis, 1884, p. 27, t.2'; Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 4107; x. p- 20°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 389 *. Preecedenti similis sed pure albus, capite summo, dorso et cauda plumbeo tantum tinctis : rostro flavo, culmine nigro. Long. tota 8°0, alee 5:6, caude 2°6, rostri a rictu 0°9, tarsi 0-9. Q supra plumbea, alis et cauda nigricantibus, illarum tectricibus et secundariis albo limbatis, pagina quoque inferiore (remigum apicibus exceptis) alba: subtus pallide grisea, ventre medio et crisso albis : rostro corneo ad basin albido, pedibus nigris. (Descr. maris et femine ex Pirris, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Pirris (Zeledon 123), The only specimens hitherto obtained of this second species of Carpodectes all come from the neighbourhood of Pirris, on the western slope of the mountains of Costa Rica. They were all collected by Mr. Zeledon, to whom we are indebted for a male and a female skin, which are now in the British Museum. Mr. Zeledon says ‘“ the bird cannot be called common, and it was by mere accident that I came across a tree with ripe fruit for which it shows much partiality, and there I stationed a man to watch and shoot the birds as they arrived to feed. I have not heard its song, nor has anyone else that I know of. ‘The call-note resembles very much that of 7ityra personata.” CHASMORHYNCHUS. Casmorhinchos, Temminck, Man. d’Orn. éd. 2, p. Ixiii (1820). Chasmorhynchus, Temminck, Pl. Col. livr. 9 (1823) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 403. Four species constitute the genus Chasmorhynchus, all of them remarkably distinct from one another. ‘The ranges of these species spread over a considerable portion of 142 COTINGIDA. tropical America. Thus, in South-eastern Brazil we find C. nudicollis, in Guiana C. niveus, and in the western portion of that country, together with Venezuela and Trinidad, C. variegatus is found; in our country C. tricarwnculatus occurs in Costa Rica and the adjoining State of Panama. It thus appears that Chasmorhynchus is unrepresented in Colombia, in all of the countries traversed by the Andes, and in the valley of the Amazons. The latter fact is not so surprising, as all the species appear to affect the mountain forests of some elevation. The genus Chasmorhynchus has no near allies, so much so that its position in the family is by no means satisfactorily settled; there are even points in its structure, such as the absence of a bifurcation to the manubrium of the sternum, which have caused its position in the Passeres to be questioned. . | Mr. Sclater places Chasmorhynchus in his subfamily of Gymnoderine, that is Cotingide of large form with “corvine bills.” The bill conforms more strictly to the cotingine series, and the absence of rictal bristles also suggests the same position. The forehead, the chin, and the portions of the face surrounding the bill and eyes of C. tricarunculatus are destitute of feathers. A long caruncle proceeds from the forehead and one from the rictus on either side; the nostrils are open and situated at the end of the nasal fossa; the culmen is moderately and regularly curved, and there is a distinct subterminal notch towards the end of the tomia of the maxilla. ‘The wings are with- out special features, the third primary is slightly the longest, the second, fourth, and fifth being a little shorter, the first=seventh; the tail is nearly even; the tarsi are short, the inner and outer toes equal, the latter more united to the middle toe than the former. 1. Chasmorhynchus tricarunculatus. Chasmorhynchus tricarunculatus, J. & E. Verr. Rev. Zool. 18538, p. 193°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 253°; Salv. Ibis, 1865, p. 92, t. 3°; P. Z.S. 1867, p. 150*; 1870, p. 200°; Sel. Ibis, 1866, pp. 406°, 407"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p.117°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 310°; Ridgw. Pr. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 496°". Castaneus ; capite toto et cervice usque ad pectus niveis ; loris nudis, setis nigris sparsim vestitis; carunculis tribus elongatis ornatus—una frontali, duabus rictalibus: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 11-0, alee 6°5, caudee 4°1, rostri a rictu 1°5, tarsi 1-1. 9 olivacea ; alis et cauda introrsum fuscis: subtus flavescens, plumis olivaceo utrinque limbatis; gutture, ventre medio et subalaribus immaculatis: rostro et pedibus nigris, carunculis rictalibus vix ullis. ¢ juv. femine similis, plumis maris undique apparentibus, carunculis obviis. (Descr. exempl. ex Tucurriqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé*), San José, Dota Mts., Cervantes (Carmiol §), Turrialba (Cooper ®), La Palma (Nutting 1°); Panama, Boca del Toro (Verreaua 1), Volcan de Chiriqui *, Cordillera de Tolé*, Calovevora®, Veraguas 4 (Arcé). This species has almost exactly the same range as Cephalopterus glabricollis, being found in the same mountains over a similar area. It was first described from specimens CHASMORHYNCHUS.—QUERULA. 143 sent from Boca del Toro on the Atlantic side of the cordillera of Panama}, and many specimens have since been forwarded from Costa Rica and the Colombian State of Panama. Our specimens from the former country were mostly obtained by Arcé at Tucurriqui, at an elevation of about 3000 feet above the sea, but one secured by M. Boucard was killed on the slopes of the Volcan de Irazu at a height of 6000 feet above the sea. Our series includes males in all stages of development, from which it would appear that the caruncles commence their growth on the assumption of the adult plumage, and that they acquire their full development almost before the fully adult feathers are assumed, showing that their growth must be very rapid. The upper caruncle from the base of the bill first shows itself, the rictal ones appearing later and growing unevenly. In Wolt’s plate, accompanying the paper in ‘The Ibis’ for 1865, the caruncles are represented as flat and stiff; we doubt if they are ever so, but when relaxed are vermi- form and hang loosely downwards. Subfam. GY MNODERINAL. Gymnoderus, from which this subfamily takes its name, is a bird of a very isolated character, and its relationship to Hamatoderus, Cephalopterus, and the other genera with which it has been generally associated is not at all obvious. After the removal of Chasmorhynchus from the Gymnoderine, Gymnoderus is the only genus in which the rictal bristles appear to be wholly absent. The bill cannot strictly be called corvine,” and the flanks have large white powder-down patches similar to those found in the Herons! no such character, so far as we know, being possessed by any other passerine bird. Querwla and Cephalopterus, the two genera of Gymnoderine with which we are now concerned, belong to the section in which the rictal bristles are strongly developed. The bill is strong and conforms more to the corvine outline said to be characteristic of the subfamily, the lores are densely feathered. So different are these birds from Gymnoderus that we think they, with Hamatoderus and Pyroderus, had better be separated as :— Subfam. QUERULINAE. QUERULA. Querula, Vieillot, Anal. p. 37 (1816) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 396. A single species constitutes this genus, which has a wide range, extending from Costa Rica southward to Peru and eastward to Guiana. The bill is stout, rather wide at the base, the sides converging in nearly straight lines to the tip, the culmen is curved throughout its length, more abruptly towards the end, and there is a distinct subterminal notch on the tomia of the maxilla; the nostrils are open, but partially hidden by the setose supra-nasal feathers, the rictal bristles are 144 COTINGIDA. long and strong; the fourth and fifth primaries are the longest, the third=fifth, the second=the seventh, the first is a little shorter than the tenth; the tarsi are short, and the feet generally rather feeble, the outer toe is a little longer than the inner toe and more united to the middle toe; the tail is moderate and nearly even, and the general plumage like that of Cephalopterus, black, the male being adorned by a rich vinous red throat. 1. Querula cruenta. Muscicapa cruenta, Bodd. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 23, ex Daub. Pl. Enl. 381°. Querula cruenta, Cass. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 148°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 296°; ix. p. 117%; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 861°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 396°. Muscicapa rubricollis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 9337. Nigra; gula tota plumis elongatis vinaceo-rubris ornata ; mento nigro: rostro plumbeo, pedibus nigris. Long. tota 11:0, ale 7-2, caude 4°7, rostri a rictu 1:4, tarsi 1-0. Q omnino nigra, gula inornata. (Descr. maris et femine ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura, Pacuar (Carmiol+) ; Panama, Montafia del Vermejo (Arcé), Lion Hill (/‘ZLeannan *°*), Turbo (C. J. Wood ?).—Soutn America, from Colombia to Peru, Amazons valley, and Guiana °®. This is a distinct species with no near allies, which has a wide range in the northern portion of South America. It occurs commonly on the Isthmus of Panama, and thence northward to Costa Rica; it frequents the higher forests, living in the branches of the loftier trees and feeding on fruit. CEPHALOPTERUS. Cephalopterus, Geoffroy, Ann. d. Mus. xiii. p. 285 (1809) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 398. There are three species of this remarkable genus, one of which (C. glabricollis) occurs in Costa Rica and the adjoining State of Panama, another (C. penduliger) in Western Ecuador, and a third (C. ornatus) has a wide range over the Amazons valley from Colombia to Bolivia, it is also said to occur in Guiana; no species is found in the forests of South-eastern Brazil. One of the most peculiar features of this genus is the long caruncle or appendage proceeding from the throat, densely feathered in two species, nearly naked in C. glabri- collis, which has only a few long terminal feathers. The feathers of the crown and forehead are long and curved towards their ends, and form a kind of hood, from which these birds take their trivial name of umbrella-birds. The bill is very stout and the culmen arched; the nostrils have an overhanging membrane and are situated at the lower end of the nasal fossa; the fifth primary is the longest in the wing, the fourth and sixth are equal, the second=the seventh, the first is less than the tenth ; the tail is short and rounded ; the tarsi and toes are strong, the outer toe a little shorter than the middle toe, the inner toe being the shortest. CEPHALOPTERUS. 145 1. Cephalopterus glabricollis. Cephalopterus glabricollis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1850, t.20*; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 2547; Salv. P.Z.S. 1867, p. 150°; 1870, p.201*; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p.117°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p- 310°; Boucard, P. Z.S. 1878, p. 667; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 400°. Niger, supra chalybeo-nitens; crista elongata ad basin nigra undique expandente: gula tota calva, rubra; carunculo pectorali quoque calvo, plumis elongatis sparsis tantum ad ejus apicem: rostro nigro, pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 16-0, ale 10:0, caude 4°7, rostri a rictu 2°2, tarsi 1°9. @ mari similis, sed obscurior ; capitis plumis minus elongatis ; gula tantum utrinque calva, linea mediana plu- mosa vestita, carunculo parvo. (Descr. maris et femine ex Turrialba, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Turrialba (Arcé, Carmiol), Tucurriqui (Arcé), San Carlos (Boucard’), San José (v. Frantzius®), Angostura and Dota Mountains (Carmiol®); PanaMa, Cordillera de Chiriqui 1 (Warszewicz +), Cordillera de Tolé, Calovevora (Arcé). The first specimens of this species sent to this country were obtained by Warszewicz in the Cordillera of Chiriqui at an elevation of about 8000 feet above the sea; these were described by Gould in 18501. It was subsequently found in Costa Rica, where M. Boucard tells us it occurs in the forests at all altitudes up to an elevation of 10,000 feet’. Its peculiar cry renders it easily detected in the forests which it frequents. Unlike C. ornatus of the Amazons valley, C. glabricollis appears to be strictly confined to the high mountains, and this is probably the reason it does not occur in the low- lands bordering the Panama Railway, and why its northward extension is determined by the valley of the San Juan river. Suborder TRACHEOPHONA. Fam. DENDROCOLAPTIDA*. Within our limits we are more or less acquainted with about forty-six species of Dendrocolaptide, the total number contained in the family being about 300. The focus of the family is probably the great basin of the Amazons river; but its members as a whole are by no means confined to the forests of the more tropical countries of South America, for the large section or subfamily of the Furnariine belongs chiefly to the southern portions of the continent, to the arid districts bordering the Pacific Ocean, or to the highlands of the Andes throughout their length. This subfamily is not represented in Central America. The other subfamilies of Mr. Sclater’s arrangement (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 3) are :— * The Dendrocolaptide forms another of the characteristic families of South-American birds, and is strictly confined to the Neotropical-Region, with the exception of the Antilles, where no representative is found. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., Judy 1891. 19 146 DENDROCOLAPTIDA. II. Synallaxine ; III. Philydorine ; IV. Sclerurine ; V. Dendrocolaptine : the subordinate characters being taken from the size of the bill and the length of the tarsus. When the definitions of these subfamilies are submitted to test, we find that they do not give satisfactory results, so that we are obliged to modify them considerably by introducing the shape and structure of the nostrils as a character of importance; the relative length of the hallux is also useful as a diagnostic feature. We cannot here go into all the modifications involved in Mr. Sclater’s classification when the shape of the nostrils is taken into consideration, but in illustration we note that when the nostrils of Pseudocolaptes are examined it will be seen that they are linear and overhung, and not open and oval. This character places Pseudocolaptes in the Synallaxinz and not with the Philydorine. The Philydorine are also affected by this character, and great changes must be made in the grouping of a large number of South-American genera, and even the species of some genera must be re-examined—as, for example, Thripophaga, which, as exemplified by its type 7. striolata, has an open oval nostril and is allied to Philydor; but all the other birds associated with it have linear overhung nostrils, and must be placed in the Synallaxinez, perhaps in the genus Placelodomus. The Dendrocolaptide of Mexico and Central America may be divided as follows :— A. Rectrices laxze, rhachidibus ad apicem haud rigidis. a. Nares lineares et membrano obtecte ad marginem inferiorem fosse nasalis posite . . . . . . . . . . .) .) .) 6SYNALLAXINAE. b. Nares apertz, ovales, ad finem fossz nasalis site . . . . . PuHityporina. B. Rectrices rigide, rhachidibus prolongatis, acutis. c. Hallux longus fere digitum medium zquans. a’, Naresaperte,ovales . . . . . . . . . . . . SOLERURINA. 6'. Nares lineares, membrano obtecte . . . . . . . . MARGARORNITHINA. d. Hallux brevis, quam digitum medium multo brevior. c’. Nares lineares, arcuate, membrano obtecte . . . . . GLyPHORHYNCHINE. d’, Nares aperte, ovals . . . . . . . . . . . . Denprocozarrina. The Central-American Synallaxine as thus defined contain three genera including in all six species ; the Philydorine four genera and fifteen species ; the Sclerurins the genus Sclerurus, with three species; the Margarornithine the genus Margarornis, with two species; the Glyphorhynchine, Glyphorhynchus, with one species; and the Dendro- colaptinee seven genera and nineteen or, perhaps, twenty species: the total number of genera being seventeen, with forty-six or forty-seven species. Of the genera not one is peculiar to Central America; but of the species twenty-nine are not found SYNALLAXIS. 147 elsewhere, eighteen occurring also in South America. In Mexico and Guatemala the family is but poorly represented, but the numbers, both of genera and species, increase as the mainland of South America is approached. Subfam. SYNALLAXINA. SYNALLAXIS. Synallaxis, Vieillot, N. Dict. d’Hist. N. xxxii. p. 309 (1819); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 37. Until recently this genus was made to include a ten tail-feathered and a twelve tail-feathered section. The former is now restricted to Synallaxis proper, and the latter is referred to Siptornis. According to Mr. Sclater’s recently published Catalogue, Synallaxis contains twenty- eight species, but the names of five others are given of which no specimens exist in the British Museum. The twenty-eight species are separated into seven sections defined chiefly by their colour. Sections II. and IV. are the only ones represented in our country: Section II. by S. albescens and S. pudica, in which the crown and the wings outwardly are rufous and the tail brown; and Section IV. by S. erythrothoraa, in which the whole upper surface is nearly uniform rufous brown, and the breast and wings externally chestnut. This last-named bird is the only one which reaches Southern Mexico, so that its range is that of the genus in this direction. S. albescens and S. pudica are both South-American birds, the former with a wide range reaching even to the Argentine Republic. The latter occurs also in Colombia and Ecuador. The bill in S. erythrothorax is moderate, the culmen slightly arched and without a notch near the end of the tomia of the maxilla, the nostrils are overhung by a mem- brane, the opening being a long slit on the lower edge of the nasal fossa; the wings are short and much rounded, the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh quills being nearly equal. ‘The tarsi are moderately long and the toes and claws slender, the outer toe separate from the middle toe nearly to the base. The tail is moderately long and much rounded, the lateral feathers about half the length of the middle ones; all are pointed, and the barbs towards the end nearly destitute of barbules. The number of rectrices is ten. 1. Synallaxis albescens. Synallawis albescens, Temm. Pl. Col. 227. fig. 2 (27th Sept., 1823); Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 143?; Scl. P. Z.S. 1874, p.9°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 43‘; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, p. 521°. Synallaxis albigularis, Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1858, p. 63°. 19* 148 DENDROCOLAPTID. Supra murino-brunnea, fronte et cauda vix saturatioribus, vertice postico et nucha cum tectricibus alarum minoribus et mediis rufis; capitis et cervicis lateribus et pectore griseo-murinis ; loris et abdomine medio albis; hypochondriis rufescenti-murinis, gula alba plumis singulis ad basin nigris ; subalaribus albis cinna- momeo lavatis: rostro corneo, mandibuls basi albida; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 6:0, ale 2:1, caude rect. med. 3:1, rectr. lat. 1*1, rostri a rictu 0°6, tarsi 0°75. (Descr. maris ex Medellin, Columbia. Mus. nostr.). @ mari similis, sed forsan rufescentior. Av. juv. supra et subtus omnino rufescentior, vertice et fronte dorso concoloribus, Hab. Panama, Santa Fé (Arcé?5)—Sourn America, from Colombia *, Ecuador °, and Venezuela ® to Guiana ®, Brazil 1, and the Argentine Republic. The evidence of the occurrence of this species within our limits rests upon a single female specimen sent us by Arcé from Santa Fé in the State of Panama in 1866 2. This specimen is perhaps hardly adult, and is rather lighter and more rufescent on the upper surface than the male from Medellin described above, which again is in older, more abraded plumage. ‘There can, however, be little doubt that both birds belong to the same species. Synallaazis albescens has a wide range in Tropical America, and a long series of specimens in the British Museum, from various points of the southern continent, as far south as Buenos Ayres, confirm Mr. Sclater’s view that the species, though variable, is not capable of subdivision, and that the bird described by him as S. albigularis® from an imperfect skin, from the valley of the Napo, is not really separable from the rest. Salmon, who met with this species at Medellin in the Cauca Valley of Colombia, gives the following interesting account of its eggs and nest 9. The former are described as of a very pale greenish-blue, almost white, colour, and measure ‘88 by ‘65. The nest, he says, is placed in a tree or high bush, 6 or 8 feet from the ground, and is made of sticks and twigs, the eggs being placed on a few small green leaves. In shape it resembles a pear lying horizontally, with an extended tunnel at the smaller end. “‘T have seen,” he says, “the nest as large as that of an English Magpie, and as firmly made, though the bird is not larger than a Sparrow. The body of the nest is composed of sticks, many of them from four to six inches in length and a quarter of an inch in diameter; the tunnel entrance, which is often of considerable length, is composed of fine twigs beautifully interlaced, the entrance only just admitting the body of the bird ; it is sometimes straight, sometimes winding. The top of the nest is roofed with a mass of large leaves, a protection against the heavy rains. Altogether it is a remarkable construction, and it would be interesting to know how so small a bird can carry and fix such large sticks; but the bird at this time is exceedingly shy, always keeping at a distance from its nest when anyone is near, even if carefully hidden from view. | “The nest is difficult of approach, being placed where the underwood is very thick ; and the eggs can only be obtained by making an opening on one side, which is not an easy operation.” SYNALLAXIS. 149 2. Synallaxis pudica. (Tab. XLIV. fig. 2.) Synallaxis pudica, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 191*; Ibis, 1873, p. 373°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 45°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 3544; 1879, p. 521°; Salv. Ibis, 1870, p. 110°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 597; Nutting, Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 404°; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 590°. Synallaxis brunneicaudalis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 319 (nec Scl.) ”. Synallazxis nigrifumosa, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 180", ix. p. 105; Salv. P.Z.S. 1867, p. 143; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 304". Synallaxis brachyurus, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 290”; Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 322°. Supra murino-brunnea, vertice et tectricibus alarum cum remigibus in pogonio externo ad basin (duobus externis exceptis) lete rufis; fronte et corpore subtus saturate cinereis, abdomine medio pallidiore, gula sericea albido indistincte variegata ; hypochondriis murinis, subalaribus cinnamomeis: rostro et pedibus plumbeo-nigricantibus, mandibula medialiter albicante. Long. tota 6°5, alee 2°15, caude rectr. med. 3:0, rectr. lat. 1:0, rostri a rictu 0°7. (Descr. maris ex Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Av. juwv. supra omnino murinus, vertice dorso concolore, subtus albicantior. Hab. Honpuras, Segovia river (C. H. Townsend ®); Nicaragua, Chontales (Belé?), Greytown (Holland *), Los Sabalos (Nutting 8); Costa Rica “, Peje, Pacuar 1! (Car- miol), Naranjo (Boucard"); Panama, Chiriqui(Arcé), Lion Hill (McLeannan }° 4). —Cotompia!5; Ecuapor ®. This species was described from Colombian specimens, one in the British Museum and one in Mr. Sclater’s collection!. Others have since been sent from Western Ecuador, the Cauca Valley ®, and Central America, as far north as the Segovia River in Honduras? and the district of Chontales in Nicaragua”. ‘The more northern birds were separated by Mr. Lawrence as S. nigrifumosa 4, the chestnut colour of the crown and wings being said to be a little darker than that of typical S. pudica, and the other colours darker and of different shades. ‘These supposed differences seem to be hardly borne out when a large series is examined, and are not more than can be accounted for by differences of sex and age of plumage. Thus an adult example from the Balzar Mountains in Western Ecuador resembles one from Panama, being only very slightly paler on the abdomen. There is a question as to the name this bird should bear; for it is quite possible S. brachyura, Lafr.!°, is applicable to it. This title was founded upon three immature birds with imperfect tails, now in the Collection of the Museum of Natural History at Boston. When Salvin examined them in 1874 1%, he was inclined to believe them to be of the same species as Mr. Sclater’s S. pudica, but the types being young and defective he thought the latter name had best be retained for the species, and this is still our impression. Mr. Nutting, who observed S. pudica at Los Sabalos in Nicaragua, says ° it is very Wren-like in its habits, and is found hopping about thick bushes or brush heaps. Regarding its notes, he says that they resemble those of a Wren, being loud, varied, 150 DENDROCOLAPTIDA. and melodious. On the other hand, McLeannan says that it has no song, The iris is noted as reddish § and as brown 2°. 3. Synallaxis erythrothorax. Synallaxis cinerascens, Bp. P. Z. 8. 1837, p. 118 (nec Temm.) *. Synallaxis erythrothorax, Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1855, p. 75, t. 867; 1856, p. 288°; 1859, p. 882‘; 1874, . p. 17°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 55°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 1177; 1860, p. 35°; P. Z. S, 1870, p. 837°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 555 °°; La Nat. v. p. 247"; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 97%; Salv. Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 335”; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 18838, p. 449", Supra brunnea, capite summo obscuriore, cauda saturate rufo-brunnea: subtus gula nigra, menti plumis lateraliter albo marginatis, pectore et alis extus lete castaneis ; hypochondriis brunneis, abdomine medio griseo-albo variegato : rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6-0, ale 2°15, caude rect. med. 2°6, rectr. lat. 0'8, rostri a rictu 0°6, tarsi 0-8. (Descr. maris ex Atoyac, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 2 mari similis. Av. juv. subtus pallide brunneus, gula cinerascentiore, abdomine albicantiore, rostri mandibula pallida. (Descr. maris juv. ex Retalhuleu, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.). Hab. Mexico, hot region of the State of Vera Cruz}, Uvero!!, and Omealca 1! (Sumichrast), Cordova (Sallé*), Atoyac (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Vera Cruz (Sanchez 12, F. D. G.), Playa Vicente (Boucard +, M. Trujillo), Sochiapa (I. Trujillo), Teapa in Tabasco (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Eastern Yucatan (G. F. Gaumer"*); Brrmsu Howpuras, Belize (Dyson), Orange Walk (Gaumer), Cayo (F. Blancaneauz) ; GuaTEMALA (Velasquez 1, Constancia !*), Coban (Delattre 27), Choctum, Chisec, Kamkhal (0. 8. & F. D. G.), Yzabal (0. 8.8), Retalhuleu (0. S., W. B. Richard- son); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. UZ. Whitely 2°). The first specimens of this Synallaxis sent to Europe were doubtless those that came into Prince Bonaparte’s hands from Col. Velasquez, who obtained them in Guatemala’. They were then supposed to belong to S. cinerascens, Temm., a species of South Brazil, but quite a different bird. Mr. Sclater’s description was based upon a specimen in the Derby Museum in Liverpool, obtained by Delattre (probably in 1846) near Coban in Guatemala; other examples being in the British Museum and in his own collection. In 1851 Strickland received a specimen from Guatemala !!; the bird was afterwards traced to the State of Vera Cruz by Sallé #3 and Boucard 4, and is now known, as Sumichrast says, to be not uncommon in the hot low-lying portions of that State as far north as the town of Vera Cruz, where Godman found it in February 1888. Southwards of Vera Cruz it is common, and probably spreads over the whole ot Yucatan, the State of Tabasco, British Honduras, and Guatemala, to the neighbourhood of the town of Coban, and to Yzabal on the Golfo Dulce 8. On the side of the moun- tains sloping to the Pacific Ocean, §. erythrothorax is common about Escuintla and — Retalhuleu, but we have not traced it so far as the State of Chiapas in this direction. Returning to the Atlantic seaboard, the most southern record we have is that of SYNALLAXIS.—SIPTORNIS. 151 Whitely, who found this bird at San Pedro in Honduras, a short way inland from the coast 9, Our observations on this bird extend to January, August, and September, but we never met with the nest. This, Mr. Gaumer tells us }2, is a monstrous structure of large sticks, well laid together, with the entrance below and some 18 inches from where the eggs are placed. Mr. Gaumer thought that the bird does not build the nest itself, but occupies the deserted one of some other bird or animal. The Maya name for this species is “ Tzapatan.” The bird is active and restless in its movements, frequenting the lower growth of the forest. It has a harsh cry, with nothing melodious about it as that ascribed to S. albescens. SIPTORNIS. Synallaxis (partim), auctt. Siptornis, Reichenbach, Handb. p. 171 (1853) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 58. Siptornis contains the species with twelve rectrices which were formerly included in Synallaxts, but which are better placed under a separate name. In general appearance the members of the genus resemble Synallaxis, but they may at once be distinguished by the number of their rectrices. Most of them also have the ends of these feathers more rounded, and the barbules of the barbs complete to the end. This, however, does not apply to such species as S. anthoides, &c., forming Section VI. of Mr. Sclater’s arrangement. Two species only are found in our country, both of them in Costa Rica, S. rufigenis being peculiar to that country. The other, S. erythrops, occurs also in the State of Panama and in Western Ecuador. 1. Siptornis erythrops. (Synallavis erythrops, Tab. XLV. fig. 1.) Synallaxis erythrops, Scl. P.Z. S. 1860, p. 66’; 1874, p. 197; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 105°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 304‘; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 191°; Boucard, P. Z.S. 1878, p. 59° ; Scl. & Saly. P. Z. S. 1879, p. 5217; Berl. & Tacz. P. Z. S. 1883, p. 560°; 1884, p. 298°. Siptornis erythrops, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 60°. Supra brunneus, capite summo, fronte, loris et genis, alis extus et cauda lete rufis: subtus pallidior, gula albicantiore: rostro corneo, mandibula infra ad basin pallida; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 6-0, ale 2°6, caude rect. med. 2°8, rect. lat. 1-4, tarsi 0°7. (Descr. exempl. ex Irazu, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) mari similis. Av. juv. capite summo dorso concolore nec genis rufo notatis, superciliis elongatis pallide cervinis. Hab. Costa Rica, Barranca and Dota Mountains (Carmiol *+), Pirris (Zeledon *), Irazu (Rogers, Boucard ®), Navarro (Boucard ®); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Arcé *).— CotomBia’ ; Ecuapor ! 8 9, _ Stptornis erythrops was described by Mr. Sclater in 1860, from specimens obtained - py Fraser at Pallatanga in Ecuador }. It has since been traced through the western portions of that country, and thence 152 | DENDROCOLAPTIDZ. northwards to the Cauca Valley in Colombia, where Salmon met with it at Frontino v, It has not been noticed either on the Isthmus of Darien or on the line of the Panama Railway, but it reappears at Chiriqui and throughout Costa Rica. Nothing has been recorded of its habits beyond a note of Salmon’s, to the effect that it lays white eggs, and that its food consists of insects. The only species at all nearly allied to the present bird, if indeed it be distinct, is the next, 8. rufigenis. None of the other members of this section of the genus have the rufous of the crown extending over the sides of the head, as is the case in S. erythrops. 2. Siptornis rufigenis. (Synallawis rufigenis, Tab. XLV. fig. 2.) Synallaxis rufigenis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 1051; Franiz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 304°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 191°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1874, p. 19%. Siptornis rufigenis, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 60°. S. erythropt persimilis, corpore subtus magis rufescente et superciliis pallide rufis forsan distinguendus. (Descr. maris ex Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica? (A. C. Garcia!, Carmiol®). This bird was described by Mr. Lawrence from a specimen sent him by Mr. A. C. Garcia from Costa Rica, but the precise locality where it was obtained was not recorded. We have a similar bird sent us by Carmiol, which, though marked as a male, is also without exact locality. These two specimens were compared by Mr. Sclater and found to agree®. The points of difference between these specimens and adult S. erythrops consist, as Mr. Lawrence says, in the crown being olive rather than dark cinnamon; the under surface pale cinnamon rather than greyish brown; the under wing-coverts a shade lighter, more distinct superciliaries, &c. Our specimen of S. rufigenis appears to be immature, and we still are doubtful whether the supposed distinctive characters are not those of immaturity. On the other hand, a young individual of S. erythrops has a greyer under surface than that of S. rufigenis and paler though equally well-defined superciliary stripes. Materials are still wanting to settle the status of S. rufigenis definitely. PSEUDOCOLAPTES. Pseudocolaptes, Reichenbach, Handb. p. 209 (1853); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 77. Pseudocolaptes is a peculiar genus having much the general appearance of a Philydor or Automolus, but the shape of the nostrils shows its relationship with the Synallaxine ; they are long slits overhung by membrane, and placed along the lower edge of the nasal fossa: the bill is very straight and sharp; the toes are short and the claws strong but short ; the wings long, the primaries considerably exceeding the secondaries, the third, fourth, and fifth primaries the longest in the wing. PSEUDOCOLAPTES.—-AUTOMOLUS. 153 Two species, rather doubtfully separable, are included in Pseudocolaptes: one of these ranges throughout the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia; the other occurs in Costa Rica and the State of Panama. 1. Pseudocolaptes lawrencii. Pseudocolaptes boissoneauti, Salv. P. Z.S8. 1870, p. 192 (nec Lafr.)*; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 59°. Pseudocolaptes lawrencii, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. i. p. 253 (10 Dec., 1878) °; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 79 *. Pseudocolaptes costaricensis, Boucard, Bu'l. Soc. Zool. Fr. v. p. 280 (1880) °. Supra ferrugineus, pileo et cervice postica nigris illius plumis medialiter anguste hujus late cervino striatis ; capitis lateribus nigrescentibus stria superciliari anguste cervina: subtus gula et cervicis lateribus (con- spicue) pallide cervino-albidis ; pectore cervino, plumis singulis nigro marginatis ; abdomine medio cervino, hypochondriis rufo-brunneis, subalaribus et subcaudalibus rufis ; alis nigricantibus, secundariis internis et tectricibus apicibus rufo-brunneis ; cauda ferruginea dorso concolore: rostro corneo, mandibula infra pallida; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 8-0, alw 4:3, caude rectr. med. 37, rectr. lat. 2°6, rostri a rictu 1:0, tarsi 1:05. (Descr. maris ex Calobre, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Navarro (Boucard?, Zeledon*), La Palma (Zeledon*); Panama, Cordillera del Chucu 1, Calobre (Arcé). This species is very closely allied to the well-known widely ranging P. boissoneauti, so much so that Salvin hesitated to separate it from a single specimen from the State of Panama, believed by him to be hardly adult 1. M. Boucard, too, did not at first consider the specimen he obtained in Costa Rica sufficiently distinct 2, though he subsequently described his bird as P. costaricensis *. In the meantime Mr. Ridgway called it P. lawrencit, from adult and young specimens sent him by Mr. Zeledon from Costa Rica?. All these birds, so far as they go, confirm the characters of distinction given it by Mr. Ridgway, except perhaps the markings of the jugulum, which seem to us to be variable in intensity. There remain, however, the fawn-coloured cervical tufts and the dark primaries, which in P. boissoneauti are pure white and dark umber respectively. We note, nevertheless, that Bolivian examples have the cervical tufts just tinged with buff, though the primaries are umber, as in typical P. boissoneautz. Of the habits of this species nothing has been recorded, but of P. boissoneauti, Salmon (P. Z. S. 1879, p. 521) tells us that it feeds on insects, makes its nest in a hole in a tree, and lays white eggs. Subfam. PHJZYDORINEA *. AUTOMOLUS. Automolus, Reichenbach, Handb. p. 178 (1853) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 87. Automolus, Philydor, and Anabazenops are three very closely allied genera; all have * Antea, p. 146. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IL, Judy 1891. 20 154 DENDROCOLAPTIDZ. open oval nostrils and their definition is not very satisfactory. Mr. Sclater separates Automolus from Philydor wpon their size, but a glance at the measurements of the various species of the two genera shows that they cannot be thus defined. So far as the Mexican and Central-American species of these genera are concerned, we find that those assigned to Automolus have the wing as long as or longer than the tail, whereas in Philydor panerythrus the reverse is the case and the tail is longer than the wing. P. fuscipennis, however, has a tail considerably shorter than the wings, and thus spoils the definition. In fact the whole of the species of Automolus and Philydor require rearranging, when it will probably be found advisable to include all under one genus (Philydor), and to group the species partly by measurements, partly by characteristic coloration. In the meantime we follow the most recent arrangement of Mr. Sclater as regards these genera. The range of Automolus extends northwards as far as the slopes of the mountains of the Mexican State of Vera Cruz, and on the west side to the Sierra Madre del Sur. In Guatemala, and no doubt in all the intervening country to the Isthmus of Panama, Automolus is found in all suitable forest districts. Nine species occur within our region, all of which, except A. pallidigularis, are endemic. a. Corpus subtus plus minusve striatum. 1. Automolus rufobrunneus. (Philydor rufobrunneus, Tab. XLVI. fig. 2.) Philydor rufobrunneus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 1277; ix. p. 106°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 804°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 59%. Automolus rufobrunneus, Berl. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 565°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 89°. Supra rufo-brunneus, pileo paullo obscuriore, plumis singulis medialiter pallidioribus, uropygio et cauda ferru- gineis; capitis lateribus et gula cinnamomeo-rufescentibus, hujus plumis anguste, illorum late nigro marginatis: corpore subtus reliquo ferrugineo, pectoris plumis obscure fusco limbatis, hypochondriis brunnescentioribus ; tectricibus subalaribus et remigibus ad basin intus cinnamomeis, his clarioribus : rostro nigro, pedibus obscure corylinis. Long. tota 9:0, ale 3°5, caudee rectr. med. 3°5, lat. 2°1, rostri a rictu 1:1, tarsi 1-15. (Descr. exempl. ex Irazu, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, San José (v. Frantzius 17%), Barranca (Carmiol 7), Navarro (Boucard *), Volcan de Irazu (Rogers °). This species, described as a Philydor, has of late years been placed in Automolus as an ally of A. rubiginosus*®. Its relationship to that bird, however, is not very close, for apart from its somewhat striated under surface, the bill is relatively shorter and stouter and the culmen more curved; the tail, too, is more rounded. The wings are like those of Automolus rubiginosus, the third, fourth, and fifth primaries being only slightly longer than those next adjoining on the inside, instead of the fifth considerably exceeding the sixth, as in Philydor panerythrus. . But few specimens of 4. rufobrunneus have reached Europe. One was obtained by Boucard at Navarro, and several were sent us by Rogers when collecting in Costa Rica AUTOMOLUS. 155 in 1876. ‘These latter were from the slopes of the Volcan de Irazu, but Rogers omitted to give any particulars concerning them. Our figure is drawn from one of these birds. 2. Automolus virgatus. Philydor virgatus, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 4687; ix. p. 106; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 804°. Automolus virgatus, Berl. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 5654. ‘* The feathers of the head above, hind neck and back, and also the sides of the head and of the neck, are blackish brown, with a clear ochreous stripe down the centre of each [feather], the lower part of the back is of a dull rusty olivaceous brown, the upper tail-coverts deep reddish cinnamon ; the tail deep cinnamon, not so bright as the coverts; the wings are dull cinnamon-brown, with the inner webs of the primaries and the ends of the secondaries brownish black; the under wing-coverts and inner margin of quills light cinnamon ; the chin and throat are pale fawn-colour with faint brownish edgings to the feathers, on the lower part of the throat the feathers are of a light brownish colour striped down their centres with pale fawn; on the breast the feathers are of a deeper fawn-colour with dusky edges; the abdomen, sides, and under tail-coverts are of an olivaceous brown, lighter than the lower part of the back, with rather indi- stinct paler centres to the feathers; bill brownish black, with the lower part of the under mandible yellow; irides brown; feet brown. Total length 74 in., wing 34, tail 34, bill 1, tarsi qa.” (Lawrence, Ll. s. ¢.) Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol ! 2). We do not know this bird, the type of which, however, has been examined by Count von Berlepsch *, who has given the following note respecting it :—“'This may be a valid species, but not of the genus Philydor, as I think; in fact it seems to be a close ally of Automolus subulatus, Spix, ex Amazonia, from which it may be distinguished by the following points of difference. Bill longer and somewhat stronger, the upper mandible darker in colour. The ground-colour of the top of the head more blackish. The ochraceous stripes there, and still more on the hind neck and the upper back, are more pronounced. ‘The ground-colour everywhere on the upper parts darker or more blackish. The underparts of the body are rather lighter in colour; throat and breast of a clearer ochraceous ; wings and tail somewhat longer (al. 844, caud. 72, culm. 233, tars. 204 mm.).”’ It will be noticed that the measurements taken by Mr. Lawrence and Count von Berlepsch of the same specimen do not agree. The length of the tarsus, according to the former writer 7% in., appears to be very small; in Automolus rubiginosus and its allies it usually exceeds an inch in length. b. Corpus subtus uniforme haud striatum. a’. Stria superciliaris nulla. 8. Automolus rubiginosus. Anabates rubiginosus, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 288°; 1859, p. 365°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 555°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 97+. 20* 156 DENDROCOLAPTID2. Automolus rubiginosus, Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 247°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 91 (partim) °. Supra saturate brunneus, pileo obscuriore; alis extus, uropygio, cauda et pectore saturate rubiginoso-rufis, gula pallidiore; tectricibus auricularibus grisescentioribus ; abdomine brunneo, hypochondriis et tectrici- bus subcaudalibus obscurioribus dorso fere concoloribus, tectricibus subalaribus et remigibus ad basin intus clare rubiginosis : rostro et pedibus saturate corylinis, illius mandibula infra pallida, Long. tota 8-0, alee 3-8, caude rectr. med. 3°45, rectr. lat. 3:1, rostri a rictu 1:1, tarsi 1-1. mari similis. Hab. Mexico, Cordova (Sallé1), Vera Cruz (Sanchez *), Jalapa (de Oca?, M. Trujitio), Coatepec near Jalapa (M. Trujillo), Hot region of Vera Cruz, Uvero (Sumi- chrast *). Automolus rubiginosus was one of Sallé’s discoveries !, whose specimens were procured not far from Cordova in the State of Vera Cruz, where he collected for some time. Other specimens have since been obtained in the same district, namely, at Jalapa and its neighbourhood. Sumichrast states that this bird is an inhabitant of the hot region of Vera Cruz*; but we must add to this the more temperate portions of that State, as its range extends to an elevation of at least 5000 feet and probably higher. It is doubtless resident in the district in which it isfound; the specimens secured by our collector, Mateo Trujillo, were shot at various times from May to October. It has hitherto been the practice to include the Guatemalan birds of this form under the name A. rudiginosus, but with the series now before us we think it necessary to separate several forms from the typical bird, which, according to our views, inhabits a restricted area confined to the mountains of Central Vera Cruz sloping towards the Atlantic Ocean. 4. Automolus verepacis. Anabates rubiginosus, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, pp. 5, 117 (mec Sel.) Automolus rubiginosus, Salv. Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 337°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 91 (partim) °*. A. rubiginoso similis, sed omnino pallidior, supra magis cinnamomeus, pileo, uropygio et cauda clarioribus ; pectore pallide haud saturate rubiginoso quam abdomen paullo obscuriore. (Descr. exempl. ex Coban, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis. Hab. Guatemata (Constancia *, Skinner 1), Coban, Tactic, Choctum (0. 8. & F. D. G. 3). Hitherto this Auéomolus has been considered inseparable from the Mexican A. rubi- ginosus, and was so named in the lists of the birds of Guatemala !, and in the catalogues of the Strickland Collection 2 and in that of the British Museum?. With a much larger series of specimens before us than Mr. Sclater examined when compiling the last-named work, we find that it is necessary to recognize several well-marked forms of A. rubiginosus, all of which have definite ranges so far as our present materials indicate. AUTOMOLUS. 157 This bird is found in the highland forests of Vera Paz in Guatemala, and at a lower elevation where these blend with the forests of the lowlands to the northward. Comparing specimens from Vera Paz with others from the Volcanoes of Agua and Fuego, we find sufficient difference to separate them; the former being rather darker than the latter justifies this subdivision, though the difference is much less than that subsisting between the Vera Paz birds and the true A. rubiginosus or any of the other forms. The first example of this bird sent to Europe was probably that received by Strick- land from his correspondent José Constancia?; that in the late Sir W. Jardine’s collection? being most likely from the same source. Skinner subsequently sent others from the same country 4, and we found the bird not uncommon in Vera Paz. 5. Automolus umbrinus, sp. n. Automolus rubiginosus, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 91 (partim) *. Supra umbrino-brunneus, pileo multo saturatiore ; alis extus paulo rufescentioribus, uropygio et cauda saturate rubiginosis: subtus cervinus, gula pallide cinnamomea, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus brun- nescentioribus, tectricibus subalaribus et remigibus intus ad basin cinnamomeis: rostro et pedibus corylinis, illius mandibula infra pallida. Long. tota 8-0, ale 3:9, caude rectr. med. 3°5, rectr. lat. 2°6, rostri a rictu 1:2, tarsi 1:1. (Descr. maris ex Sta. Maria prope Quezaltenango, Guatemala. Mus. nostr. ) Hab. GUATEMALA, Vicinity of Santa Maria near Quezaltenango (W. B. Richardsun), Volcan de Fuego, Volcan de Agua, Savana Grande, Barranco Hondo (0. S. & F. D. G.?). Comparing our series of specimens from the forests of the volcanoes bordering the Pacific coast of Guatemala with others from Vera Paz, we find that the former are decidedly paler, more fawn-colour beneath, and with the back umber rather than rufous-brown, differences sufficiently marked to render their separation necessary. The species is not rare in the upland forests of the great volcanoes of Guatemala from an elevation of about 2500 feet to as high as 7000 or 8000 feet above the sea. Our specimens were all obtained on the slopes of the Volcanoes of Agua and Fuego, but Mr. Richardson has recently sent us two examples which he shot in the department of Quezaltenango, on the slopes of the Volcan de Santa Maria. 6. Automolus guerrerensis, sp. n. Supra cinnamomeo-brunneus, fronte et pilei dimidio antico concoloribus, pilei dimidio postico, nucha, uropygio et cauda late rubiginosis, capitis lateribus (tectricibus auricularibus obscuris exceptis) ejusdem coloris sed paulo clarioribus ; alis extus quam dorsum vix rufescentioribus: subtus cervinus, pectore cinnamomeo, gula albicantiore, hypochondriis et crisso brunnescentioribus ; subalaribus lete cinnamomeis : rostro et pedibus corylinis, illius mandibula infra pallida. Long. tota 8-0, ale 3°5, caudew rectr. med. 3:5, lat. 2°6, rostri a rictu 1:0, tarsi 1:05. (Descr. maris ex Omilteme, Guerrero, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Omilteme and Xautipa, State of Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith). 158 DENDROCOLAPTID. This is the palest of all these forms on the upper surface, and, moreover, has the forehead and anterior portion of the crown of the same colour as the back, instead of being of a uniform dark cinnamon or rufous-brown tint over the whole crown; the sides of the head below the eyes are also clearer cinnamon than in any of the allied forms. In other respects it most resembles the Guatemala bird from the Volcanoes of Agua and Fuego. Mrs. Herbert Smith’s large collection made in the Sierra Madre del Sur in the summer of 1888 contains two specimens of this species—the male taken at Omilteme at an elevation of 8000 feet above the sea; the other, marked female, at Xautipa, a village in the same range of mountains, both places being not far from Chilpancingo, a town on the road from the port of Acapulco to the interior. The female differs slightly from the male in the almost total absence of the rufescent colour on the nape, the upper surface being thus almost uniform as far as the rump. We have not enough specimens to be able to judge if this difference is a normal one between the sexes, but from analogy it would not be so. 7. Automolus fumosus, sp. n. Automolus cervinigularis?, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 92 (specimen 7) *. Supra saturate fumoso-brunneus, pileo vix obscuriore, uropygio saturate rubiginoso, cauda obscuriore; alis extus fere dorso concoloribus: subtus cervino-brunneus, gula et pectore rufescentioribus, hypochondriis fumoso-brunneis, tectricibus subcaudalibus rubiginosis, tectricibus subalaribus et remigibus intus ad basin cinnamomeis: rostro et pedibus obscure corylinis, illius mandibula infra pallida. Long. tota 8-0, ale 3:25, caude rectr. med. 3-1, rectr. lat. 2°25, rostri a rictu 1:15, tarsi 1-1. (Descr. maris ex Bibalaz, Chiriqui. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Bibalaz in Chiriqui (Arcé 1). On the upper surface this is the darkest of all these forms of Automolus, darker even than A. rubiginosus, and has much darker wings. On the underside it is more like the Guatemalan A. umbrinus, but the sides of the head and flanks are much darker and the wings outwardly very differently coloured. Of this species we have only a single male specimen, which was sent us by our collector, Enrique Arcé, in one of his last collections. He obtained it near a place called Bibalaz, on the slopes of the Volcan de Chiriqui. b’. Stria superciliaris plus minusve distincta. 8. Automolus cervinigularis. Anabates cervinigularis, Scl. P. Z.S. 1856, p. 288 '; 1859, p. 382°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p- 35°. Automolus cervinigularis, Scl. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 175°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 91°; Salv. P.Z.8. 1867, p. 143°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 106%; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soe. N. H.i. p. 555°; La Nat. v. p. 247°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 8304°°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 977. AUTOMOLUS. 159 Supra saturate rufo-brunneus, pileo nigricanti plumis singulis medialiter vix pallidioribus, uropygio et cauda cum tectricibus subcaudalibus saturate rubiginoso-rufis ; loris superciliis elongatis et cervicis lateribus saturate cervinis gula dilutiore: abdomine pallide cervino-brunneo, pectoris plumis leviter brunneo margi- natis ; hypochondriis brunneis, subalaribus et remigibus intus ad basin cinnamomeis: rostro et pedibus corylinis, illius mandibula infra pallida. Long. tota 7-5, ale 3:5, caude rectr. med. 3:0, rectr. lat. 2°5, rostri a rictu 1:15, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. maris ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Mexico (G. H. White*), Vera Cruz (Sanchez), Hot region of Vera Cruz, Omealca® (Sumechrast), Cordova (Sallé1), Atoyac (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Playa Vicente (Boucard*), Chimalapa, Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Sumichrast®); Guats- MALA, Coban*, Choctum (0. S. & F. D. G.>); Costa Rica (v. Frantzius°), Tucurriqui (Arcé), Angostura, Valza (Carmiol’); Panama, Boquete de Chitra, Santa Fé (Arcé °). Discovered by Sallé near Cordova, in Mexico, this species was first described by Mr. Sclater in 18561, and since then its range has been traced throughout Central America to the State of Panama*. In Costa Rica and the adjoining portion of the State of Panama it is found associated with its near ally A. pallidigularis, some speci- mens from this region being somewhat intermediate in character between the two birds. Asarule A. cervinigularis may be distinguished by its darker head as contrasted with the back, the deeper fawn-colour of the under surface, and rather more definite edges to the feathers of the breast, more definite superciliaries, &c. In size there is no appreciable difference between the two. In Guatemala, A cervinigularis is restricted in its range to the forest-region of Vera Paz, which spreads northwards of Coban to Mexican territory. It has not been noticed in any of the forest country bordering the Pacific Ocean. Of its nesting-habits nothing has been recorded. 9. Automolus pallidigularis. Anabates ochrolemus (?), Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 819 (nee Tschudi) *. Anabates cervinigularis, Lawr, Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 294 (nec Scl.) ?. Auiomolus pallidigularis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 465°; ix. p. 106‘; Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 354°; 1879, p. 522°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 3047; Salv. P.Z.S. 1870, p. 192°; Nutting, Pr. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 404°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p- 94°. A, cervinigulari similis sed supra pallidior, capite quoque summo fere dorso concolore nec nigricante, super- ciliis vix ullis, gula albicante, pectore et abdomine pallide murinis differt. (Descr. maris ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nicaraaua, Los Sabalos (Nutting ®); Costa Rica, Pacuar, Guaitil, Angostura (v. Frantzius°, Carmiol +) ; Payama, Bugaba 7, Boquete de Chitra’, Calobre (Arcé *), Lion Hill (McLeannan |? 35),—Cotompra®; Ecuapor !, Typical birds of this species from Panama are much paler than the more northern 160 DENDROCOLAPTID. A. cervinigularis on the throat and under surface generally, and there is hardly any difference between the colour of the head and back; but specimens of the latter from southern localities are somewhat intermediate and not always easy to recognize. They have, however, their characteristic marks in a modified degree. A. pallidigularis was one of McLeannan’s discoveries, and was described by Mr. Law- rence in one of his papers on the birds of Panama *. It is now known to extend as far as Nicaragua in our region, Mr. Nutting having obtained a specimen in thick forest near Los Sabalos in that country &. On the southern continent Salmon met with it at Remedios in the Cauca Valley of Colombia 9, and we have examples from several places in Western Ecuador ?°. PHILYDOR. Philydor, Spix, Av. Bras. i. p. 73 (1824) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 96. Mr. Sclater includes thirteen species in Philydor, only two of which occur within our limits. Of these P. panerythrus belongs to the same section as P. rufus, and is distinguished by its long tail, which considerably exceeds the wings. ‘The other, P. fuscipennis, comes near to P. pyrrhodes, and has a comparatively short tail, as is the case with many species of Automolus. All the species of Philydor belong to the Neotropical Region, Costa Rica being the extreme northern limit of the range of the genus. a. Cauda quam ale longior. 1. Philydor panerythrus. . Philydor panerythrus, Scl. P. Z. S. 1862, p. 110*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 100’; Salv. Ibis, 1870, p. 110°; Berl. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 565 *. Automolus rufescens, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 845°; ix. p. 106°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 8047; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 414°. Supra olivaceo-brunneus, uropygio vix pallidiore, pileo postico et nucha grisescentioribus; fronte superciliis latis elongatis, genis et corpore subtus cinnamomeis, abdomine et hypochondriis brunnescentioribus ; alis extus, remigibus ad basin intus, tectricibus subalaribus et cauda quoque cinnamomeis : rostro et pedibus corylinis, illius mandibula ad apicem pallida. Long. tota 8-0, ale 4-0, caude rectr. med. 3°6, rectr. lat. 3-0, rostri a rictu 0°9, tarsi 1-0. (Descr. exempl. ex Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Carmiol 3°, v. Frantzius *), Pirris 7, Cervantes (J. Cooper ®); Panama (mus. nostr.), Veragua (mus. Berlepsch *).—Cotompta !, P. panerythrus may readily be distinguished from all the other allied species of the genus by its cinnamon-coloured wings. It is rather larger than its congeners, quite equalling many species of Automolus; the bill, however, is weaker that that of the members of that genus, and the nostrils rather more elliptical; the tail, too, is longer and not so much rounded. PHILYDOR.—ANABAZENOPS. 161 The original description of P. panerythrus was founded by Mr. Sclater in 1862 upon a single specimen, a trade skin, from Bogota}, but no other examples have reached us from that country. Several have been sent from Costa Rica and the State of Panama, but even there the bird would appear to be rare. Mr. Lawrence described the Costa Rica bird in 1866 as Automolus rufescens >, under which name it is mentioned by Mr. Ridgway in 18845; but in 1870 Salvin referred A. rufescens to Philydor panerythrus, and we see no reason for altering this decision, which was endorsed by Mr. Sclater in the ‘ Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum ’ ?. Nothing is on record concerning the habits of this bird. b. Cauda quam ale brevior. 2. Philydor fuscipennis, (Tab. XLVI. fig. 1.) Philydor fuscipennis, Salv. P. Z.S. 1866, p. 72’; 1867, p. 143°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 99°. Cinnamomeus, pileo et capitis lateribus obscurioribus, dorso obscuriore et olivaceo tincto; stria postoculari, corpore subtus et tectricibus subalaribus cinnamomeis ; gula pallidiore, hypochondriis brunnescentioribus ; alis fuscis ; cauda et uropygio intense cinnamomeis: rostro et pedibus corylinis, illius mandibula infra pallida. Long. tota 7-0, ale 3-5, caude rectr. med. 2°75, rectr. lat. 2°5, rostri a rictu 0°8, tarsi 0°75. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Veraguas, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Santiago de Veraguas (Arcé! 2 3). The single male specimen sent by Arcé from Santiago de Veraguas in 1866 is still the only example known to us. The species is closely allied to P. pyrrhodes, a bird from Guiana and enjoying a wide range in the valley of the Upper Amazons to the foot of the Andes of Ecuador and Peru. From this bird P. fuscipennis differs in its darker, more rufescent rump and tail, its more cinnamon-coloured back, and browner body beneath. ANABAZENOPS. Anabazenops, Lafresnaye, Dict. Univ. d’Hist. N. i. p. 411 (1847) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 105. Anabazenops is very closely allied to Automolus and Philydor, and perhaps hardly to be distinguished from them. The chief, if not the only difference, is in the shape of the bill, which is slightly upturned; this character is carried much further in Xenops, so that Anabazenops occupies, as its name implies, an intermediate position between Automolus and Xenops. The tail in some of the species is rather longer than the wing, but in others the reverse is the case. Of the eight species included in this genus by Mr. Sclater, two only occur within our limits—one of them, 4. variegaticeps, having a wide range, and extending from BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., September 1891. 21 162 DENDROCOLAPTIDA. the State of Panama to Southern Mexico; the other, which is also found in Ecuador, does not pass beyond Costa Rica. 1. Anabazenops variegaticeps. Anabazenops variegaticeps, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 289; 1859, p. 382°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 106°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 398‘; Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 106°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 304°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i.p.5557; La Nat. v. p. 247°; Saly. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 192°; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 59°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 97"; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 414. Supra rufo-brunneus, pileo nigricante-olivaceo, plumis singulis medialiter pallidioribus, superciliis a naribus et macula infra oculos cervinis, tectricibus auricularibus nigris albido intermixtis; alis dorso paulo rufescen- tioribus, tectricibus majoribus ad apicem nigricantibus: subtus gutture sordide albo, plumis indistincte fusco marginatis ; abdomine toto pallide brunneo, hypochondriis saturatioribus ; cauda lete cinnamomea, tectricibus subalaribus et remigibus intus ad basin cervinis: rostro pallide corneo, mandibula albida, pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 6-0, ale 3-2, caude rectr. med. 2°65, rectr. lat. 2:2, rostri a rictu 0°8, tarsi 0-7. (Descr. exempl. ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Vera Cruz (Sanchez 1), Hot region of Vera Cruz 7, Uvero § and Omealca ® (Sumichrast), Jalapa (de Oca), Cofre de Perote (M. Trujitio), Cordova (Sallé *), Omilteme in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Villa Alta (MZ. Trujillo), 'Totontepec (Boucard?, M. Trujillo), Choapam (Boucard?), Chimalapa (Sumichrast ®) ; GuATEMALA, Pie de la Cuesta in San Marcos, Santa Maria near Quezaltenango (W. B. Richardson), Barranco Hondo and Savana Grande between the Volcan de Fuego and V. de Agua, Choctum 4, and Kamkhal in Vera Paz (0. S. & fF. D. G.°) ; Costa Rica, Dota and Barranca (Carmiol®), Rio Sucio (J. Cooper 1), Candelaria (Boucard 1°); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui ® and Bibalaz (Arcé). We can detect no variation in this widely-spread species, the range of which extends from Southern Mexico to the State of Panama. In the former country it has long been known as an inhabitant of the State of Vera Cruz, where it was discovered by Sallé near Cordova!, and where Sumichrast tells us it is found in the hot region 7. This statement is no doubt correct so far as it goes, but A. variegaticeps has a con- siderable vertical, as well as a horizontal range, for de Oca found it near Jalapa, 4000 feet above the sea, Trujillo at a still higher elevation on the slopes of the Cofre de Perote, and Mrs. Smith’s collection from Guerrero contained a specimen which was shot in July near Omilteme at an elevation of 8000 feet in the Sierra Madre del Sur. In Guatemala, too, this species is found as low as 1200 feet, and as high as 6000 or 7000 feet above the sea. Like most of the members of this family it is a denizen of forest districts, and is probably resident wherever it occurs. Its nearest ally is 4.temporalis of Kcuador, the differences being but slight, consisting in the paler, less rufescent back of A. variegaticeps and the breast also less tinged with that colour. ANABAZENOPS. 163 2. Anabazenops subalaris. Anabates subalaris, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 141°. Anabazenops subalaris, Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 159’; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 108°; Salv. Ibis, 1870, p. 110*; P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 192°; Berl. & Tacz. P. Z.S. 1884, p. 300°. Anabazenops lineatus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 1277, ix. p. 106°. Anabazenops subalaris lineatus, Berl. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 565°. Supra brunneus, uropygio et cauda saturate ferrugineis, pilei plumis, colli postici, dorsi antici, capitis lateram et pectoris medialiter cervino striatis, gutture quoque striis latioribus notatis ; gula cervina fere immacu- lata ; abdomine brunneo, hypochondriis obscurioribus, tectricibus subalaribus et remigibus intus ad basin cinnamomeis : rostro et pedibus saturate corylinis, illius mandibula infra albida. Long. tota 7-0, ale 35, caude rectr. med. 3:1, rectr. lat. 2-25, rostri a rictu 0°8, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. maris ex Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Ay. juv. pileo et dorso antico vix striatis, striis cervicis latioribus et rufescentioribus ; pectore cinnamomeo fere immaculato. Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol’ §), Pirris and Cervantes (Zeledon *), Volcan de Irazu (Rogers?) ; Panama, Calobre, Calovevora® (Arcé).—Co.ompia 3; Ecuapor !2. There is considerable difference in plumage between the adult and young in this species, the latter being much less generally striated than the former, though the stripes on the back of the neck are more pronounced. The breast, too, is much more rufescent. Some of our young specimens show feathers of the adult, so that, different as the adult and young are, their relationship is proved. There also appears to be a certain amount of individual variation between members of the species. Costa Rica specimens, as a rule, are not so distinctly striped on the head as some from Ecuador, but others from the latter country are not on this account to be distinguished from northern examples. ‘The most definite stripes are possessed by our specimen from Colombia. In 1870 Salvin 4 stated his impression as to the identity of Mr. Lawrence’s 4. lineatus with Mr. Sclater’s 4. subalaris, and on reconsidering this question with a much larger series at our disposal, we do not think that decision should be altered. Count Berlepsch, however, after examining Mr. Lawrence’s type, gives 4. dineatus subspecific value in its relationship with 4. suwbalaris®. But the differences of size and colour to which he draws attention are hardly confirmed by our series, and we therefore place both the Central-American and Ecuadorean birds under one title. The types of 4. subalaris were obtained by Fraser near Pallatanga in Ecuador }, and were described by Mr. Sclater in 1859. Mr. Lawrence’s type of A. lineatus was sent by Carmiol from Angostura in Costa Rica, and was described in 18657. Other examples have since been procured in both countries, and from several intermediate points, but no account of the habits of the bird has reached us. 21* 164 DENDROCOLAPTIDA. XENOPS. Xenops, Illiger, Prodr. p. 213 (1811); Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 110. An easily recognized genus from the peculiar form of the bill, the culmen of which is straight, the tomia of both maxilla and mandible ascending in a gradual curve, and the lower edge of the mandible is also curved rather abruptly upwards, the whole bill being much compressed in the middle. Only two species are now admitted of the genus Xenops, though others have been claimed as distinct. Their ranges are nearly coincident, and extend over the greater part of Tropical America. X. rutilus, however, only reaches Costa Rica, whereas X. genibarbis spreads northwards to Eastern Mexico. The wings of both species are coloured in the same way as those of Sittosomus, Margarornis, and Glyphorhynchus—that is to say, they have a tawny transverse band extending to all but the three outer primaries. The anterior toes are all closely united at the base; the middle toe considerably exceeds the lateral toes in length and isa little longer than the hallux. The tail is soft at the end and the feathers rounded; the coloration of the tail is peculiar, being cinnamon, with the inner webs of the third and fourth feathers from the outside black. 1. Xenops genibarbis. Xenops genibarbis, Il. Prodr. p. 218*; Temm. Pl. Col. 150. f.1?; Sel. & Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1879, p- 523°; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 110‘. Xenops mexicanus, Scl. P. Z.S. 1856, p. 289°; 1859, p. 382°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 8207; ix. p. 106°; Salv. Ibis, 1861, p. 353°; P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 143°; 1870, p. 192"; Sel. & Saly. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 354"; Nomencl. Av. Neotr. p. 66%; Frantz. J. £. Orn. 1869, p. 304" ; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 555; La Nat. v. p. 247 *; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 977. Supra rufescenti-brunneus, capite obscuriore, uropygio ferrugineo-rufo, loris albicantibus, stria superciliari elongata pallide cervina, regione auriculari brunnea cervino striato infra eam plaga elongata nitide alba: subtus brunneus, gula albicante; alis nigris cinnamomeo terminatis, secundariis intimis cinnamomeis, fascia lata mediana obliqua per remiges interiores et secundarios proximos transeunte cinnamomea, remigibus externis extus cinnamomeo limbatis, subalaribus quoque cinnamomeis; cauda cinnamomea, rectricibus duabus utrinque mediis proximis nigris, duabus iis exterioribus ad basin gradatim nigris: rostro et pedibus corylinis, illius mandibula pallidiore et infra albicante. Long. tota 5:0, ale 2-7, caude rectr. med. 21, rectr. lat. 1:6, rostri a rictu 0°63, tarsi 0°6. (Descr. maris ex Teapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) ¢ mari similis. Hab. Mexico, Vera Cruz (Sanchez 1"), Cordova (Sallé4), Playa Vicente (Boucard ®), Uvero (Sumichrast '°), Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith); Brrtisa Hoypvras, Orange Walk (Gawmer), Cayo (Blancaneaux) ; GuatemaLa, Choctum (0. 8. & F. D. G. 9); Costa Rica, Angostura, San José, Pacuar, and Grecia (Carmiol 8), Tucurriqui (Arcé); Panama, Bugaba!!, Bibalaz, Calovevora 1, Santa Fé 1° (Arcé), Lion Hill XENOPS. 165 (M‘Leannan 7 !2),—Sourn America generally from Colombia to Guiana and Eastern Brazil ¢. Several names have been applied to this bird based upon supposed local differences. One of these, X. mexicanus®, long passed current for the South Mexican and Central American form, which was stated to differ from the typical South American bird by being larger, more olive-coloured beneath, and in its ochraceous-white throat. The accumulation of a larger series proves that only one species can be satisfactorily recognized. | In our country, X. genibarbis is strictly confined to the forests of the hot country, such as are found on the eastern side of the Cordillera of Southern Mexico and Guate- mala. Its northern range does not extend beyond the middle of the State of Vera Cruz; but southward of this, on the Atlantic side of the mountains, it is probably found wherever any large tract of virgin forest occurs. Its range in altitude extends from the sea-level to a height of about 1500 or 2000 feet. On the western or Pacific side of the main mountain-chain we have not yet met with X. genibarbis northward of Costa Rica, but in that country, as well as in the State of Panama, it occurs on both sides of the mountains. 2. Xenops rutilus. Xenops rutilus, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 177; Scl. & Salv. P.Z. 8. 1879, p. 522°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 111°. Xenops heterurus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 834; Salv. Ibis, 1869, p. 319°; P. Z.S. 1870, p. 192°. Supra cinnamomeo-brunneus, uropygio clariore, capite summo brunneo cervino striato, cervice postica et dorso antico quoque plus minusve striatis, superciliis et stria utrinque rictali albis, tectricibus auricularibus nigro et albo variegatis, gula alba, corpore subtus reliquo fusco albido striato ; alis nigris extus cinnamomeis, remigibus omnibus (tribus externis exceptis) medialiter fascia cinnamomea notatis, apicibus quoque cinnamomeis; cauda cinnamomea, rectricibus duabus intermediis utrinque in pogonio interno nigris: rostro corneo, mandibula infra pallida; pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 4°75, ale 2°6, caudex 1-9, rostri a rictu 0-6, tarsi 0°55. (Descr. maris ex Chiriqui. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Carmiol 5); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Arcé °).—SoutH AMERICA generally ? from Colombia?+4 to South Brazil }. Xenops rutilus may readily be distinguished from X. genibarbis by the colouring of the head and under surface, both of which have on each feather a definite central stripe which occupies the shaft and the portion of the web adjoining on either side. In X. genibarbis both the head and under surface are nearly uniformly coloured. The range of the two species is nearly the same throughout the southern continent ; but in Central America X. rutilus does not, so far as we know, pass beyond Costa Rica, X. genibarbis reaching Southern Mexico. The name X. rutilus was bestowed by Lichtenstein upon a Brazilian bird which was 166 DENDROCOLAPTIDZ. also called X. rutilans by Temminck and X. affinis by Swainson. The Colombian bird was separated by Cabanis and Heine as X. heterurus*, but it now appears that it has no tangible points of distinction. The present species appears to be much rarer in our country than its congener X. genibarbis ; we have as yet only seen two specimens, one from Costa Rica and one from Chiriqui. Mr. Zeledon did not possess a Costa Rica specimen in 1882, as shown by his Catalogue of that date. Subfam. SCLERURINZAE*. SCLERURUS. Sclerurus, Swainson, Zool. Journ. iii. p. 856 (1827); Ridgway, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xii. p. 21 (5 Feb., 1890) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 118. The number of species in this genus is variously estimated, Mr. Sclater admitting six and Mr. Ridgway no less than ten; of these, three occur within our limits, the most northern of which, S. mexicanus, is found in Eastern Mexico. The usual haunts of the members of Sclerurus are in the dense forest, where they frequent the underwood near the ground. The bill (S. mexicanus) is long and slender, slightly depressed towards the tip, and with a small notch near the distal end of the tomia of the maxilla; the nostrils are open, not overhung by a membrane, but the nasal septum appears in the opening. The inner toe is freer from the middle toe than the outer one, and the hallux is long with a long comparatively straight claw; the tail is short and rounded, the shafts of each feather stiff, sharp, and slightly projecting beyond the webs. 1. Sclerurus canigularis. Sclerurus canigularis, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 542; xii, p. 247. Sclerurus albogularis, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 114 (partim) *. “ Prevailing colour of upper parts plain dark sooty brown, overlaid on hind neck, back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and tertials with a wash of burnt-umber, this changing into dark chestnut on rump and upper tail- coverts ; tail brownish black ; sides of head dull greyish brown, this changing gradually into dull greyish white on chin and upper throat, and to dull ash-grey on lower throat; chest deep chestnut-brown (abruptly defined against grey of throat), this changing into dull dark sooty brown on rest of underparts ; lower tail-coverts tinged with dark chestnut. Upper mandible black, lower chiefly light-coloured ; legs and feet brownish black. Length (skin) 6-0, wing 3°45, tail 2-55, exposed culmen -85, tarsus 85,” (Ridgway, 1. s. ¢.) Hab. Costa Rica, Turrialba (J. J. Cooper 1). We have not seen a specimen of this bird, and opinions differ as to its distinctness from the bird from Venezuela and Tobago called 8S. albogularis, Sw. Mr. Sclater * Antea, p. 146. SCLERURUS. 167 considers S. canigularis to be inseparable from S. albogularis?; but Mr. Ridgway adheres to his first statement as to their distinctness 2 and summarizes their differences as follows :— “Underparts dull greyish olive, becoming tawny olive on chest; back and scapulars bistre-brown tinged with olive; lower half of throat dull light grey ; upper half, including chin, dull white . oe . . SS. albogularis. “ Underparts dark slaty, tinged on some feathers with bright 1 mummy- brown, the chest deep burnt-umber brown; lower half of throat deep greyish; upper half, including chin, paler, but scarcely approaching white; back and scapulars deep vandyke-brown . . . . . 1... we ee es) 6S. canigularis.”’ The type of S. canigularis is, we believe, unique, and examples of S. albogularis are scarce, so that additional specimens of both are required to decide the status of the two birds. In the meantime we follow Mr. Ridgway in keeping them separate. 2. Sclerurus mexicanus. Sclerurus mexicanus, Scl. P. Z.S. 1856, p. 290'; 1859, p. 83657; 1864, p. 175°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 115*; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 35°; Salv. Ibis, 1861, p. 143°; P. Z. S. 1867, p. 1427; 1870, p. 191°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 465°; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 555 , La Nat. v. p. 247"; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. 1 p- 97"; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xii. p. 25. Sclerurus guatemalensis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 4™. Supra brunneus, pileo vix obscuriore, uropygio castaneo, cauda nigricanti-fusca: subtus gula et pectore castaneis illa pallidiore; abdomine toto et tectricibus subcaudalibus dorso fere concoloribus, tectricibus sub- alaribus rufis: rostro et pedibus saturate corylinis, mandibula infra pallida. Long. tota 6-0, alw 3:1, caud rectr. med. 2:2, rectr. lat. 1:6, rostri a rictu 1:15, tarsi 0°85. (Descr. exempl. ex Raxché, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico (White*), Vera Cruz (Sanchez 13), Jalapa (de Oca?, F. Ferrari-Perez), Cordova (Sallé 1), Hot region of Vera Cruz}, Orizaba !!, and Potrero ™ (Sumi- chrast), Mirador (Sartorius 1°); GuateMaLA, Coban 5, Raxché °, Savana Grande, and Volcan de Agua above San Diego (0. 8S. & F. D. G.); Panama, Calovevora §, Santiago de Veraguas’, Cordillera de Tolé7 (Arcé), Lion Hill (If‘Leannan }%).—- CoLomBiaA and Amazons Valley ; Bahia ? 18, Sclerurus mexieanus was discovered by Sallé near Cordova, in the Mexican State of Vera Cruz, and was described by Mr. Sclater in 18561. It has subsequently been met with in other parts of the same State, where, Sumichrast tells us1°, it chiefly inhabits the hot region, but ascends the mountains to a height of upwards of 4000 feet above the sea. It is absent from Western Mexico, but in Guatemala it occurs in sparing numbers in the heavily forested districts on both sides of the main mountain-chain. Its home is in virgin forest, where it lives amongst the undergrowth. Though no specimens are recorded as having been obtained between Guatemala and 168 DENDROCOLAPTID A. the State of Panama, the bird most probably occurs in suitable localities. In the State of Panama it has been found in several places both along the line of railway and in districts lying nearer the Costa Rica frontier *. The range of S. mexicanus in South America is generally admitted to be extensive and to reach to the Amazons Valley throughout its length, and even to extend to Bahia, though the latter point requires confirmation. Central American examples appear to have the chestnut colour of the breast spread further over the abdomen than is the case with those from South America. Within our limits, birds from the State of Panama are a shade darker than those from Guate- mala, but on the whole the variation is slight for a bird having so wide a range. In habits Sclerurus mexicanus resembles some Troglodytide. It was not seen to climb like other Dendrocolaptide, but to hop about the brushwood and to scratch amongst leaves on the ground. The cry is shrill, and may be heard at some distance °. 8. Sclerurus guatemalensis +. (Tab. XLIV. fig. 1.) Tinactor guatemalensis, Hart]. Rev. Zool. 1844, p. 370°. Sclerurus guatemalensis, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 118°; P. Z.S. 1864, p. 354°; Salv. Ibis, 1861, p. 852%; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xii. p. 30°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 117°. Sclerurus caudacutus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 320 (nec Vieillot) ’. Supra brunneus fere unicolor, uropygio vix rufescentiore, cauda nigricanti-fusca: subtus paullo rufescentior, gula albida, plumis singulis fusco marginatis, plumis, cervicis laterum et pectoris medialiter rufis, scapis pallidioribus : rostro et pedibus nigricanti-corylinis, mandibule basi albicante. Long. tota 6°5, ale 3°5, caude rectr. med. 2°35, rectr. lat. 1:9, rostri a rictu 1:05, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. exempl ex Choctum, Gua- temala. Mus. nostr.) Mas et femina similes. Hab. Guatemata (Hartlaub), Choctum (0. S. & F. D. G.4); Costa Rica, Jimenez and San Carlos (A. Alfaro®), Sibuhuc in Talamanca (J. C. Zeledon®); Panama, Lion Hill (4 Zeannan *7).—Ecuapor 2%, We have a specimen from Guatemala which agrees fairly with Dr. Hartlaub’s * There seems some confusion respecting M‘Leannan’s specimens of Sclerurus, obtained on the Isthmus of Panama. These have been recently re-examined by Mr. Ridgway, and we follow his determination of them. + We are uncertain as to the proper name for the bird from the Isthmus of Darien called by Cassin Sclerurus brunneus. Sclerurus brunneus, Scl.; Cass. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 193; Riigw. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. xii. p. 29. Hab. Rio Ingador, Colombia (W. S. Wood, Jun.). Mr. Ridgway considered the specimen thus named to be young, and it was the only example which he attributed to S. brunneus when writing his monograph of the genus. It is described as having “the throat white, with brown or dusky margins to the feathers,” a character better suiting S. guatemalensis than S. brun- neus, the throat-feathers of which are very indistinctly edged with dusky. SCLERURUS.—MARGARORNIS. 169 description of this species, the type of which came from the same country. It is there, however, a rare bird, for we have never succeeded in securing another example. In Costa Rica it is a better known bird, for Mr. Ridgway, when compiling his monograph of the genus ®, had five specimens before him for examination, besides several from the Isthmus of Panama, whence also we have a single female bird. All these seem to agree fairly as to their characters and to possess white throats, each feather being edged with dark brown; the feathers of the breast, too, and of the sides of the neck have lighter centres contrasting with darker edges. These points and the greater size and less rufous rump of S. guatemalensis readily serve to distinguish it from 8. mexicanus. Regarding its extension southwards into Western Ecuador we are in some doubt, as the birds from that country attributed to 8. guatemalensis by Mr. Sclater in his recently published Catalogue appear to us to belong to a distinct species*. They are much darker in general colour, and have longer bills (1:2 inch). The breast is less rufous and the rump darker. It is possible these birds may belong to Dr. Cabanis’s S. oliva- ceus, but without examining the type of that bird it would be unsafe to pronounce a definite opinion. S. olivaceus has been placed as a synonym of S. brunneus by Mr. Sclater, but is given a distinct position by Mr. Ridgway, but neither author has examined the type. Subfam. MARGARORNITHINA fF. MARGARORNIS. Margarornis, Reichenbach, Handb. p. 179 (1858) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 121. Margarornis contains six species, of which two occur within our region in Costa Rica and the State of Panama. The others are fonnd in the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia, none occurring in Guiana or any portion of Brazil. The bill of Margarornis (M. brunnescens) is slender, the culmen slightly curved, and the tomia without a subterminal notch; the nostrils are overhung bya membrane, leaving the opening a long slit on the lower edge of the nasal fossa. The toes are rather long, the outer and middle toes united towards the base, the inner toe more free, the hallux long, its claw curved much as in those of the other toes. The tail is not nearly so stiff as in Glyphorhynchus aud Sittosomus, but the shafts of the feathers project beyond the webs as in all the Dendrocolaptine. * Sclerurus brunneus,” specimen 6 (Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 116), from the Balzar Mountains, is precisely like ‘‘S. guatemalensis,” specimen c, from Santa Rita. It is to these two birds that the above note refers. + Antea, p. 146. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., September 1891. 22 170 DENDROCOLAPTIDA. 1. Margarornis rubiginosa. (Tab. XLVII. fig. 1.) Margarornis rubiginosa, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 128°; ix. p. 106°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 804°; Boucard, P. Z.S. 1878, p.60*; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 122°. Supra rubiginoso-cinnamomea, capite summo paullo fuscescentiore, capitis et cervicis lateribus cum nucha ochraceo tinctis, superciliis latis ochraceo albidis: subtus gula alba, pectore et abdomine ochraceo-rufis, illius plumis macula discali albida extrorsum nigro limbata ornatis, hypochondriis rubiginosis; alis extus et cauda dorso concoloribus, primariis subtus uigricantibus internis cum secundariis ad basin fascia indi- stincta fulva notatis: rostro et pedibus pallide eorylinis, illius mandibula albicante. Long. tota 6, ale 2°9, caude rectr. med. 2°8, rectr. lat. 1°7, rostri a rictu 0°65, tarsi 0°8, dig. med. 0°75, hallucis 0°72. (Descr. exempl. ex Irazu, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) | Hab. Costa Rica, San José !2, Quebrada Honda? (v. Frantzius), San Mateo (J. Cooper”), Irazu (Rogers *), Navarro (Boucard*); Panama, Calobre (Arcé *), This species and WM. stellata of Ecuador belong to a section of Margarornis distin- guished by their cinnamon-coloured plumage and by the small spots which occupy the discal portion of each feather of the breast. Their wings, too, are longer than those of M. brunnescens and much less rounded. From J. stellata, M. rubiginosa may be distinguished by its paler colour both above and beneath, its more definite superciliary stripes, and by the fainter pectoral spots ; but this difference is by no means well defined, as the spots on the breast vary considerably in size, being nearly obsolete in a specimen from Calobre and fairly distinct in our Costa Rica examples. M. rubiginosa has a very limited range, extending from Eastern Costa Rica to Calobre in the State of Panama; but it appears to be byno meansa common bird. M. Boucard obtained two specimens at Navarro in May, and Mr. Rogers others from the slopes of the Volcan de Cartago or Irazu. 2. Margarornis brunnescens. (Tab. XLVII. fig. 2.) Margarornis brunnescens, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 27, t. 116"; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 123’; Salv. P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 143°; 1870, p.192*; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 106°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 304°; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 166"; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 414°. Margarornis brunneicauda, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 180°. Supra brunnea, dorso rufescentiore, capite einerascentiore, plumis omnibus obsolete fusco marginatis, capitis lateribus et corpore subtus cervinis, plumis (gula excepta) fusco marginatis, alis et cauda fusco-brunneis : rostro et pedibus obscure corylinis, illius mandibula pallida. Long. tota 6-0, ale 2-5, caude 2:5, rostri a rictu 0°7, tarsi 0°75, dig. med. 0-7, hallucis 0-7. (Descr. maris ex Chiriqui, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, San José*, Quebrada Honda® (v. Frantzius), Rancho Redondo, Barranca (Carmiol®), San Mateo (J. Cooper®), Pirris (Zeledon >), Rio Sucio (J. Cooper ®) ; Panama, Chiriqui, Chitra 4, Tolé 3, Cordillera de Chucu ‘4, Calovevora, Calobre (Arcé)—Cotompia!; Ecuapor and Peru 2, Mr. Sclater first described this species from specimens from Colombia, being part of a collection sent to him by MM. Verreaux, of Paris, in 18561. Its southern range was subsequently traced to Ecuador? and Peru’. Northwards it has been found in the MARGARORNIS.—DENDROCINCLA. 171 Colombian State of Antioquia, in the State of Panama, and in Costa Rica. Specimens from nearly all these places are before us, and we find that they agree in every respect. Compared with M. rubiginosa this species is very distinct, for not only is the general plumage very much browner and the spots on the under surface more numerous and larger, but the wings are relatively short and much rounded. We have no record of this bird beyond Salmon’s note that the iris in life is dark and that its food consists of insects. Subfam. GLYPHORHY NCHINA*. a. Rostrum latum, turdiforme, haud cuneiforme ; cauda brevis, quam ale brevior. DENDROCINCLA. Dendrocincla, Gray, List Gen. Birds, p. 18 (1840); Ridgway, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 488 (6 Jan. 1888) ; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 162. This genus is a somewhat isolated one, for with a great general resemblance to the Dendrocolaptine in the shape of the wings, tail, and feet, and the bill not very unlike that of Dendrocolaptes, it has the nostrils completely covered with a membrane, so that the nasal openings are curved slits lying along the lower edge of the nasal fossa; this membrane, too, is to a great extent covered with short feathers. This peculiar nostril is almost exactly like that of Glyphorhynchus, so that Dendrocincla finds perhaps its most natural position near that genus; but the form of the bill is very different, and the tail much less elongated, the shafts of the central rectrices being not nearly so much produced. The genus Dendrocincla has been examined recently both by Mr. Ridgway and Mr. Sclater. The former admits twelve species, and names three others as unknown to him; the latter gives ten species as known to him, and three unknown. ‘This differ- ence does not affect the numbers of the Central-American birds, both authors allowing four species as inhabitants of our region. The extreme northern limit of the range of Dendrocincia reaches the hot forests of * Jn framing our introductory remarks on the family Dendrocolaptide (antea, p. 146) we had intended to assign the genus Dendrocincla to the Dendrocolaptinz, and to place it, as Mr. Sclater has done, with Dendro- colaptes as a broad-billed section of that subfamily. A further examination of the species of Dendrocincla, however, shows us that this arrangement is not compatible with our definitions, for Dendrocincla has the nostrils completely overhung by a thick membrane, and not open as in the other genera of the subfamily. This character brings Dendrocincla in juxtaposition to Glyphorhynchus, notwithstanding the great difference in the form of the bill and structure of the tail, which are described elsewhere under the respective genera. Our scheme set out on p. 146 will still stand as it is, but the distribution of the genera in the various subfamilies must be altered as follows :—The Glyphorhynchine to contain two genera, Glyphorhynchus with one species and Dendrocincla with four species; and the Dendrocolaptine six genera, instead of seven, with fifteen species. 22* 172 DENDROCOLAPTIDZ. Vera Cruz, where both D. anabatina and D. homochroa occur; and these two birds spread through Central America to the State of Panama, being joined in Costa Rica by D. olivacea, and at Panama by D. ruficeps. 1. Dendrocincla anabatina. Dendrocincla anabatina, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 54, t.150'; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 1627; Scl. _ & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 54°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 450*; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 404°; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. pp. 490, 590°. Dendromanes anabatinus, Scl. P. Z. 8.1859, p. 382"; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 35°; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 837°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 192. | Dendrocops anabatinus, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 118". Supra olivaceo-brunnea, dorso postico pallidiore, tectricibus supracaudalibus et cauda rubiginosis, loris et gula cervino-albidis, stria postoculari cervina indistincta: subtus pallidior, pectore striis rhachidalibus cervinis indistinctis notato ; alis extus rufo-cervinis, remigum apicibus nigricanti-brunneis, tectricibus omnibus dorso concoloribus, tectricibus subalaribus et alis subtus (preter apices) pallide cinnamomeis: rostro corneo, pedibus saturate corylinis. Long. tota 7:0, ale 3°7, cauda 2°85, rostri a rictu 1:05, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. feminz ex Teapa, Tabasco. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Mirador and Potrero in Vera Cruz (U.S. Nat. Mus.), Playa Vicente (Boucard”), Teapa in Tabasco (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Northern Yucatan (Gaumer) ; British Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gaumer); Guatemata, Rancho Tuilhé on the Cahabon-Peten road, Choctum and Coban § (0. 8S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, Omoa (Leyland* 1), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely®), Segovia River (Townsend 8); Nica- RAGUA, Los Sabalos (Nutting); Panama, Chiriqui, Bugaba® (Arcé). A specimen obtained at Omoa in Honduras by Leyland formed the type of this species, and was described by Mr. Sclater in 18591. The bird has since been traced over the whole of the forest-region of the eastern side of the Cordillera, from Playa Vicente, in Mexico’, in the north to Chiriqui!° in the south. We have no record of its occurrence in Costa Rica, though it is doubtless found there, as it has been observed at Chiriqui and specimens sent us from there by our collector Arcé. These latter birds are rather dark in colour, but not, in our opinion, separable. D. anabatina, like D. homochroa, lives in the dense forest of the lowlands, the two birds being often seen on the trunk of the same tree picking ants from the surface of the bark. 2. Dendrocincla homochroa. Dendromanes homochrous, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 8821; Salv. Ibis, 1861, p. 353; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 193°. Dendrocincla homochroa, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 54°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 450°; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 385 °, 414°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. p.4917; Salyv. Ibis, 1889, p. 365°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 163°. Dendrocincla homochroa ruficeps, Ridgw. P. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. p- 491 °°. Fusco-rubiginosa fere unicolor, pileo, alis et cauda magis cinnamomeis, dorso postico pallidiore, remigibus externis DENDROCINCLA. 173 nigro terminatis: rostro et pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 7°, ale 4:0, caude 2-7, rostri a rictu 1:0, tarsi 1-0. (Descr. maris ex Chimalapa, Tehuantepec. Mustr. nostr.) Hab. Muxtco, Teotalcingo (Boucard!), Chimalapa, Tehuantepec (W. B. Richardson), Northern Yucatan (Gaumer), Mugeres I., Meco I. off the coast of Yucatan (Gaumer’); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gaumer); GuaremAta, Rancho Tuilhé on the Cahabon-Peten road, Choctum, Volcan de Agua above San Diego (O. S.& F. D.G.); Nicaragua, Chinandega, and El Volcan near Chinandega (W. B. Richardson), Sucuya (Nutting 1°); Costa Rica (Carmiol), Navarro (J. Cooper ®); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Arcé ”). Dendrocincla homochroa was one of M. Boucard’s discoveries}, the first specimen having been obtained by that traveller at Teotalcingo, a village on the eastern slope of the mountains of the Mexican State of Oaxaca. As its name is not included by Sumichrast in his list of the birds of Vera Cruz, and as none of our collectors who have worked in that State have sent us specimens, we conclude that the bird is not found to the northward of Teotalcingo. Southward of this place and over the whole of the forest-region of Yucatan and Guatemala, on both sides of the Cordillera, it is to met with pretty frequently. It occurs also in various parts of Nicaragua, on both sides of the great lakes, and in Costa Rica and the adjoining district of Chiriqui. Whether the bird found at Panama is really distinct must remain for the present in some doubt. No specimen of the large series of the more northern bird quite corre- sponds with the type of D. ruficeps; some equal it in size, and some have the head of the same rufous tint, but none have so large a bill, and all are rather more rufescent both above and below. D. homochroa is not unfrequently found in company with D. anabatina in some numbers together picking ants from the trunks of the forest-trees. ‘They are less active than the other members of the climbing Dendrocolaptide. | 3. Dendrocincla ruficeps. Dendrocincla, sp.?, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 3207? Dendromanes homochrous, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 466°? Dendrocincla ruficeps, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1858, p- 54°; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 164°. Brunnescenti-olivacea: pileo, alis extus, et cauda tota castaneis: subtus, precipue in gula, paulo dilutior ; remigum quinque externorum apicibus nigricantibus ; rostro corneo, pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 8:0, alee 4:2, caude 3:2, rostri a rictu 1:2, tarsi 0°9. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Panama. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Panama (Chambers *). Mr. Ridgway includes all the birds found between Nicaragua and the line of the Panama railway under the name Dendrocincla homochroa ruficeps; but our series hardly confirms this view, for amongst the specimens from Chinandega and its neighbourhood are some not to be distinguished from the Mexican type, whilst others are darker. Moreover, there is a considerable difference in size, the males being apparently a little 174 DENDROCOLAPTID. larger than the females. None of our Nicaraguan, Costa Rican, or Chiriqui specimens quite correspond with the type of D. rujficeps, so that for the present we keep this bird distinct. At the same time we have doubts as to its status, and believe that it will some day have to be merged with D. homochroa. The single specimen brought from Panama by the late Mr. Hoggetts-Chambers, and formerly in Mr. Sclater’s collection, is the only one we have seen. 4, Dendrocincla olivacea. Dendrocincla fumigata, Lawr, Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 320 (nec Licht.) *. Dendrocincla olivacea, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. vii. p. 466°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. pp. 492 °, 590‘; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 166°. Dendromanes atrirostris, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 355 (nec Lafr.) °; Salv. P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 1937. Dendrocincla atrirostris, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1868, p. 54°. Supra olivaceo-brunnea, capite summo et uropygio paulo dilutioribus; tectricibus supracaudalibus et cauda obscure rubiginosis, tectricibus alarum dorso concoloribus, remigibus extus paulo rufescentibus: subtus pallidior, gula grisescente et cum pectore striis obsoletis rhachidalibus cervinis notatis; subalaribus et remigibus (preeter apices) cinnamomeis: rostro et pedibus nigricantibus, illius mandibula infra pallida. Long. tota 7°5, ale 4-1, caude 3-2, rostri a rictu 1°35, tarsi 1-0. (Descr. maris ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) ? mari similis. Hab. Honpvras, Segovia River (Townsend +); Costa Rica, Talamanca (U.S. Nat. Mus.*), Cartago and Pacuar (C. R&. Nat. Mus.*), Angostura (Carmiol®); Panama, Chitra (Arcé"), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan 1).—CotomsBia; Ecvapor °. This species was at first referred by Mr. Lawrence to D. fumigata, Licht.1, but subsequently described as distinct under the name of D. olivacea?. It was then considered by Sclater and Salvin to belong to the Bolivian bird described by d’Orbigny and Lafresnaye as Dendrocolaptes atrirostris®°—an opinion upset by Mr. Ridgway ’, who, on examining the supposed types of that species, pronounced the Panama bird to be different, and reinstated Mr. Lawrence’s name. ‘This decision we now follow. D. olivacea is limited in its northern range to Honduras; thence it passes along the Isthmus to Panama, and into the north-western portion of the southern continent. Being found on the line of the Panama Railway it is doubtless a bird of the hot tropical forests, and probably does not ascend the mountains to any considerable elevation. M‘Leannan obtained the types transmitted to Mr. Lawrence, and many specimens were sent by him to us. b. Rostrum angustum, breve, cuneiforme ; cauda elongata, ale equans. GLY PHORHYNCHUS. Glyphorhynchus, Wied, Beitr. iti. p. 1149 (1831) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 124. In many respects the single member of this genus resembles Dendrornis and its allies; the general coloration is similar, and the structure of the tail and feet, with their short hallux, the same. ‘The bill, however, is very differently constructed ; it is GLYPHORHYNCHUS. 175 short, the culmen and gonys are gently curved downwards and upwards, and both maxilla and mandible expand laterally towards the tip and are rounded at their ends ; the nostrils are completely overhung with a membrane, leaving the opening a narrow curved slit lying along the lower edge of the nasal fossa. The range of the genus extends over the greater part of Tropical America, G. cune- atus being a denizen of the low-lying virgin forests. 1. Glyphorhynchus cuneatus. Dendrocolaptes cuneatus, Licht. Abh. Ak. Berl. 1820, p. 204, t. 2. f. 2"; 1821, p. 266°; Spix, Av. Bras. i. p. 89, t. 91. f. 3°. Glyphorhynchus cuneatus, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1841, p. 28°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1858, p. 63°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 124°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 357; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N.Y. vii. p. 820°; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 205°; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 248"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 60"'; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 404°. Glyphorhynchus ruficaudus, Wied, Beitr. iii. p. 1150”. Glyphorhynchus pectoralis, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1860, p. 299; 1864, p. 354°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 181°; ix. p. 106; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 805°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 192”. Glyphorhynchus major, Scl. Cat. Am. Birds, p. 161°; P. Z. S. 1862, p. 369”; Sumichrast, Mem. ‘ Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 555. | Xiphorhynchus mayor, Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 97”. Supra rufescenti-brunneus, uropygio et cauda saturate cinnamomeis, superciliis indistinctis et capitis lateribus cervinis fusco variegatis: subtus brunneis, plumis singulis medialiter pallide cervinis, gula paulo magis fulvescente, abdomine vix striato; subalaribus albis, primariis (duobus externis exceptis) et secundariis omnibus fascia obliqua fulva medialiter notatis: rostro et pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 5-5, ale 2:1, caudee 2°7, rostri a rictu 0°6, tarsi 0°7. (Deser. maris ex Yzabal, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) @ mari sunilis. Hab. Mexico, Hot region of Vera Cruz 22, Uvero !! (Sumichrast), Vera Cruz (Sanchez **) ; Guatemala, Choctum 2°, Yzabal? (0. Salvin); Nicaragua, Greytown (Holland), - Los Sabalos (Nutting 1"); Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Areé), Naranjo (Boucard 1"); PanaMa, Bugaba !°, Mina de Chorcha 1°, Volean de Chiriqui!®, Chitra (Arcé), Lion Hill (/‘*Leannan § 1°).—Sovutn America, from Colombia to Guiana and South Brazil °. Our first Central-American specimen (shot by Salvin at Yzabal, in Guatemala, on 19th June, 1859) was referred with doubt to G. cwneatus”, but on the receipt of more examples from Choctum in Vera Paz in January 1860, the Guatemalan bird was named by Sclater and Salvin G. pectoralis, in a paper read before the Zoological Society on 22nd May, 186014. In 1862 ?° Mr. Sclater, overlooking the previous description of the same bird, re-described one of the Choctum skins as G. major, and in the same year referred to a Mexican skin under this name *!. It is now pretty generally admitted that the Central-American bird cannot be distinguished from the Continental form, and there is certainly no tangible difference between the Yzabal bird and others from the 176 DENDROCOLAPTIDA. neighbourhood of Bahia either in size or colour. The Amazons bird is perhaps a little more tawny on the throat and slightly more rufescent on the back, but the difference is trivial. This bird is the G. castelnaudi of Des Murs. In its distribution G. cuneatus is found in Mexico and Central America almost exclusively in the low-lying forests of the eastern side of the Cordillera at least as far south as Nicaragua, where it also occurs in the forests bordering the Pacific Ocean. In South America it spreads over most of the tropical portion of that continent as far as the forests of Eastern Brazil, and occurs throughout the great valley of the Amazons. In habits it is strictly a bird of the dense forest, and climbs trees like a Woodpecker. Subfam. DENDROCOLAPTINA*. We have some hesitation in placing Sittosomus with the Dendrocolaptine, as the bill is so much more feeble than in the other genera of the subfamily. Moreover, the nostrils are not quite so distinctly open, the upper edge being slightly membranous. The hallux is short, as in Glyphorhynchus and the Dendrocolaptine generally, and the tail distinctly spinous. Whenever the arrangement of the whole of the Dendrocolaptide is undertaken again, the position of Sit¢osomus will have to be reconsidered. In the meantime we retain the genus in the subfamily Dendrocolaptine, but separate it from the other genera under the following characters :— A. Rostrum debile ; nares aperte sed supra membrano marginate. SITTOSOMUS. Stttasomus, Swainson, Zool. Journ. iii. p. 3855 (1827) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 118. Two species constitute this genus, whereof one (S. ertthacus) is restricted in its range to Eastern Brazil and thence southwards to the Argentine Republic. The other (S. olivaceus) also occurs in Brazil, but spreads northwards to the Mexican State of Vera Cruz. The leading characters of the genus have been already given under the subfamily. Mr. Sclater groups Sittosomus with Margarornis, distinguishing them by the greater stiffness of the rectrices of the former. The: shortness of the hallux of Sittosomus, compared with that of Margarornis, alone seems to us to indicate the radical distinctness of the two genera. 1. Sittosomus olivaceus. Stitlasomus olivaceus, Wied, Beitr. ii. p. 1146"; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 3537; Salv. P.Z.S. 1870, p. 192°; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 2474; Nutt. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 385° ; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 450°; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 1567. Sittosomus olivaceus, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 119%. * Antea, p. 146, SITTOSOMUS. 177 Sittasomus sylvivides, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1849, p. 331°; 1850, p.590°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 290"; 1859, p. 865°; 1864, p. 175"; Salv. Ibis, 1861, p. 353"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 106**; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 555 7°; Frantz. J. £. Orn. 1869, p. 304 us Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 97 ™. Sittosomus pectinicaudus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 33 ”. Supra olivaceo-rufescens, capite summo cinerascentiore, uropygio, cauda et tectricibus subcaudalibus lete cinna- momeis: subtus olivaceo-cinereus ; alis nigricantibus, secundariis ad apicem et extrorsum (intimis omnino) cinnamomeis, remigibus internis quoque eodem modo ornatis, subalaribus et fascia alarum pallide cinna- momeis, primariis tribus externis omnino nigricantibus: rostro et pedibus corneis, mandibula pallida. Long. tota 6:0, ale 3:2, caudw 3-2, rostri a rictu 0-8, tarsi 0°7. (Descr. exempl. ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 2 mari omnino similis. Hab. Mexico 1° (Deppe 1°, White 18), Hot region of Vera Cruz 16, Potrero 4 (Sumichrast), Jalapa (de Oca'*, F. D. G., M. Trujillo, F. Ferrari-Perez,), Coatepec (Ff. Ferrari- Perez, M. Trujillo), Cofre de Perote, Cuesta de Misantla (MZ. Trujillo), Cordova (Sallé 1), Vera Cruz (Sanchez '8), Sochiapa (Trujillo), Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Santa Efigenia (Swmichrast +), Northern Yucatan (G. £. Gaumer); British Hon- purRAs, Orange Walk (Gawmer®); GuaTEMALA, Pie de la Cuesta in San Marcos (W. B. Richardson), Choctum 14, Savana Grande between the Volcanoes of Agua and Fuego (0. 8S. & F. D. G.); Nicaragua, Sucuyd (Nutting *); Costa Rica, Tem- pate Nicoya (Arcé), Dota Mountains (Carmiol®); Panama, Chiriqui®, Chitra, Calovevora? (Arcé)—SovutH AmeErRIcA generally, from Colombia to Guiana and South Brazil}. Sittosomus olivaceus is a common characteristic species of Tropical South America, and is also found in nearly the whole of the lowland forests of Central America and Southern Mexico as far north as the middle of the State of Vera Cruz. [It is absent from Western Mexico, but occurs on both sides of the mountain-range of Guatemala. Its range in altitude extends to about 4000 feet in the neighbourhood of Jalapa, in Vera Cruz, and perhaps higher on the slopes of the neighbouring mountain, the Cofre de Perote. In Guatemala it chiefly affects the forests of Vera Paz lying at an elevation of about 1500 to 2000 feet down to the sea-level, and has the habits of all the stiff- tailed members of the family, climbing trees like a Certhia or Woodpecker, its food being insects. Several names have been proposed for this species to distinguish local forms, but none of these seem capable of definition in view of the very wide uninterrupted range enjoyed by the bird as a whole. To the Mexican bird Lafresnaye gave the name of S. sylvioides, which Cabanis and Heine supplanted by S. pectinicaudus. The former was long used in lists of Mexican and Central-American birds, but it gradually became evident that no real distinction could be drawn between them and birds from the southern continent, so all have latterly been united under 8S. olivaceus, the title bestowed by Prince Wied upon the Brazilian bird. bo os BIOL, CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., September 1891. 178 DENDROCOLAPTIDA. B. Rostrum robustum; nares omnino aperte. a. Rostrum plus minusve falcatum, angustum, compressum, ad apicem viz hamatum. DENDRORNIS. Dendrornis, Eyton, Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 23; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 127; Elliot, Auk vil. p. 160. Mr. Sclater admits sixteen species of Dendrornis and gives the names of four others which he was unable to determine. Mr. Elliot, going over the same ground, includes twenty-two species in the genus. These are distributed over nearly the whole of Tropical America, from the Mexican States of Tamaulipas and Sinaloa to Southern Brazil. Five species are found within our limits, of which two occur in Southern Mexico and Guatemala and the other three in the more southern districts. D. eburnei- rostris is the only distinct endemic species, but the doubtful D. nana reaches the | extreme limits of our region and probably passes beyond them into South America. Compared with that of Picolaptes, the bill of Dendrornis is stout and rather straighter, the culmen curving rather more abruptly at the end. In other respects the two genera, as well as Xiphocolaptes, are very similar, having plumage similarly marked, the wings, tail, and feet are similarly constructed, and the nostrils in all are quite open. 1. Dendrornis eburneirostris. Xiphorhynchus flavigaster, Sw. Phil. Mag. (new ser.) 1. p. 440 *; Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 208%. Dryocopus flavigaster, Des Murs, Icon. Orn. livr. 9°. Nasica flavigaster, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1850, p. 383 *. Dendrornis flavigastra, Scl. P. Z.S8. 1856, p. 289°; 1859, p. 381°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 3987; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 248°; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 156°; Elliot, Auk, vii. p. 178”. Dryocopus eburneirostris, Less. Echo du Monde Say. 1843 1. Des Murs, Icon. Orn. t. 52”. Dendrornis eburneirostris, Eyton, Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 23; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 37 Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 201%; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 25°; Scl. & Saly. P. Z. 8. 1870, pp. 834, 840°"; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 375 *, 385°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 450”; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 580”; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 1380”. Picolaptes validirostris, Eyton, Contr. Orn. 1851, p. 75”. Dendrocolaptes pecilonotus, Wagl. in Mus. Berl. (apud Cabanis & Heine) ™. Dendrornis mentalis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 481”; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 285 *°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 97”. Dendrornis albirostris, Lafr. MS. (apud Elliot) *. Supra brunnea, capite summo et cervice postica nigris, plumis singulis stria mediana cervina, dorsi plumis quoque striatis, striis nigro limbatis ; uropygio, alis extus et cauda cinnamomeis: subtus gula cervina, stria utrinque angusta nigra, plumis capitis lateribus cervinis nigro marginatis, pectoris et gutturis postici plumis fusco leviter terminatis, plumis abdominis pallide brunneis cervino striatis (striis singulis utrinque nigro marginatis), his marginibus ad ventrem obsoletis ; subalaribus et alis subtus (preter apices fuscos) DENDRORNIS. 179 cinnamomeis: rostro albicante corneo, pedibus plumbeis. Long. tot. 10:0, ale 4:5, caude 4:1, rostri a rictu 1-65, tarsi 0°95. (Deser. maris ex Cordova, Mexico. Mus. ‘nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Mextco?4, Altamira, Tamesi and Tampico in Tamaulipas (W. B. Richardson), Misantla and Colipa (Ff. D. G.), Vega del Casadero (M. Trujillo), Jalapa (de Oca ®, F.D. G., Ferrari-Perez), Cordova (Sallé*), San Lorenzo near Cordova, Plan del Rio, Hacienda Tortugas (F. Ferrari-Perez), Playa Vicente (Boucard °, M. Truyjitlo), Mazatlan? (Grayson, Xantus, Bischoff, Forrer), Tepic*® (Xantus), Santiago de Tepic (W. B. Richardson), Santiago de Colima and Tecolapa (W. Lloyd), Chietla (Ler- rari-Perez ®), Temascaltepec (Bullock !), Chimalapa, Sierra de San Domingo, Tehu- antepec (W. B. Richardson), Guichicovi, Ishuatlau, Cacoprieto *, ‘Tapana °, and Sta. Efigenia § (Sumichrast), N. Yucatan %, Peto, Buctzotz, and Tuloom (G. F. Gaumer), Tabi (Ff. D, G.), Meco I. (Gaumer); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gaumer), Southern Pine-ridge, Cayo and Belize (Blancaneaux); GUATEMALA, Retalhuleu (0. 8S. & F. D. G., W. B. Richardson), Savana Grande, between the Volcanoes of Agua and Fuego, Choctum’? (0. S. & F. D. G.); Satvapor, La Libertad and Volcan de San Miguel (W. B. Richardson); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. M. Whitely3"), Truxillo (Townsend ?!); Nicaragua, Realejo (A. Lesson”), Chinandega (W. B. Richardson), San Juan del Sur 18, Sucuya !® (Nutting); Cosra Rica (fide D. G. Elliot }°). This is the commonest and most widely spread species of Dendrornis found in our country, its range extending from the Mexican State of Tamaulipas in the north-east and that of Sinaloa in the north-west, southwards to Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicar- agua. Mr. Elliot, in his recent monograph of the genus, also includes Costa Rica in its range, but omits to give his authority for so doing )° | Its range in altitude reaches from the sea-level to a height of about 4000 feet in the mountains. It lives in the forests, climbing trees like a Woodpecker, and feeding on insects. The bird of Western Mexico was separated under the name D. mentalis by Mr. Law- rence, and has long been considered distinguishable from the eastern and southern D. eburneirostris ; but Mr, Elliot, after examining a large number of specimens, came to the conclusion that the distinctness of the two could not be upheld. - We are now entirely of the same opinion, and, with an extensive series before us from all parts of the range of the species, no separation appears to us possible. _ Birds from Western Mexico are, as a rule, paler than the average in the general tone of their plumage, but they can be exactly matched by examples from Tamaulipas and Yucatan, and these are connected with the darker birds of Vera Cruz and other places by gradual steps, the extreme forms often occurring, as on the Isthmus of Tehu- antepec, in the same district at the same time of year. Great variation also occurs in size and in the dimensions of the bill, but also without reference to locality. Swainson’s name for this species was based upon a bird sent by Bullock from 23% 180 DENDROCOLAPTIDZ. Temascaltepec in the tableland of Mexico!, The description is very imperfect, but we think certainly refers to the bird subsequently described by Lesson as Dryocopus eburneirostris 4, The latter title, however, has been more frequently employed than the former, partly from the brevity of Swainson’s description, partly from the hybrid formation of his name. 2. Dendrornis nana. Dendrornis guttatus, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 193*; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 292 (nec Licht.) ?. | | Dendrornis nana, Lawr. This, 1863, p. 181°; Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 4*; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 355°; 1870, p. 837°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 193"; Elliot, Auk, vii. p. 174°. Dendrornis pardalotus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. pp. 4°, 1817°; ix. p. 107"; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 305 ”. Dendrornis susurrans, Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 839"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 60”. Dendrornis lawrencii, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 509”. Dendrornis lawrencii costaricensis, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. pp. 510", 589". D. eburneirostro affinis sed minor, rostro minore, maxilla nigricante, mandibula quoque interdum nigra, striis dorsalibus paucis et angustioribus: subtus magis rufescens, abdomine et tectricibus subcaudalibus vix striatis. Long. tota 9°0, ale 4:1, caude 3:4, rostri a rictu 1°3, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. maris ex San Pablo, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Honpvuras, Medina (G. M. Whitely1*), Segovia River (Townsend); Costa Rica!?, Angostura, Tucurriqui!! (Carmiol), San Carlos (Boucard 14); Panama, Bugaba, Calovevora (Areé7), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan!2345), San Pablo Station (0. S.), near Panama city (A. H. Markham). The differences distinguishing this bird from D. susurrans of the island of Tobago and the northern portion of the continent of South America are very slight, and perhaps hardly of specific value, consisting as they do in the rather deeper tint of the fawn-coloured markings of the under surface and the more elongated stripes of the abdomen of the Central-American bird. A good deal of variation exists in individuals of both forms, but on the whole they seem to conform to these points of distinction. We confess at the same time that we are straining a point in admitting D. nana to be different from D. susurrans, and we do so with much hesitation. Mr. Sclater places the two birds under D. susurrans, while Mr. Elliot keeps them distinct, considering D. nana to be easily recognizable, which may be the case in the series examined by him, but is not so in ours. The range of D. nana has been traced to the north coast of Honduras }%, and thence southwards through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and the State of Panama. All southern birds beyond this seem to be referable to D. susurrans. From D. pardalotus this species may be distinguished by its stouter bill; the markings of the breast, too, are less definite, the margins to the central stripes being not so black. DENDRORNIS. 181 3. Dendrornis erythropygia. Dendrornis triangularis, Scl. P. Z.S. 1856, p. 2891; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1879, p. 622°. Dendrornis erythropygia, Scl. P.Z.S. 1859, pp. 365°, 381‘; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 131 °; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 835°; P.Z. S. 1864, p. 83557; Elliot, Auk, vii. p. 187°. Supra obscure olivacea, secundariis extus, dorso postico, uropygio et cauda rubiginosis, pilei et dorsi antici plumis medialiter pallide cervinis, illorum maculis latioribus guttiformibus: subtus obscure olivacea, plumis singulis medialiter pallide cervinis iis gule tantum olivaceo limbatis; alis subtus rubiginosis fusco terminatis : rostro corneo, mandibula pallida. Long. tota 9-0, ale 4°7, caude 4:1, rostri a rictu 1°5 tarsi 0°95. (Descr. maris ex Cofre de Perote, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Muxico, Jalapa (de Oca*), Coatepec, Huatusco (F. Ferrari-Perez), Cofre de Perote (M. Trujillo), Cordova (Sallé'), Chilpancingo (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Oaxaca (Boucard*); Guatemata, El Rincon in San Marcos (W. B. Richardson), Las Nubes on the slope of Cerro Zunil, Coban ®, Chisec, and Choctum in Vera Paz (0. S. &@ F. D. G.); Panama, Lion Hill (M‘Leannan").—Sovutn AMERICA, Bolivia ?. The only differences between this species and its near ally D. triangularis consist in the lower back being chestnut like the wings and tail instead of olive, and in the wings being more rufescent. It was long considered that one form of this Dendrornis (D. erythropygia) belonged to Central America, whilst the other (D. triangularis) was found in the southern continent, and specimens in collections were generally so named according to locality. But it now appears that the more northern bird has a wide range in South America, examples from Bolivia being inseparable from the Mexican bird. JD. triangularis appears to be confined to a comparatively small tract of country lying within the hunting-grounds of the bird-collectors of Bogota, to the valley of the Cauca, and to Venezuela. A third form (D. punctigula) occurs in Costa Rica and elsewhere, whose range is mixed with that of the present bird in a way difficult of explanation ; this bird is mentioned below. Dendrornis erythropygia was discovered near Cordova in Mexico by M. Sallé1, and specimens were contained in his first collection described by Mr. Sclater in 1856; its difference from ). triangularis was, however, not noticed until a few years afterwards, when both Boucard* and de Oca’ had also found it. It is now known as a fairly common bird in the State of Vera Cruz, whence it spreads southwards through Guate- mala, where it occurs on both sides of the main mountain-range. In South-western Mexico we know of its occurrence only in the Sierra Madre del Sur, in the State of Guerrero. 182 DENDROCOLAPTIDA. 4. Dendrornis punctigula. Dendrornis triangularis, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 193 (nec Lafr.) *. Dendrornis erythropygia, Cab. & Heine, J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 242°; Salv. P.Z. S. 1867, p. 144°; 1870, p. 193‘; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. ix. p. 107°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 414°, Dendrornis erythropygia equatorialis, Berl. & Tacz. P. Z. 8, 1883, p. 563”. Dendrornis punctigula, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 544 (1888) *; Elliot, Auk, vii. p. 188°. D. erythropygic persimilis, sed pileo fere immaculato et dorso striis vix ullis forsan distinguenda, (Descr. maris ex Angostura, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura, Pacuar and Barranca (Carmiol >), Rio Sucio ®, Naranjo ® (J. Cooper), Tucurriqui (Zeledon™); Panama, Chiriqui*, Bugaba‘*, Castillo, Cordillera de] Chucu 4, Boquete de Chitré 4, Calovevora 4, Santiago de Veraguas ® (Arcé), Rio Truando (W. S. Wood 1).—Ecuavor ®. Mr. Ridgway’s name for this bird is taken from the character of the spots on the throat, which are nearly round and situated at the end of the feather. All our Costa- Rican and Panama specimens have this character, which is also to be found in some, but not all, examples of D. erythropygia, the exceptions having the throat-feathers edged rather than spotted with olive. The best character by which to distinguish D. punctigula is its nearly uniform unspotted crown and the almost total absence of dorsal streaks. An Ecuador specimen has this coloration, and belongs, we do not doubt, to the race described by Graf v. Berlepsch and Taczanowski as Dendrornis erythropygia equatorialis. ‘This example is not separable from others from the State of Panama, referable to D. punctigula of Ridgway. According to Mr. Elliot 9, the specimen obtained by Mr. W. 8. Wood, jun., during Lieut. Michler’s Darien Expedition, and referred by Cassin to D. triangularis!, belongs here, and not to the true D. erythropygia, which occurs on the Isthmus of Panama. 5. Dendrornis lacrymosa. (Tab. XLVIII. fig. 1.) Dendrornis, sp.?, Cassin, Pr, Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 194’; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 292, no. 48%, Dendrornis lacrymosa, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 467°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 3554; 1867, p. 279°; 1879, p. 523°; Salv. P. Z.8. 1867, p. 1447; 1870, p. 193°; Ibis, 1872, pp. 818, 317°; Zeledon, Cat. Av. de Costa Rica, p.11"°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p- 183"; Elhot, Auk, vii. p. 181”. | Supra nigra usque ad dorsi medium plumis omnibus medialiter macula guttiformi cervino-albido notatis, dorso postico, uropygio, alis et cauda castaneis: subtus (preter gulam) undique guttata, plumis singulis medi- aliter cervino albido nigro marginatis, abdomine quoque fusco intermixto, gula immaculata albida cervino tincta : rostro corneo, pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 9-0, ale 4°75, caudex 4:0, rostria rictu 0:55, tarsi 0:9. (Deser. maris ex Bugaba, Panama. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis, Hab. Nicaragua, Blewfields River (Wickham®), Chontales (Belt); Costa Rica (Zeledon?°); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui’, Bugaba’, Bibalaz, Santiago de Veraguas’ (Arcé), Lion Hill (M*Leannan?3 4), Rio Truando (W. 8. Wood 1).— CoLomBIA, Antioquia °, DENDRORNIS.—XIPHOCOLAPTES, 183 The first specimen obtained of this fine species was probably that brought to Washington by Lieut. Michler from the Isthmus of Darien!. To this bird Cassin did not give a name, nor did Mr. Lawrence to M‘Leannan’s first specimens from the Isthmus of Panama?; but the latter ornithologist subsequently ? described M‘Leannan’s speci- mens; and the bird has since been traced through the State of Panama and Costa Rica, to the Mosquito coast ® and the Nicaraguan province of Chontales °. The species is a very distinct one without near allies, the definite tear-shaped spots of the anterior portion of the body forming a prominent feature in its coloration. We figure one of M‘Leannan’s specimens. XIPHOCOLAPTES. Xiphocolaptes, Lesson, Rev. Zool. 1840, p. 269; Ridgway, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xii. p. 1 (5th Feb., 1890) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 142. Xiphocolaptes is a large form of Dendrornis with similar structural characters, but with a long strong bill, the gonys of which is slightly decurved as in Picolaptes. Its range extends from Southern Mexico to the Argentine Republic. The number of species contained in it is very variously estimated. Mr. Sclater admits five, whilst Mr. Ridgway recognized twelve species and subspecies. As we are now treating, according to our views, with only one valid species, this great difference of opinion must be tested by an examination of a large series of specimens from South America—ground we must not trespass upon here. 1. Xiphocolaptes emigrans. . Xiphocolaptes albicollis, Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 202 (nec Vieill.) '. Xiphocolaptes emigrans, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 1187; Ex. Orn. p. 69, t. 35°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 364; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 554°; La Nat. v. p. 248°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 977; Ridgway, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xii, p. 7°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 145°. Xiphocolaptes sclateri, Ridgway, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xii. p. 6"; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 143%. | Xiphocolaptes emigrans costaricensis, Ridgway, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xii. p. 8. : Supra brunneus, capite obscuriore et cum cervice postica striis angustis rhachidalibus cervino-albidis notatis, uropygio, secundariis extus et cauda ferrugineis: subtus brunneus, gula albicante, capitis lateribus, cervice et pectore striis rhachidalibus albidis, subcaudalibus quoque indistincte striatis ; alis subtus cinnamomeis fusco terminatis, subalaribus cervinis nigro maculatis: rostro corneo, pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 12-0, alee 5°5, caudew 4°4, rostri a rictu 2°3, tarsi 13. (Descr. exemp. typ. ex Guatemala. Mus, Brit.) @ mari similis. Av. juv. Striis capitis latioribus, pectore nigro maculato, abdomine et tibiis nigro transfasciatis. Hab. Mexico, Orizaba!° (Sumichrast®), Vera Cruz (Sanchez"), La Parada (Rébouch °), Omilteme in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Oaxaca (fFenechio®), Tonaguia in Oaxaca (M. Trujillo); British Honpuras (Blancaneaux®) ; GUATEMALA, Pine-ridge 184 DENDROCOLAPTID. of Poctum, San Gerénimo (0. 8S. & F. D. G.®), Cahabon (f. Sarg °); Costa Rica, Naranjo (Zeledon }*). A species sparingly distributed over a wide area extending from Southern Mexico to Costa Rica, and rather variable in the markings of its plumage, which has led to the separation of the Mexican from the Guatemalan bird and the Costa-Rican from both. The chief point relied upon is the presence or absence of dark transverse marks on the abdomen, the Mexican birds having, as a rule, these marks more clearly shown than in others from more southern localities. The type from Guatemala is destitute of these marks, but other specimens from the same country have them in varying degrees, and it seems to us impossible from the series before us to separate these birds on so slender and variable a character. Mr. Ridgway, however, strongly insists upon the distinctness of X. sclateri from X. emigrans, and we can only conclude that the speci- mens seen by him tell him a different story from ours. As for the Costa Rica bird, we can give no independent opinion, as we doubt the origin of a specimen in the British Museum said to be from that country, but which belongs, we think, to one of the South-American forms and not to X. emigrans at all. Mr. Ridgway only makes a subspecific form of the Costa Rica bird, and gives as its difference from .Y. emigrans its slightly larger size and broader streaks on the breast &c. X. emigrans is an inhabitant of the pine-districts where it is found. It is a shy bird and difficult of approach. A specimen shot in the Pine-ridge of Poctum flew from tree to tree, and after alighting on the trunk it rapidly ascended to the top, from whence it flew to another tree. ‘The range in altitude of the species extends from about 800 to 1200 feet in British Honduras to at least 8000 feet in the mountains of Mexico. Sumichrast speaks of the species as inhabiting the pine-forests of the highlands of Orizaba, where it was not uncommon, taking its food from the bark of the tree-trunks. In the stomach of a bird he shot he found a tree-frog (Hyla myotympanum), which had probably been captured among the tufts of an ), Tucurriqui (Arcé *) ; Panama, Bugaba 12, Santiago de Veraguas™ (Arcé), Lion Hill (M*Leannan & *).— CoLomBia 4. Though a rare bird in British Honduras and Guatemala, and probably very locally distributed, this species becomes much more common in Costa Rica and the State of Panama, whence a number of specimens have been sent us; but of its habits little has been recorded, and we never actually met with the bird ourselves. Compared with D. puncticollis, D. sancti-thome may easily be distinguished by the transverse black bands which cover the head, upper back, and under surface, D. puncti- collis being striped longitudinally except on the abdomen. It belongs to the larger section of the genus, its near allies being D. certhia and D. radiatus, but from both it may be known by the distinct character of the bars on the under surface. Lafresnaye’s name, D. sancti-thome, was suggested by his specimen being stated to have come from the island of St. Thomas ; no doubt the small sea-port town of Santo ‘Tomas in Honduras, situated near Omoa, was really its origin. | The occurrence of D. sancti-thome in Mexico rests on the authority of a skin said to be from that country which was submitted to Mr. Sclater for examination by MM. Verreaux in 1858. As neither M. Sallé nor M. Boucard nor any of the collectors who have more recently collected in Southern Mexico have met with this bird, its occurrence in Mexico requires confirmation. FORMICARIIDA. 193 Fam. FORMICARIIDA. In Mr. Sclater’s recently published catalogue of this family (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. pp. 176-328) we find the names of 254 species given in the body of the work, and, in addition to these, 87 other names are mentioned in footnotes as belonging to birds with which the author was not acquainted. The total number of species in the family, therefore, may be taken at about 500. Of these 52 occur within our limits, belonging to 19 genera. By far the larger proportion cf these species belong to the southern section of our fauna, 7. é. that lying between Nicaragua and the Isthmus of Darien. In the more northern section the number of species rapidly diminishes until we find but a single species, Thamnophilus doliatus, ranging beyond the State of Vera Cruz, and none on the western side of Mexico beyond the State of Guerrero. The same diminution of numbers is found towards the southern limit of the range of the family, only four species being found in the Argentine Republic. A great concentration of species takes place in the Amazons Valley, especially in the upper or western portion of that vast district; Guiana, too, is very rich. Regarding the classification of the Formicariide, we are met with the same diffi- culties that we encountered when dealing with the Dendrocolaptide and some of the preceding families, and this chiefly affects the recognition of subfamilies. Though we adhere pretty nearly to the sequence of the genera as set forth in Mr. Sclater’s recently published system, and we also divide the family into two main groups, we arrange the genera under these sections differently and define them by different characters. One of these sections contains the tree and bush frequenting genera, most ot which have comparatively short tarsi. The other contains the terrestrial birds, some of which (comprised in the genera Gymmnopithys, Gymnocichla, Myrmeciza, Hypocnemis, &c.) follow the hordes of foraging ants (Eciton) and feed on the insects started from their path. The others are more solitary in their habits, and are usually found singly on the ground in the deepest parts of the forest. We have used small characters which fairly define these groups, but our knowledge of the habits of these birds and of their internal structure is so fragmentary that many modifications of their arrangement will have to be made before a settled system is established. Of the nests and eggs of the members of this family little is yet known, and we are chiefly indebted to the late T. K. Salmon for the scanty knowledge we possess. From his notes we gather that probably all the species make their nests in trees or bushes, and this applies even to the birds that pass most of their time on the ground. The nests are often hanging structures, suspended in a forked branch near the extremity of a bough. ‘The eggs are very varied, some being white (Myrmotherula), some white and thickly spotted (Zhamnophilus), some creamy white sparsely spotted (Dysithamnus), BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IL., February 1892. 25 ae 194 FORMICARIIDZA. some mahogany colour with darker shades of the same (Cercomacra), while Grallaria lays rich dark greenish-blue eggs, very different, apparently, from the others. All the species feed on insects, which they capture amongst the foliage or branches of trees or pick from amongst the fallen débris on the ground. The statement that the food of many species of Formicariide consists largely of ants, is open to question, and the late Thomas Belt, we think, satisfactorily explains how this observation has arisen. In writing of the habits of the various species of Hciton found in Nicaragua (‘The Naturalist in Nicaragua,’ p. 20) he says:—‘ Several species of Ant-Thrushes (i. e. Formicariide) always accompany the army ants in the forest. They do not, how- ever, feed on the ants, but on the insects they disturb. Besides the Ant-Thrushes, Trogons, Creepers, and a variety of other birds are often seen in the branches of trees above where an ant army is foraging below, pursuing and catching the insects as they fly up.” A. Arboricole: tarsi plerumque breves. a. Nares omnino aperte, rostrum quam caput vix longior. a’. Vibrisse vix obvie, tarsi undique scutellati. al, Rostrum robustum, valde hamatum. al”. Rostrum minime compressum. CYMBILANIUS. Cymbilanius, Gray, List Gen. Birds, p. 86 (1840) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 178. This genus contains a single species, distinguished by its comparatively short, thick, tumid bill, which is wider at the base than that of Thamnophilus and not compressed ; the terminal hook of the maxilla is very pronounced, and is preceded by a very deep notch, the rest of the tomia being nearly straight ; the mandible has also a well-marked notch near the end and a wide indentation in the tomia just before it. The culmen curves slightly from the base until it descends rapidly to form the terminal hook; the gonys ascends rather abruptly. The nostrils are quite open, slightly oval, the frontal feathers just reaching the proximal end of the opening. The tarsi are covered, both in front and behind, with well-defined scutella; the claws are short, strongly curved, and compressed. ‘The distribution of the genus is that of the species which follows. 1. Cymbilanius lineatus. Lanius lineatus, Leach, Zool. Misc. i. p. 20, t. 6 (1815) ’. Cymbilanius lineatus, Gray, List Gen. Birds, p. 36 (1840) *; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 293°; - CYMBILANIUS. 196 ix. p. 1074; Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 355°; 1879, p. 524°; Salv. P.Z.S. 1867, p. 1447; 1870, p. 194°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 178 °, Cymbilanius lineatus fasciatus, Ridgw. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 404”, 415"; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 114”. Thamnophilus nigricristatus, Bouc. P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 60. Supra niger, albo (preter pileum) tenuiter transfasciatus : subtus omnino frequenter et sequaliter nigro et albo transfasciatus ; subalaribus quoque fasciatis, remigibus internis in pogonio interno irregulariter albo marginatis: rostro et pedibus nigricanti-plumbeis, illius mandibula pallidiore. Long. tota 6:5, ale 3:0, caude rectr. med. 2°75, rectr. lat. 1:9, rostri a rictu 1:0. (Descr. maris ex Calobre, Panama. Mus. nostr.) , © supra nigra cum alis et cauda ochraceo transfasciatis, pileo castaneo: subtus pallide ochracea, gula albicante undique (medialiter tenuiter, lateraliter late) nigro transfasciata. (Jeser. femine ex Panama. Mus. nostr. ) Hab. Nicaraeua, Los Sabalos (Nutting 1°); Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol*), Rio Sucio (J. Cooper 14), Jimenez (Zeledon *), San Carlos (Boucard'*); Panama, Mina de Chorcha®, Calovevora 8, Calobre 8, Santiago de Veraguas’, Santa Fé? (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan?*).—Sovurn America, from Colombia ® to Peru, Amazons Valley, and Guiana ! °. A species of wide range, extending over the whole of the Amazons Valley, and thence northwards to the Caribbean Sea, and westwards to Panama, where it enters the isthmus, and spreads through Central America as far as Nicaragua. Here Mr. Nutting met with it at Los Sabalos and obtained two specimens !°. These, with others from Costa Rica and Panama, Mr. Ridgway proposed to separate from the bird of Guiana under the name of C. lineatus fasciatus '°. Our series of specimens does not show any grounds for this suggestion, for both males and females from Central America can be exactly matched by others from Guiana and other parts of the southern range of the species. Individuals vary in the width of the white bands, both of the upper and under surfaces of the body; but this variation is to be found everywhere, and we have no doubt is due to the age of the birds, those with narrower bands being the older. In some examples the crown of the head also shows transverse bands, but in general the crown is pure black. C. lineatus was first described in 1815 by Leach !, who placed it in the genus Lantus. It was transferred by Vieillot to Thamnophilus, and to Cymbilanius by Gray *, where it remained a monotype without a synonym till Mr. Ridgway’s attempt to divide it a few years ago. Little has been recorded of the habits of this bird. Mr. Nutting says that it has a clear note, but without variation, and that its iris is red!°. The latter character it shares with the larger Thamnophili, such as T. transandeanus. li appears to be an inhabitant of the dense tropical forest, wherever that is found within the limits of its range. Its food, according to Salmon, consists of insects °. 196 FORMICARIIDA. b!. Rostrum compressum. THAMNOPHILUS. Thamnophilus, Vieill. Anal. p. 40 (1816) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 180. Thamnophilus is by far the largest genus of the F ormicariide, containing between sixty and seventy species, according to Mr. Sclater, of which fifty-five were more or less known to him. ‘These are distributed over the whole area of the family, which is represented both in the extreme northern and southern limits by members of the genus. In Mexico and Central America nine species occur, of which two only reach Southern Mexico and Guatemala, the rest all belong to the southern section of our fauna. Mr. Sclater divides Thamnophilus into six sections, basing their characters upon size and the colour of their plumage. The first Section A, represented by the great 7’. Jeachi, is not found within our area, but the other five sections are all present. Whether all these sections should be merged under Thamnophilus is a doubtful question, a revision of them would probably result in the recognition of several genera. For them many names are available, proposed at various times, chiefly by Reichenbach and by Cabanis and Heine. JT. doliatus is usually considered the type of Thamno- philus. Its plumage is soft and lax, the bill smooth, the culmen slightly curved till it descends rather abruptly to a well-marked but not very prominent hook, before which, at the end of the tomia, is a moderately deep notch; the tomia of the mandible has also a small subterminal notch; the tomia of both maxilla and mandible is nearly straight, but the gonys of the latter ascends in a gradual curve; the tarsi have well- defined scutella, both in front and behind; the claws are short and curved, and have deep grooves on both inner and outer lateral surfaces. ‘The tail is moderate and rounded, and the wings short and rounded, the fourth to the eighth primaries subequal, third= tenth, the first much the shortest, the second halfway between the first and third. T. melanocrissus, belonging to Mr. Sclater’s Section B, has much less soft plumage, the bill is more compressed, larger in proportion, and with the terminal hook and sub- terminal notches well developed ; the wings are similarly shaped to those of 7’. doliatus, but the tail is longer in proportion. The colour of the plumage is pure white beneath, black above in the male, brown in the female. 7. bridgesi of Section D, besides its differently coloured plumage, has a differently shaped wing, the second primary being much longer than in 7. doliatus, falling little short of the third and fifth, and the fourth the longest in the wing ; the tail, too, is longer in proportion to the wing than that of 7. doliatus. T. atrinucha (Section D) has soft plumage like J. doliatus, but differs chiefly in its style of colour being grey and black, but without transverse bars; the male, too, has the white concealed dorsal spot so frequently present in other Formi- cariide. T'. punctatus, a representative of Section C, has plumage like that of THAMNOPHILUS. 197 T. bridgesi, so far as texture goes; the tail, too, is long; the wings are more rounded, resembling those of 7. doliatus; and the tarsi are covered like that type. Thamnophilus immaculatus is also referred to this section, but we think it best removed from Tham- nophilus altogether as we explain elsewhere. Section E is represented by 7’. pulchellus, which just enters our limits. a. Majores: rostrum robustum profunde uncinatnm ; ptilosis bicolor, infra alba, supra in mare nigra, in femina castanea ; ale rotundate. 1. Thamnophilus melanocrissus. ‘Thamnophilus melanurus?, Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 203 (nec Gould)’; 1859, pp. 57°, 883°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 119 *. Thamnophilus medanocrissus, Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1860, p. 252°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 184°; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 203"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H.i. p. 556°; La Nat. v. p. 248°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 837"; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 405"; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xiv. p. 471”. Thamnophilus hollandi, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 181 (cf. Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 310) ™. Supra nigerrimus ; tectricum alarum apicibus macula dorsali celata et corpore subtus albis ; tibiis, subalaribus et remigibus internis in pogonio interno albis ; subcaudalibus nigris ; cauda omnino nigra: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 7:5, alee 3:6, caude rectr. med. 3:0, rectr. lat. 2-4, rostri a rictu 1:2, tarsi 1:3. 2 supra cum alis, cauda et subcaudalibus castaneis, corpore reliquo subtus albo, rostro et pedibus nigris. (Descr. maris et feminze ex Playa Vicente, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Muxico, Orizaba® and Santecomapam! (Sallé), Playa Vicente (Boucard °, Trujillo), hot region of Vera Cruz’, Omealca® (Sumichrast), Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith); GuatemaLa, Choctum, Chisec (0. 8S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, Omoa (Leyland * *), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely'°), San Pedro Sula (Wittkugel!*); Niva- RAGUA, Los Sabalos (Nutting |"), Greytown (Holland 12). This species, 7. transandeanus, and T. melanurus are very close allies, and can only be distinguished with any certainty by the colour of the under tail-coverts. These feathers in J’. melanocrissus are black ; in ZT. transandeanus they have white tips, and in 7’. melanurus the exposed portion is wholly white. ‘This is the rule with the colour of these feathers in these birds, but it is, as might be expected, not always easy to recognize the species. Thus a specimen, apparently adult, from Teapa, has a slight white edging to the under tail-coverts, and might, for this reason, be cailed 7. trans- andeanus were it not for the locality whence it came. The most southern place where 7. melanocrissus has been found is Greytown in Nicaragua, whence Mr. Holland sent specimens !*. It is true that these were described by Mr. Lawrence as 7. hollandi; but Salvin, who examined the types in 1874 }8, con- sidered them to be indistinguishable from 7. melanocrissus, notwithstanding their somewhat large size. Mr. Nutting obtained examples in the same country, which were referred, without comment, to the northern bird by Mr. Ridgway". Its range north- wards from Nicaragua extends along the eastern sea-board, as far as the middle of the 198 FORMICARIIDA. Mexican State of Vera Cruz. We have no record of it from any point on the western side of the Cordillera. Mr. Nutting found this bird rather common at Los Sabalos in Nicaragua, where it frequented some freshly burnt forest and fed on the insects found there. He did not hear its note, but remarked that the iris in life is red 4. . 2. Thamnophilus transandeanus. Thamnophilus transandeanus, Scl. P.Z.S. 1855, p. 18'; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 185°; Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 188°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 293°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 355°; 1879, p. 524°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 1447; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 114°. Thamnophilus melanurus ?, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 142 (nec Gould)’. Thamnophilus melanocrissus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 107 (nec Scl.) ”. T. melanocrisso persimilis, sed tectricibus subcaudalibus distincte albo marginatis forsan distinguendus. Hab. Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé !°), Jimenez, Las Trojas, Pacuare (Zeledon 8) ; Panama, David (Bridges? ®), Mina de Chorcha (Arcé), Lion Hill (J/‘Leannan + *), Turbo (Wood *).—CotomBia?; Ecuapor ?! ?. This race seems to be the prevailing one in Costa Rica and Panama, as all the specimens from those countries that we have seen have the white edging to the under tail-coverts. The species was first described by Mr. Sclater from a specimen from Guayaquil sent to the British Museum by Mr. G. Barclay!. Other examples have reached us from Ecuador, and Salmon found it in the Cauca Valley of Colombia®. It would thus appear that the bird has a somewhat limited range, extending along the countries bordering the Pacific, from Costa Rica to Guayaquil, and doubtless to the southern extremity of the forest region of the western side of the Andes of Ecuador. Salmon noted the iris in life as red %, in which respect 7. transandeanus agrees with T. melanocrissus and with Cymbilanius lineatus. 6B. Minor: rostrum debilius, ptilosis plerumque nigra; ale rotundate ; sexus similes. 8. Thamnophilus punctatus. (Tab. XLIX. fig. 1.) 9 =F bsg Thamnophilus punctatus, Cab. J. f£. Orn. 1861, p. 241°; Salv. Ibis, 1870, p. 110°; P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 194°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p.114*; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 191°. Supra niger, macula dorsali celata alba ; tectricibus alarum puncto terminali albo notatis: subtus niger, abdo- mine et hypochondriis saturate cinereis, subalaribus et remigibus interioribus intus albis; cauda nigra, rectrice extima albo terminata: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6°5, ale 3-0, caudew rectr. med. 2:95, rectr. lat. 2:2, rostri a rictu 0-9, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. maris ex Bugaba, Panama. Mus. nostr.) mari similis, macula dorsali celata vix ulla, abdomine cinerascentiore. (Descr. femine ex Mina de Chorcha, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Hoffmann 1, Carmiol *), Las Trojas, Pozo Azul de Pirris (Zeledon *) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Bugaba, Mina de Chorcha (Arcé ?). THAMNOPHILUS. | 199 T. punctatus was described by Dr. Cabanis from a specimen sent from Costa Rica by Dr. Hoffmann, and made the type of a group Adalius!. ‘The species, however, appears to be rare in that country, as only a single specimen has reached us, and Mr. Zeledon had none before him when he compiled his first catalogues of the birds of Costa Rica ; but the National Museum of Costa Rica now contains several examples*. In the portion of the State of Panama adjoining Costa Rica this bird would seem to be more numerous, as Arcé found it in some numbers in the neighbourhood of Chiriqui °, and all but the Costa Rican example already mentioned which have come before us are from his collections. Nothing has been recorded of the habits of this species, which is doubtless a denizen of the dense forest of the countries in which it is found. y- Minor: rostrum debile ; ptilosis plerumque saturate cinerea albo striata; ale magis elongate, remige secundo longiore ; sexus similes. 4, Thamnophilus bridgesi. (Tab. XLIX. fig. 2.) Thamnophilus bridgesi, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 141°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 19475 Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1867, p. 144°; 1870, p. 194*; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p.107°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 114°. Supra fusco-cinereus; capite nigro striis rhachidalibus albis notato ; alis fusco-nigricantibus, tectricibus puncto albo terminatis: subtus pallidior, gutture, pectore et abdomine striis rhachidalibus latis albis ornatis, subcaudalibus quoque indistincte striatis; cauda fusco-nigra, rectrice extima utrinque albo terminata ; subalaribus et remigibus internis intus albis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6:0, ale 2°8, caudex rectr. med. 2°6, rectr. lat. 2°1, rostri a rictu 0°95, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. maris ex Bugaba, Panama. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis, sed colore fusco-cinereo dilutiore. Hab. Costa Rica, San Mateo (J. Cooper®), Las Trojas, Pozo Azul de Pirris (Zeledon ®) ; Panama, David (Lridges +), Mina de Chorcha*, Bugaba‘, and Bibalaz (Arcé). This Thamnophilus has no near allies, the white stripes covering the whole head and the under surface of the body rendering it distinct from all the other members of the genus except 7’. nigriceps, which again is reddish brown where T. bridgesi is dark grey and has the wings and tail chestnut. It was first described by Mr. Sclater in 1856, in his paper on Bridges’s collection made near David in the State of Panamat, Arcé subsequently procured us several specimens near the same place 4, and it has also been traced to Costa Rica 5 6. Bridges stated that he found only one individual of this bird in the thick bush on the margin of the river near David!. This he shot, and this is the specimen described by Mr. Sclater, and is now in the gallery of the British Museum. 5. Thamnophilus virgatus. Thamnophilus, sp.?, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 189, no. 89°. Thamnophilus virgatus, Lawr. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1868, p. 3617. 900 FORMICARIID&. Supra saturate cinnamomeus, alis extus et cauda concoloribus; capite toto et cervice nigris, plumis omnibus stria rhachidali alba notatis: pectore et abdomine cinereo-fuscis, plumis quoque obscuriore et latiore albido striatis; ventre imo et tectricibus subcaudalibus rufescentibus ; subalaribus et remigibus intus cina- momeis: rostro nigricanti-plumbeo, mandibula pallidiore, pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 6-0, ale 3-0, caudee 2-4, tarsi 1:0. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Colombia. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Panama, Turbo (Lieut. Michler 3 2). The type of this species has been kindly sent to us from Philadelphia, it being the property of the Academy of Natural Science of that city. It is in poor condition, the - bill being much injured. The species is closely allied to Thamnophilus nigriceps, Scl. (cf. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 194, t. 12), and indeed before we placed the types together we were under the impression that they belonged to one species. Compared with 7. nigriceps the wings and tail of 7. virgatus are clearer cinnamon, the shaft- stripes of the head considerably wider, the head thus being not nearly so dark; the stripes, too, of the under surface are wider and more numerous on the abdomen instead of being confined to the central portion; the under surface of the wings and inner edge of the quills are cinnamon and not fawn-colour, as in 7. nigriceps. The two birds are peculiar in their style of plumage, and unlike any other members ~ of the genus Thamnophilus. In their striated head and neck they resemble 7. bridgesi, but that bird has no cinnamon colour in its plumage. The only known example of this bird is the type, which was obtained during Lieut. Michler’s Expedition to Darien. Cassin did not give it a name in his list of the birds, but Mr. Lawrence described it in 1868. 8. Minimus: rostrum debile ; ptilosis cinerea ; ale rotundate, remigibus albo limbatis ; tectricibus albo maculatis; sexus dissimiles. 6. Thamnophilus atrinucha, sp. n. Thamnophilus nevius (nec Gm.), Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 1881; Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 855°; 1879, p. 524°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 107*; Salv. P.Z. 8. 1867, p. 144’; Boucard, P. Z.S. 1878, p. 60°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 5907; Tacz. Orn. Pér. i. p. 8°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 114°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 197 (partim) °°. Thamnophilus amazonicus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 325 (nec Sel.) 4. Cinereus, pileo et dorso medio nigris, hoc plaga magna celata alba notato; alis nigris extrorsum cinereo limbatis, tectricibus alarum et caude superioribus nigris distincte albo terminatis ; cauda nigra, rectricibus omnibus albo terminatis, rectrice extima utrinque quoque macula mediana in pogonio externo notata: subtus dilutiore cinereus, subalaribus et remigibus internis intus albis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 5-5, alee 2‘7, caude rectr. med. 2°15, rectr. lat. 1:8, rostri a rictu 0-9, tarsi 0:9. © brunnea, capite rufescente macula dorsali celata alba, alarum marginibus et maculis tectricum terminalibus cervinis; rectricibus cervino-albido terminatis, externis utrinque macula mediana in pogonio externo ejusdem coloris; subtus multo pallidior, gula grisescente. (Descr. maris et feminee ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Hoxpuras, Puerto Caballo and Medina (G. M. Whitely !°), Segovia river (Towns- end"); Costa Rica, Angostura and Pacuare (Carmiol4, Zeledon®), San Carlos Oilk- THAMNOPHILUS. 201 (Boucard °); Panama, Santiago de Veraguas (Arcé>), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan 2 14), Chepo (Arcé 1°), R. ‘Truando (Wood !).—Sourn America, Colombia? and Western Ecuador !, The typical form of this bird, the true Thamnophilus nevius, is from Cayenne, and compared with specimens from British Guiana the Central American bird is a little darker with rather more black on the middle of the back and nape; the female, too, is darker and not nearly so rufescent on the crown. These differences, which were noticed by Taczanowski ®, seem to be so strictly associated with the definite range indicated above, that we think it best to separate this northern and western form from the true 7. nevius; with the latter bird we associate v. Pelzeln’s 7’. cinereinucha, but whether the bird of South-eastern Brazil forms another distinct race we are hardly in a position to determine, the series before us being insufficient. A Brazilian bird in the British Museum we believe to be a female of this form differs considerably from specimens of that sex from Guiana and Central America, and also from the female of 7. cwrulescens, which is another closely allied race of 7. nevius. At one time Mr. Lawrence considered the Panama bird to belong to ZT. amazonicus, Scl. 11, but he subsequently referred Costa Rica examples to 7. nevius+, and this has been the practice of all subsequent writers until now. ‘The colour of the iris was noted by M‘Leannan as brown !!, whilst Salmon gives it as white®. As this section of the genus has little to do with that of which 7. doliatus, a white-irised species, is typical, we are inclined to consider M‘Leannan’s determination correct. The same collector states that the bird is not common at Panama, where it is found in low trees and bushes!!,_ Mr. Wood, who accompanied Lieut. Michler’s expedition to Darien, frequently saw individuals of this species, generally on the ground in patches of the plant called Spanish bayonet, where they seemed to be catching insects !. e. Minores: caput plus minusve cristatum ; ale nigre, albo marginate ; cauda albo terminata. 7. Thamnophilus pulchellus. Thamnophilus, sp.?, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 189. no. 88°. Hypolophus pulchellus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 16’. Thamnophilus pulchellus, Berl. Ibis, 1881, p. 245°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 204°. Supra rufo-brunneus, capite toto nigro, lateribus cum fronte et gula:albo variegatis ; alis nigricanti-fuscis albo late limbatis, tectricibus supra caudalibus longioribus nigris albo terminatis; cauda nigra albo terminata, rectrice extima in pogonio externo quoque albo: subtus albus, pectore et abdomine antico nigris, hypo- chondriis rufo lavatis: rostro nigricante, mandibula infra pallida, pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 6:0, alee 2°8, caude rectr. med. 2°3, rectr. lat. 1-7, rostri a rictu 0-9, tarsi 1*1. (Descr. maris ex Santa Marta, Colombia. Mus. nostr.) Q supra rufa, capite summo dorso concolori, capitis lateribus albidis nigro variegatis: subtus cervina, abdomine medio albicantiore ; alis fuscis, tectricibus et secundariis internis albido limbatis, reliquis cum remigibus BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., February 1892. ? 26 202 FORMICARITD. externo rufis; cauda nigricanti-fusca albo terminata, rectrice extima utrinque quoque albo in pogonio externo. (Deser. femine ex Atrato, Colombia, U.S. Nat. Mus.) Hab. Panama, R. Truando (W. S. Wood).—Co.tomBia. We have to thank. Mr. Ridgway for sending us two specimens, both females or young males, obtained by Mr. A. Schott, one at Carthagena, the other on the R. Atrato. They doubtless belong to the same species as that referred to by Cassin as occurring on the Rio Truando and allied to 7. atricapillus. T. pulchellus, which was described from a Carthagena specimen, has a very limited range in Northern Colombia. ¢. Minores: rostrum mediocre; ale rotundate ; ptilosis plerumque albo et nigro transfasciata ; sexus dissimiles. 8. Thamnophilus doliatus. Lanius doliatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 186°. Thamnophilus doliatus, Bp. P.Z.S. 1837, p. 1177; Scl. P.Z.S. 1856, pp. 141°, 295*; 1859, pp. 866°, 383°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 2077; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 118°; Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 57°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 242"; Salv. P.Z. S. 1867, p. 144"; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 345"; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 556"; La Nat. v. p. 248; Boucard, P. Z.S. 1878, p. 60"; 1883, p. 450°; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 585 , 405"; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 156"; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 114”°. - Thamnophilus rutilus, Bp. P.Z. 8. 1837, p. 1177. Thamnophilus affinis, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 17”; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 183”; ix. pp. 107", 201”; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 355 *; 1870, p- 837 ”; Salv. Ibis, 1869, p- 814"; P. Z.8. 1870, p. 194”. Thamnophilus doliatus affinis, Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 397. Thamnophilus intermedius, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 581”. Thamnophilus doliatus mexicanus, Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. N. H. ii. p- 151, Supra niger, fronte et cervice postica albo punctatis, crista nigra plumis omnibus ad basin albis ; dorso, alis et uropygio albo tenuiter transfasciatis, cauda quoque fasciis sex aut septem interruptis notata: subtus gula albo et nigro striata, corpore reliquo cum tibiis et tectricibus subcaudalibus subeequaliter albo et nigro transfasciatis : rostro plumbeo tomiis albicantibus, pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 6°5, ale 2-9, caudex 2°6, rostri a rictu 0°85, tarsi 1-1. d juv. colore albo corporis et alis plus minusve cervino tincto, abdomine medio seepe fere immaculato. ? castanea, capite summo, alis et cauda saturatioribus, capitis et gule lateribus cum nucha albicantibus nigro striatis. (Descr. maris ad. et juv. et femine ex Vera Cruz, Mexico. Mus. nostr. ) Hab. Mexico * (Sallé*), Tampico (W. B. Richardson), Hot and temperate regions of Vera Cruz (Sumichrast 8), Jalapa 22 (de Oca>, F. D. G., M. Trujillo), Coatepec (M. Trujillo), Misantla (F. D. G.), Vera Cruz (W. B. Richardson), Orizaba (Sumichrast *, F. Ferrari-Perez, F. D. G.), Huatusco (Ff. Ferrari-Perez), Cordova (Sumichrast 4, Sallé), Choapam (Boucard °), Playa Vicente (Boucard *, M. Tru- jullo), Hueytamalco (F. Ferrari-Perez °), Tomatla, Tonaguia (M. Trujillo), Santa Efigenia and Tapana (Sumichrast +), Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Merida (Schott *), THAMNOPHILUS. 203 Buctzotz and Peto in Yucatan, Meco and Cozumel Is. (G. F. Gaumer); Brivisu Honpuras, Orange Walk (G. F. Gaumer), Belize, San Antonio and Cayo (Blan- caneaux); GuatemaLa (Velasquez !?!, Constancia ”), Choctum, Chisec, Cahabon, Coban, San Gerdénimo, Savana Grande, Escuintla road, Volcan de Fuego, Duefias § (O.S.& F. D. G.), Retalhuleu (W. B. Richardson) ; Honpuras, Omoa (Leyland °), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely 27), Truxillo (Townsend #1); Satvapor, La Libertad and Volcan de San Miguel (W. B. Richardson); Nicaragua, Chinandega and Volcan de Chinandega (W. B. Richardson), Sucuyd? and Los Sabalos18 (Nutting), Greytown (Holland ?3) ; Costa Rica, San José (v. Frantzius 2+), San Mateo (Cooper *+, Boucard ), Sarchi (Cooper 24), Bebedero de Nicoya (Arcé), La Palma (Nutting *°), Jimenez, Las ‘Trojas, Cartago, Naranjo de Cartago, Pozo Azul de Pirris (Zeledon *°); Panama, David (Bridges*), Bugaba (Arcé°), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan ?°),—VuEnnzveLA?; Trintpap?7; Gurana!?; Lower AMAzoNS 7. The position of the Central American form of this species with respect to the typical bird from Guiana has long been a matter of doubt. When the bird was first found in Guatemala by Velasquez? his specimens were referred by Bonaparte the male to T. doliatus (L.) and the female to 7. rutilus (Vieill.); the relationship of the sexes being then not understood. The birds obtained by Sallé and Boucard in Southern Mexico and by ourselves in Guatemala were also called 7. doliatus. Cabanis and Heine, in 1859, separated the Mexican bird as 7. affinis 2? on its supposed larger size and the wider separation of all the transverse bands. Mr. Allen, in 1889 22, endorsed these differential characters, but changed the name of the Mexican bird to 7. doliatus mexicanus, the term affinis having been used for a bird of the same or an allied genus. The name 7. affinis had in the meantime been often applied to the Central American bird. A further separation was made by Mr. Ridgway when he described a male and a female from Honduras as 7. intermedius 31. The latter birds he compared with T. nigricristatus, but from the fact of the bases of the feathers of the crest being white T. doliatus must be its nearest ally. The type of the male, which Mr. Ridgway has kindly sent us for examination, proves this to be the case, and we are inclined to think T. intermedius to be an unusually dark form of 7. doliatus, just as the Yucatan birds are unusually light. | We have now a large series of this bird before us from all parts of its range, and comparing Mexican specimens with others from Guiana we do not see any tangible grounds for separating them. Difference in size there is practically none, and as for the width of the alternate black and white bands of the plumage, so much variation occurs everywhere that we are unable to associate any particular style with any parti- cular area. We believe that the birds which have the narrowest white bands on the upper surface are the oldest, as young birds with only a trace of immaturity are often widely banded, and even, as in the case of some Yucatan specimens before us, nearly spotless white on the abdomen. 26% 204 FORMICARIIDA, Thamnophilus doliatus is a bird of the hot and temperate regions, where it is found ranging from the sea-level to an altitude of 5000 or 6000 feet in the mountains. It oceurs as far north in Eastern Mexico as Tampico, and is abundant in the State of Vera Cruz, and thence southwards to the State of Panama. It appears not to be ~ found in Western Mexico north of the State of Oaxaca, but occurs in the isthmus of ‘Tehuantepec, and abundantly on the Pacific side of the cordillera of Guatemala. It frequents the denser brush-wood, keeping near the ground, and uttering at intervals a loud ery, which may be heard at a considerable distance. 9. Thamnophilus nigricristatus. | Thamnophilus doliatus, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 293 (nec Linn.) *. Thamnophilus radiatus, Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 355 (nec Vieill.)*; Salv. P.Z.S. 1870, p. 194°. 7 Thamnophilus nigricristatus, Lawr. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1865, p. 107°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p- 209°. T. doliato similis, sed plumis pilei omnino nigris distinguendus. 2 quam femina 7’, doliati pallidior, gula albicantiore immaculata. (Descr. maris et femine ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Mina de Chorcha, Chitra 3, Calovevora 3, Calobre (Arcé), Paraiso Station (Hughes), Lion Hill Station (Md‘Leannan'?*).—Soutn America, from Colombia and the Upper Amazons Valley to Matto Grosso in Brazil °. Though separated in 1865 as a distinct species by Mr. Lawrence ¢, this bird has been generally considered inseparable from J. radiatus, until Mr. Lawrence’s name was again restored to it by Mr. Sclater in his ‘Catalogue’®, though he there expressed great doubt as to its distinctness even from 7. doliatus. Count von Berlepsch, too, has further divided this form by naming the Upper Amazonian birds 7. subradiatus. We are unable to distinguish between the Amazonian and Colombian birds, to which the title 7. nigricristatus is applicable; but the true 7. radiatus seems to be distinct, the under surface of the male being much less banded and even almost white along the middle of the abdomen, and the female a much whiter bird beneath than that sex of the more northern bird. T. nigricristatus may readily be distinguished from 7. doliatus in the male by the feathers of the crown, which are black to their bases, and in the female by the lighter coloured and unspotted chin and throat. The range of this bird in Central America is limited to-the State of Panama, where it appears to be found alone as far as the middle of the State; in the district of Chiriqui it occurs with 7. doléatus, which entirely supplants it to the north. | We are unacquainted with the nest and eggs of either this species or of 7. doliatus. But Salmon says that an allied bird (7. multistriatus) builds a hanging nest and lays whitish eggs, which are thickly spotted and streaked at the larger end with red-brown. THAMNISTES. © 205 THAMNISTES. Thamnistes, Scl. & Saly. P. Z. S. 1860, p. 299; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 215. This genus contains two, perhaps three or even four, closely allied species, one of which is widely spread in our country from Eastern Guatemala to the State of Panama; another is found in Eastern Ecuador, and a third, if distinct, in Peru; the fourth is the bird described by Count Salvadori (Atti Soc. Ital. vii. p. 154) as T. affinis, a bird we do not know, and not referred to in Mr. Sclater’s Catalogue. There is little to separate Thamnistes structurally from Thamnophilus; the bill in the type is rather wider at the base than is usual in Thamnophilus, but this character is hardly maintained in 7. equa- torialis, and the fullness of the feathers of the lower back, upon which Mr. Sclater divides the two genera, is not a very tangible character and does not distinguish Thamnistes from all species of Thamnophilus. In coloration, however, the genus is very peculiar, being destitute of marks either longitudinal or transverse, except an indistinct superciliary streak. The concealed dorsal patch so frequently present in male Formicariide is found in 7hamnistes, but instead of being white as is the case in nearly every other instance, it is of a pale chestnut colour. On the whole we think it best to keep Thamnistes distinct from Thamnophilus, especially in view of the probable subdivision of the latter genus at some future date. It is, however, more nearly allied to some sections of Thamnophilus than they are to one another. 1. Thamnistes anabatinus. (Tab. L. fig. 1, ¢.) Thamnistes anabatinus, Scl. & Salv. P. Z.S. 1860, p. 299'; Ibis, 1860, p. 399*; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 107°; Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1870, p. 194°; Zeledon, An. Mus, Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p- 114°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 216°. Olivascenti-brunneus, subtus dilutior; superciliis gula concoloribus macula postoculari obscura; alis extus rufescentibus, cauda dilute castanea unicolore; plaga magna dorsali celata pallide castanea, hoc colore extrorsum nigro marginato: rostro corneo, maxille tomia et mandibula pallida, pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 5°5, ale 2°6, caude rectr. med. 2°2, rectr. lat. 1°8, rostri a rictu 0-9, tarsi 0°8. ® mari similis, sed plaga dorsali nulla. (Deser. maris et feminse exempl. typ. ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. GvateMaLa, Choctum!, Cahabon, Teleman (0. 8S. & &. D. G.); Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol*, Zeledon®), Tucurriqui (Arcé, Zeledon *°), Pacuare, Naranjo de Cartago (Zeledon®) ; Panama, Bugaba, Calovevora (Arcé *). The original specimens of this species were obtained in January 1860, in the forest country of Vera Paz lying to the north of Coban, at an elevation of about 1200 feet above the sea-level!. Others were subsequently secured in the same district, and in the valley of the Polochic and Cahabon rivers, these places being the only ones in Guatemala where, so far as we know, the bird occurs. We have no record of its presence in the country situated to the southward of Guatemala until we come to Costa Rica, where it is found on the eastern side of the Cordillera up to an elevation of about 206 FORMICARIIDZ. 3000 feet. From the State of Panama we have received specimens both from the district of Chiriqui and from Calovevora, lying further in the direction of the isthmus, but the bird has not been noticed on the line of railway nor to the southward. The Panama birds are a little darker on the upper surface than the types, and thus approach the Ecuador form, which has been separated by Mr. Sclater as Thamnistes equatorialis. The last-named bird is very closely allied to 7. anabatinus, and the existence of an intermediate form indicates that there is probably no specific difference. Of the habits of this species nothing has been recorded; our Guatemalan specimens were secured by Indian hunters. b". Rostrum debile, leviter hamatum. DYSITHAMNUS. Dysithamnus, Cabanis, in Wiegm. Arch. f. Naturg. 1847, xiii. p. 223; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 219. Dysithamnus is closely allied to the smaller forms of Thamnophilus, and there seem to be no obvious characters by which to distinguish them. ‘The bill is certainly some- what feeble, but when the size of the birds is considered this point loses its value. The bill, as well as the wings and legs, conform to those of such species as Thamnophilus nevius. The tail seems less rounded. Mr. Sclater places fourteen species in Dysithamnus, and mentions the names of two others unknown to him. These are distributed over a wide area, extending from Guatemala to South Brazil. Only three species occur within our region, of which D. semicinereus has a wide range. The other two are both peculiar to the southern section of our Fauna, both occurring in Costa Rica and one of them in the State of Panama. a. Pileus unicolor. 1. Dysithamnus semicinereus. Dysithamnus semicinereus, Scl. P. Z.S. 1855, p. 90, t. 97*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 2217; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 899°; Salv. P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 144*; 1870, p. 194°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 107°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 60" ; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 29°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 114°. Olivaceo-cinereus, capite summo unicolore pure cinereo; alis et cauda dorso concoloribus ; tectricibus alarum minoribus nigris, his et reliquis anguste albo limbatis: subtus cinereo-albicans, pectore obscuriore ; hypo- chondriis vix olivaceo lavatis; subalaribus et remigibus intus albis flavido tinctis: rostro et pedibus plumbeis. Long. tota 4°5, ale 2°3, caudee 1°55, rostri a rictu 0°67, tarsi 0°75. ? supra fuscescens haud cinereo tincta; alis et cauda concoloribus, hujus tectricibus apicibus pallidis ; capite summo rufescente unicolore: subtus ochraceo-alba, gula fere alba, pectore et hypochondriis fusces- centibus: rostro et pedibus plumbeis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Vere Pacis septentrionali. Mus. nostr.) DYSITHAMNUS. 207 Hab. GuareMaLa, Choctum %, Chisec (0. 8. & F. D. G.); Costa Rica, Dota Mts., Grecia, Turrialba (Carmiol *), Guaitil (Cooper®), Naranjo (Boucard"), Cartago (Zeledon ®); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui®, Chitra 5, Calovevora ®, Calobre 5, Santa Fé + (Arcé).—Sovutu America, from Colombia to Peru 9. Mr. Sclater’s description of this species was based upon specimens in the British Museum ' from Bogota; the bird has since been traced over a large portion of Central America and southwards to Peru’. In South-eastern Brazil a very closely allied species, D. mentalis, takes its place, from which it can only be distinguished with difficulty. The Brazilian bird, however, is yellower on the abdomen, and the white of the throat spreads to the breast, the latter being thus less ashy. | In Guatemala we found this species very abundant in the great forest region which spreads over the northern portion of Vera Paz into the department of Peten. It frequents the underwood of the forest, seeking its food near but not on the ground. We know nothing of the nesting-habits of this bird, but another member of the genus (D. unicolor), Salmon says, lays creamy white eggs sparsely spotted with small red spots, and with a zone of large blotches of the same colour round the middle *. Stolzmann met with D. semicinereus at Huambo and at Santa Rosa in Peru, at an elevation of 6000 feet above the sea-level. He says it is strictly a forest bird, moving about in small flocks either alone or with the wandering bands of birds. It flies usually near the ground, when it follows, like Pithys, the hordes of foraging ants ®. 6. Pileus aut guttatus aut striatus. 2. Dysithamnus puncticeps. (Tab. L. figg. 23,32.) Dysithamnus puncticeps, Salv. P. Z.S. 1866, p. 72"; 1867, p. 144°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 115°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 223%. Supra cinereus, pilei et nuche plumis nigris ad basin utrinque cinereis et maculis duabus subapicalibus rotundis albis notatis; alis et cauda nigricantibus fusco-cinereo marginatis; tectricibus alarum albido terminatis ; loris et capitis lateribus albis cinereo intermixtis: subtus gutture toto et pectore albis, hoe nigro lineato ; abdomine medio albido ; hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus ochraceo-fuscis, subalaribus albis: rostro et pedibus plumbeis, illius mandibula pallida. Long. tota 4:5, ale 2-2, caude 1°5, rostri a rictu 0°75, tarsi 0°8. 2 supra obscure olivaceo-fusca, pilei plumis fulvis, rhachide nigra et nigro terminatis: subtus gula alba nigro indistincte striata, pectore et abdomine pallide fulvis illo nigro striato, hypochondriis fuscescentibus ; alis extus brunneis, tectricibus fulvo maculatis; cauda fusco-nigricante. (Descr. maris et feminze exempl. typ. ex Santiago de Veraguas, Panama. Mus. nostvr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Pacuare (Zeledon*) ; Panama, Santiago de Veraguas (Arcé ! 2). We only know this well-marked species from the type specimens sent us by our collector Enrique Arcé from Veraguas in 1865, and described by us in the following * P.Z.8. 1879, p. 525, t. 43. f. 9. 208 FORMICARIID. year! These we now figure. It, with D. striaticeps, belongs to a section of Dysi- thamnus with mottled heads, the present bird being spotted, its ally striped over the whole surface of the crown. ‘The presence of D. puncticeps in Costa Rica is proved by a specimen in the national museum of that country from Pacuare °. 3. Dysithamnus striaticeps. . Dysithamnus striaticeps, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. vii. p. 130°; ix. p. 107°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 60°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 115°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p- 228°. Supra cinereus, pileo et nucha nigro striatis, dorso postico, alis et cauda brunnescentibus, tectricibus alarum nigris albo terminatis: subtus gutture cinerea albo intermixta; pectore et ventre medio albis, illo nigro striato; hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus fulvo tinctis: rostro et pedibus plumbeis, illius mandi- bula pallidiore. Long. tota 4:5, ale 2:25, caudw 1:3, rostri a rictu 0-7, tarsi 0°75. (Descr. maris ex La Balza, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol12, Zeledon *), La Balsa (Carmiol), San Carlos (Boucard *). A rare species, restricted in its range to Costa Rica, whence but few specimens have been sent. ‘The first of these formed part of the large collections made for the United- States National Museum by Carmiol and others, and was described by Mr. Lawrence in 18651. Carmiol also sent us a male example, and M. Boucard obtained another 3. We have never seen a female of this species, but Mr. Lawrence describes it as having a bright rufous head, each feather with a narrow black central stripe. In other respects the sexes appear to differ very much as do those of D. puncticeps. MYRMOTHERULA. Myrmotherula, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 234; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 229. This is numerically one of the larger genera of Formicariide, containing some twenty- four or twenty-five species, which are divisible into several well-marked groups. The genus has a wide range over Tropical America, extending northwards to the forests of Northern Vera Paz, and southwards to the southern confines of Brazil, its focus being the valley of the Amazons throughout its length and Guiana. In Central America Myrmotherula is poorly represented by four species, not one of which is peculiar to the country. T'wo out of the four do not range beyond Costa Rica, and the fourth, the common MM. ménétriési, occurs in all the heavily-wooded country as far as Eastern Guatemala. No member of the genus reaches Southern Mexico. Of the sections into which Mr. Sclater divides the genus, the first, of which MW. surina- mensis is typical, is the most distinct. Besides the difference in the style of coloration, the bill is relatively longer and rather wider at the base, where the culmen is less elevated, the nostrils are situated a little further from the longest supranasal feathers, the hind tarsal scutella are more definite, and the tail shorter and squarer. MYRMOTHERULA. 209 In general characters Myrmotherula is a diminutive Thammophilus, but with a much feebler structure in every way; but we can find no features to justify these forms being placed in distinct subfamilies. a. Rostrum debile, cauda brevis, ptilosis plus minusve striata. 1. Myrmotherula surinamensis, Surinam Nuthatch, Lath. Gen. Syn. ii. p. 654, t. 287. Sitta surinamensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 442°, Myrmotherula surinamensis, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 190°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. vii. p. 293%; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 356°; 1879, p. 525°; Salv. Ibis, 1874, p..38117; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 231°... . ?Myrmotherula pygmea, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 190°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N, Y. vii. p. 325”; Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 311"; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 37”. . Supra nigra, plumis omnibus lateraliter stricte albo marginatis, uropygio griseo, plaga dorsali celata alba: subtus alba, plumis omnibus stria rhachidali nigra in gutture fere obsoleta; alis nigris, remigibus stricte albido marginatis, tectricibus albo terminatis; cauda nigra, medialiter albo limbata et albo terminata: rostro et pedibus plumbeis, illius mandibula pallida. Long. tota 3°5, ale 1:9, caude 1:85, rostri a rictu 0-72, tarsi 0°7. . . Q supra dorso striato et alis notatis sicut in mare, capite toto et nucha rufis plumis medialiter indistincte fuscis: subtus fulva, gula et abdomine medio albicantioribus, subalaribus albis. (Descr. maris et feminz ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Veraguas (Arcé), Lion Hill Station (‘Leannan**), San Pablo Station (0. S.), R. Truando®, Turbo ? (Wood).—Soutn America, from Colombia ® to Peru 12, Upper Amazons Valley § and Guiana ®. A bird of wide range over nearly the whole of the northern portion of the South- American continent, and occurring in the State of Panama, but not beyond its northern limits. Males vary to some extent as regards the black central stripe of the feathers of the under surface. M. multistriata, Scl., was based upon specimens in which these stripes are wide and spread more strongly over the throat, but it now appears that such birds are not specifically distinct, every gradation being found between them and the normal bird. Gmelin’s title for this species 2 was founded upon Latham’s Surinam Nuthatch !. With a Nuthatch (S7tta) it of course has nothing to. do, and it was placed in the Formi- carlidee by Cabanis in 1847 under the genus Formicivora, and thence in 1858 transferred to Myrmotherula by Mr. Sclater. Mr. W. 8. Wood, who accompanied Lieut. Michler’s Expedition to the Isthmus of Darien, obtained specimens of both sexes, though Cassin, who named his collection, did not recognize them as such. The bird is described as abundant on the “ Cremantina” trees, especially at Camp Toucey in January 1858, and as also frequently seen on the Bananas constantly searching for insects amongst the fruit and leaves. ‘The male was at first mistaken for the Black-and-White Creeper of the United States (Mniotilta BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., February 1892. | 27 210 -FFORMICARIIDA, varia), as its habits resemble those of that bird—running along the upper and lower sides of the branches, frequently with its head downwards. Salmon describes the nest as made of very fine roots and grass, and placed in low bushes, a slight network hanging at the end of a thin bough, very deep, and suspended between a fork with the natural leaves of the shrub or bush above to protect it from the rain. The eggs are white ® Stolzmann found MZ. surinamensis in small numbers at Yurimaguas in Peru ‘ living in the lofty trees like the small species of Tyrannide, and accompanying the bands of wandering birds !”. B. Rostrum robustius, cauda longior, ptilosis haud striata. . Gula albo maculata. . 2. Myrmotherula fulviventris Myrmotherula ornata, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 190, partim (cf. Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 311)’. Myrmotherula, sp. no. 216, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 325 Myrmotherula fulviventris, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 468°; ix. p. 108*; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 356°; 1879, p. 525°; Wyatt, Ibis, 1871, p. 8317; Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 311°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 590°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 115"; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 234 " Supra obscure brunnea fere unicolor, cauda vix fulvescentiore; tectricibus alarum nigris cervino terminatis : subtus fulva, gula alba plumis singulis basi nigra, subalaribus et remigibus interne pallide cervinis: rostro et pedibus nigricanti-plumbeis, mandibula pallida. Long. tota 4:0, alee 2:0, caude 1:25, rostri a rictu 0°65, tarsi 0°65. © mari similis, sed gula quam pectus vix pallidiore, hand alba, plumarum basi nigra. (Descr. maris et feminz ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Honpuras, ‘Segovia river (Townsend®); Costa Rica, Angostura (Carmiol +), Pacuare, Jimenez (Zeledon 1°); Panama, Veraguas (Arcé), Lion Hill Station (M‘Leannan ? *°), R. Truando ( Wood *).—CotomB1a® 7; Ecuador}. The true position of this species as a distinct bird was not recognized at first. Cassin referred specimens obtained during Lieut. Michler’s expedition to Darien with doubt to M. ornata!. Mr. Lawrence hesitated to describe the first specimens sent him: by M‘Leannan 2, but afterwards gave them the name now borne by the species 8, which proves to be quite distinct. It belongs to a section of the genus which has the throat of the male spotted with white, but is the only known form having a fulvous breast and brown back. On the Isthmus of Darien this bird is said by Mr. W, 8. Wood to be found at Camp Toucey on the Truando and at Turbo, where it was observed in high trees, and also occasionally in the bushes, being very active and constantly in motion !. The range northwards of JZ. fulviventris from the Isthmus of Panama is extensive, for though it does not reach Guatemala, it has been traced’to the northern side of the valley of the Segovia river in Honduras, where Mr. Townsend obtained two specimens 8. It is not apparently a common bird either in Costa Rica or the State of Panama beyond the line of railway, as none of Arcé’s earlier collections contained examples. MYRMOTHERULA. 211 B'. Gula nigra. . 3. Myrmotherula melena. Formicivora melena, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1857, p. 1801; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 6°. Myrmotherula melena, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 191°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 356°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. ix. p. 107°; Salv. Ibis, 1874, p, 311°; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1878, p- 617; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 48°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 115°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 239”. Myrmotherula ornata, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 191" (partim, nee Scl.) (cf. Salv. Ibis, 1874, p- dll). | Myrmotherula albigula, Mawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 181”; ix. p. 108% (cf. Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 317). ; . Nigra, supra unicolor, tectricibus alarum omnibus albo terminatis, subalaribus et hypochondriis pure albis, caude rectricibus quoque albo terminatis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 4:0, ale 2°1, caude 1:4, rostri a rictu 0-6, tarsi 0°65. (Descr. maris ex Angostura, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) 2 olivaceo-brunnea, alis et cauda nigricanti-brunneis extrorsum paulo rufescentibus, illius tectricibus fulvo terminatis: subtus pallide cervina, gula albicantiore. (Descr. feminee ex Panama. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Costa Rica (Boucard’), Angostura 15, Pacuare (Carmiol®, Zeledon ®), Naranjo de Cartago, Las Trojas (Zeledon®); Panama, Lion Hill (M*Leannan? +), Chepo (Arcé), R. Truando (Wood *).—Sourn America from Colombia to Peru® and the Upper Amazons Valley 8, M. melena was separated from its near ally WM. axillaris by Mr. Sclater in 1857, his description being founded on trade skins from Bogota!. Its difference from the latter consists in the blacker, less cinereous tint of its plumage; both birds have the pure white flanks peculiar to this section of the genus. _ From Colombia WM. melena ranges widely southwards to Peru and over the portion of the valley of the Amazons appertaining to that republic. Northwards it spreads through the Isthmus of Panama to Costa Rica, where it has been met with in the forests of the eastern part of that country by several collectors. _ The diversity of sexes of this species has been a source of confusion to several writers. Cassin failed to recognize the specimens from Darien that came before him, and mixing them with examples of WZ. fulviventris, called them all with doubt M. ornata™. Mr. Lawrence, again, described the female as a distinct species under the name WM. albiguia’*. ‘These names are now rightly, we believe, assigned to M. melena. Of the habits of this species little has been recorded. Salmon merely says of the iris that it is dark in life. Stolzmann states that it is a rather common bird at Yurima- guas in Peru, where it lives, like other species of the virgin forest, amongst the tops of the lower trees and follows the wandering bands of birds ®. 4, Myrmotherula ménétriési. Myrmothera menetriesi, d’Orb. Voy. Am. Mér., Ois. p. 184’. Myrmotherula menetriesi, Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 144°; 1870, p. 195°; Ibis, 1874, p. 310°; Boucard, 27% 212 FORMICARIID. P, Z. S. 1878, p.61°; Tacz, Orn. Pér. ii. p. 45 °;' Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 1157; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 240°. Myrmotherula, sp.?, Salv. P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 145°. Myrmotherula modesta, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. Dp. 108 ae Formicivora schisticolor, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 173"; ix. p. 108”. Myrmotherula nigrorufa, Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, 1878, p. 88 (cf. Ibis, 1879, p. 215 **). Supra saturate cinerea unicolor ; alis nigricantibus extrorsum cinereo limbatis, tectricibus nigris albo terminatis : subtus gutture toto et pectore medio nigris, corpore reliquo.cinereo ; subalaribus cinereis, remigibus interne ' albis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 4°0, ale 2°3, cand 1°65, rostri a rictu 0°52, tarsi 0°6. 2 supra fusco-olivacea, pileo, alis et cauda paulo rufescentioribus ; capitis lateribus et corpore toto subtus fulvis, hypochondriis fuscescentibus, gula pallidiore, remigibus interne pallide cervinis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Chiriqui, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. GuateMALA, Choctum, Vera Paz (0. 8. & F. D. G.°); Nicaragua, Matagalpa (W. B. Richardson) ; Costa Rica, Grecia !°, Turrialba 1 and Barranca ¥ (Carmiot), Naranjo (Boucard®), Pozo Azul de Pirris (Zeledon™); Panama, Chiriqui ®, Bugaba 3, Santiago 2, Calovevora®, Santa Fé ® (Arcé).—Sovutu AMERICA from Colombia and Venezuela to Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia ®. It has long been the practice to associate d’Orbigny’s Myrmothera ménétriési! with this widely spread species, though no specimens have been included in recent collections from Bolivia, the origin of the types. The range of thé bird seems to be practically unbroken from Eastern Guatemala southwards through Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to the confines of Bolivia, so that d’Orbigny’s bird may well be the same as that so well known to us. Should, however, it prove different we still have plenty of names for the northern bird, for Mr. Lawrence described the male as Formi- civora schisticolor 11, and the female as Myrmotherula modesta°, both Costa Rica birds. A young male from Guatemala has also been named M. nigrorufa by M. Boucard ®. In Guatemala WZ. ménétriési is not a common bird, and is restricted in its range to the forest country of Vera Paz lying to the northward of the town of Coban. We were long in doubt what this bird could be, for our collectors only sent us female examples ; on the receipt of an adult male from the same district the question of its identity was decided. In Costa Rica and the adjoining portion of the State of Panama this Myrmo- therula is common, but it appears to be absent from the line of the Panama Railway, as it was unrepresented in M‘Leannan’s collections; Salmon, too, did not meet with it. In Western Ecuador both Fraser and Stolzmann met with it, the latter collector at Chimbo °, The specimens obtained by him were noticed by Count von Berlepsch to differ slightly in dimensions and colour from Panama examples. So far as the specimens before us indicate, the grounds for separation are hardly tangible. Little has been recorded of the habits of this species. Fraser states that its food consists of insects; and Stolzmann, who found it rather common at Huambo in Peru, says that it travels in small flocks near the ground, where it appears to seek the places in the forest free from bushes and small trees, and where the ground 1 is scantily covered with grass °. | ’ TERENURA. 213 TERENURA.: Terenura, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 11 (1859) ; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 257. Terenura is a peculiar genus of doubtful affinities, but remarkable for the bright colours of its members. These colours (black, bright yellow, chestnut, and olive), it is true, are all to be found in different species of Formicariide, but in Terenura alone are they associated in a single bird. Cabanis and Heine, who founded the genus, placed it between Ramphocenus and Eltipura (=Formicivora), and in this position it was left by Mr. Sclater. We cannot see that it has much in common with either of these forms, which, different as they are, both possess well-defined rictal bristles, not a trace of which can we see in Terenura. Mr. Sclater speaks of the presence in the latter genus of a slightly membranous nasal operculum such as is found in khamphocenus, but the specimens of Terenura callinota before us have open nostrils without any overhanging membrane. On the whole, and in the absence of any information as to the habits of any species of Lerenura, we are inclined to place the genus near Myrmotherula, notwithstanding the difference of coloration and the much longer tail. The bill is longer than that of Myrmotherula surinamensis, but is otherwise very similar. The wings are decidedly longer and Jess rounded. The tarsi are covered behind with large scutella, the sutures of which are, however, rather indefinite. Four or five species constitute the genus Terenura, all more or lessrare birds. These are distributed over a wide area of Tropical America—one or two in South-eastern Brazil, one in Guiana, one in Eastern Ecuador, and 7. callinota, a western and north- western bird the range of which is given below. 1. Terenura callinota. Formicivora callinota, Sel. P. Z. 8. 1855, p. 89, t. 96°. Terenura callinota, Tacz. Orn, Pér. ii. p. 52°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 237 *, Supra viridi-olivacea, pileo et nucha nigris, loris et superciliis cinereo-albicantibus, dorso postico lete castaneo plumis quibusdam nigris superne marginato; alis et cauda nigricantibus olivaceo limbatis; tectricibus alarum nigris flavo-albido terminatis, campterio, humeris et subalaribus flavissimis : subtus a mento usque ad pectus cinerea, abdomine flavicante: rostro et pedibus plumbeo-nigricantibus, mandibula pallida. Long. tota 4-0, ale 2-0, caude 1-63, rostri a rictu 0°5, tarsi 0°5 57. (Descr. maris ex Veraguas, Panama, Mus. nostr.) Q supra viridi-olivacea ; subtus flava, pileo fusco-olivaceo, uropygio letissime rufo, gula albida, pectore cinera- scente, (Laczanowski, I. 8. 6.”) Hab. Panama, Veraguas (Arcé*).—Cotompia! ; Ecuapor?; Perv ?. This pretty species was described and figured in 1855 by Mr. Sclater from a specimen (a trade skin from Bogota) in the British Museum!. We have since seen other examples from the same country. Buckley obtained a bird of the same species near Nanegal in Ecuador, and one was sent us from the State of Panama by our collector Arcé after the second list of his birds, published in 1870, was issued. All these birds 214 FORMICARIIDZ. are males, and the female still remains unknown to us, though specimens of both sexes were obtained at Ropaybamba in Peru by Jelski, who shot them from a wandering band of birds as they searched the leaves at the ends of the branches of the trees ®. -T. callinota is the only species of its genus which has a plain black crown, a yellowish abdomen, and yellow edges to the wing. b'. Vibrisse obvie, acrotarsium scutellatum, planta integra. c", Rectrices decem. CERCOMACRA. Cercomacra, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 244; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 2638. A genus of about ten species, of which two only occur within our limits, both of them widely spread species on the southern continent—C. tyrannina extending its range to Southern Mexico, C. nigricans to the State of Panama. Cercomacra is a peculiar genus in several respects, the tail having the abnormal number of ten feathers. The bill is wide, and the rictal vibrisse clearly shown. The nostrils are round and open, the dense nasal feathers reaching to the posterior 1 margin of the nostrils. The tail is long and much rounded. 1. Cercomacra tyrannina. Pyriglena tyrannina, Scl. P. Z. S. 1855, pp. 90', 147, t. 98°. Cercomacra tyrannina, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, pp. 55°, 383°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 265°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 119°; 1860, p. 36"; 1864, p. 356°; 1870, p. 837°; Salv. P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 145"°; 1870, p. 195"; 1883, p. 424"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. ix. p. 109”; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 61; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 886’, 405°°; Tacz. Orn. Pér. ii. p. 54°7; Zeledon, Ann. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 115 ™*. Hypocnemis schistacea, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 825 (nee Scl.) * Disythamnus rufiventris, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viil. p. 131 (cf. Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 316) *°. Nigricanti-cinerea, humeris et tectricibus alarum marginibus albis, plaga dorsali celata alba: subtus pallidior, abdomine imo murino-brunneo tincto, subalaribus cinereis, remigibus interne albo marginatis; cauda nigricante, rectricibus externis vix albido stricte terminatis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 5:5, alee 2:4, caudse rectr. med. 2°4, rectr. lat. 1:5, rostri a rictu 0°75, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. maris ex Teapa, Tabasco, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) ; © supra rufe-brunnea, plaga dorsali celata alba : subtus omnino rufa, gula pallidiore, subalaribus rufis, remi- gibus interne pallide cervino marginatis: rostro et pedibus corylinis, illius mandibula pallida, _ (Deser. feminz ex Chisec, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) . 3 juv. feming similis, sed supra obscurior et pectore plumis cinereis mixto. Hab. Mexico, Playa Vicente (Boucard*, M. Trujillo), Sochiapa (Trujillo) ; Britis Honpuras, Belize (Leyland*); GuateMata, Chisec, Choctum, Coban ¢, Yzabal (0. 8. & F.D.G.); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. WV. Whitely ®); NrcaraGua, Matagalpa (W. B. Richardson), Sucuya 15, Los Sabalos !6 (Nutting); Costa Rica, Tucurriqui .CERCOMACRA. 215: (Arcé), Angostura (Carmiol 1), Pacuare, Pozo Azul de Pirris, Jimenez (Zeledon 1°), San Carlos (Boucard 4) ; Panama, Bugaba !!, Mina de Chorca !!, Santa Fé 1° (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan® 19 2°), Panama (A. Hi. Markham 12), Chepo (Arcé).— CotomBiA!; Ecuapor®; Peru !’; Guiana >, Mr. Sclater first described this species in 1855 as a Pyriglena from Bogota trade skins in the British Museum }, and a few years later it was discovered in Mexico 4 and Guate- mala ®, and afterwards in the State of Panama !9 and in Costa Rica 1°. It is now known as a common bird in the low-lying hot forest districts of Central America on the eastern side of the mountain-range northwards of Costa Rica, and from there to the mainland of South America on both sides of the Cordillera. A little variation is to be traced between birds selected out of the series before us, but the differences do not seem to be localized. One of the darkest birds is from Santa Fé, in the State of Panama; others from the line of Railway being paler, like the Mexican, Guatemalan, and Guianan birds. | The synonyms of this bird are not many. Mr. Lawrence first placed the Panama birds as Hypocnemts schistacea !°, which is a’bird of the Upper Amazons and still retained in Hypocnemis. ‘he same author subsequently described a young male from the same country as Dysithamnus rufiventris 2°, | Cercomacra tyrannina is a bird of the dense tropical forest, where it lives amongst the underwood. We noticed nothing of special interest in its habits, and little has been recorded by other travellers. Stolzmann, who observed it as high as Chirimobo in Peru (5400 feet), says that it lives both in the interior of the forests and on the edges, but always in pairs. Its cry is peculiar, and unlike that of other Formicariide 17. 2. Cercomacra nigricans. Cercomacra nigricans, Scl. P. Z.S. 1858, p. 245*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 2677; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, p. 526°. _ Pyriglena maculicaudis, Scl. P. Z. S. 1858, p. 268 (?)*; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 825°; Sel. & Salv. P.Z. S. 1864, p. 356°. Cercomacra maculicaudis, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 2687. Atra, plaga dorsali celata, campterio alari, tectricum alarum et rectricum apicibus albis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6-0, ale 2°6, caude rectr. med. 2°8, rectr. lat. 1-9, rostri a rictu 0-9, tarsi 1-0. (Deser. maris ex Paraiso, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Q grisea, gutturis et pectoris plumis medialiter albis nigricanti-griseo marginatis. (Descr. femins ex Santa Rita, Ecuador. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Lion Hill (M*Leannan® 6), Paraiso Station (//ughes). -—— CoLomBIA ?; Ecuapor; VENEZUELA?; TRinrpap ? We are unable to distinguish between adult males of C. nigricans and C. maculi- caudis, and the type of the former seems to us to be a young bird. Mr. Sclater does not separate the skins in the British Museum geographically, for he places birds from Panama and Qolombia under both names, 30 , aw” tw a } = 216 FORMICARIID. We have skins from Panama sent us by Mr. Hughes from Paraiso Station. One of these and another from M‘Leannan are males in fully adult black plumage ; the third is immature, slightly greyer on the flanks, and with white streaks on the throat. We refer all of them to C. nigricans, a bird we trace to Western Ecuador and Northern Colombia, but not beyond the line of Railway in the State of Panama. Salmon 3 describes the nest. of this species as made of dry grasses and placed between a fork at the extremity of the boughs of low bushes. The eggs are mahogany-colour, mottled with darker shades of the same colour. ad", Rectrices duodecem. FORMICIVORA. Formicivora, Swainson, Zool. Journ. ii. p. 145 (1825) ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 248. Formicivora contains about eighteen or nineteen described species, fifteen of which are included in Mr. Sclater’s Catalogue. These are widely distributed over Tropical America from Southern Mexico to South Brazil. The well-known /. bowcardi and the somewhat doubtful F. virgata are the only representatives of the genus found within our limits, and both belong to a small section of it in which the plumage of the males is mostly black and the tail comparatively short. The bill in F. Joucardi is feeble, but does not present any peculiar characters, the nostrils being quite open, the supranasal feathers dense and reaching nearly to the nostrils. There are well-developed rictal bristles. The tarsi are covered behind with ill-defined scutella, the claws have all deep lateral grooves. The wings and tail are much rounded. 1. Formicivora boucardi. | Formicivora doucardi, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1858, p. 8300*; 1859, p. 883°; Cat. Am. Birds, p. 183, t. 16°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 254*; Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 55°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p-119°; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 3567; 1870, p. 837°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 469°; ix. p- 108”; Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 195"; Ibis, 1872, p. 318 (?)"*; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p- 61; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 405; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p.115”. »Formicivora quixensis, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 190%; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vi. p. 825. Nigra; plaga magna dorsali celata alba; tectricibus alarum omnibus et rectricibus (quatuor medianis exceptis) macula alba terminatis; subalaribus et remigibus interne albis; hypochondriis griseo tinctis: rostro et pedit is nigris. Long. tota 4:3, ale 1:9, caude# rectr. med. 1°85, rectr. lat. 1:15, rostri a rictu 0°65, tarsi 0°6. , 2 supra grisea, macula dorsali sicut in maris, alis et cauda quoque albo similiter maculatis ; subtus omnino rufo-castanea. (Descr. maris et femine ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) . Hab. Mexico, Acatepec!, Playa Vicente? (Boucard); Guatemata, Choctum, Yzabal, Teleman (0. S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, Omoa (Leyland®*), San Pedro (G. MV, Whitely *); Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt 12), Los Sabalos (Natting 4); Costa Rica, FORMICIVORA. 217 Angostura 1°, Pacuare !°, Peje (Carmiol), San Carlos (Boucard '*), Pozo Azul de Pirris, Jimenez, La Balsa (Zeledon); Panama, Chiriqui, Bugaba |! (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan? ® 1"), R. Truando (Wood !°). M. Boucard appears to have been the first collector to notice this species, and a male from one of his collections obtained at Acatepec in the Mexican State of Oaxaca, now in the British Museum, was described by Mr. Sclater in 18581. The same traveller afterwards obtained examples of both sexes at Playa Vicente?. The female, in the meantime, had been found by Leyland at Omoa, and was described by Mr. Sclater in 1859 5 *, Shortly after this we obtained many specimens of both sexes from the hot forest country of Vera Paz, where and at Yzabal F. dowcardi has alone been found in Guatemala. Southwards of Guatemala this bird occurs in some abundance as far as the Isthmus of Darien. This appears to be the extreme limit of its range, for in the Colombian State of Antioquia and in Western Ecuador F. consobrina takes its place. Leyland says of this bird that it is solitary in its habits and is found in thickets?. Mr. Nutting, on the other hand, observes that it seems to be truly gregarious, and is usually seen in flocks of ten or a dozen 14. He adds that, in marked contrast to all the others of its family, these birds seem to keep to the trees at a considerable distance from the ground, the Formicariide in general being never seen much above the earth. Mr. Wood observed F. doucardi in abundance at the camp in the cordillera on the Rio Truando. It frequented high trees, and was never seen to descend to the bushes ?°. 2. Formicivora virgata. Formicivora virgata, Lawr. Ibis, 1863, p.182'; Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p.6’. ? Formicivora boucardi, Salv. tbis, 1872, p. 318°. F. boucardi similis, sed pectore striolis celatis albis forsan distinguenda. Femina ut dicitur quoque differt. Hab. Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt *); Panama, Lion Hill (1Z‘Leannan 1 ?). We do not feel very confident that this bird is really distinct from /’. dowcardi, as the chief if not the only character possessed by the male, viz. the concealed white streaks on the breast, does not seem of much importance in view of the fact that /. virgata is found in the country where /. boucardi is common. Our specimen from Chontales possesses white streaks on the sides of the breast; they are, however, not shaft-streaks, but white edges to the feathers on each side near the base. * In his ‘ Catalogue of American Birds,’ p. 183, and in the recently published ‘Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,’ xv. p. 255, Mr. Sclater names a male and female from “ Oaxaca” as the types of F. boucardi ; but this cannot be correct, as the male was first described from the Acatepec specimen now in the British Museum, and acquired in 1858 from M. Sallé. The type of the female described from Leyland’s specimen is doubtless in the Derby Museum at Liverpool. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., February 1892. 28 218 FORMICARIID 2. Mr. Lawrence describes the female as resembling the male on the upper surface, but of a very deep chestnut-red on the under surface. The female of F. boucardi would thus appear to differ considerably, being decidedly grey above and lighter chestnut beneath. The type, which as well as the male has been kindly lent us by the authorities of the American Museum of Natural History, shows these differences ; but the tint of the under surface is not pronounced, and can be nearly matched in specimens of F. boucardi. . | | We do not know enough of this bird to be able to form a decided opinion as to its status with respect to /. boucardi. b. Nares operculate, rostrum quam caput longior, mandibule tomia levis. RHAMPHOCAENUS. Ramphocenus, Vieill. N. Dict. dW’ Hist. Nat. xxix. p. 5 (1819). Rhamphocenus; Scl. Ibis, 1883, p. 92; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 260. Rhamphocenus is one of the most peculiar genera of Formicariide, and to whatever position it is assigned in the family it must occupy an isolated position. Cabanis and Heine place it at the head of their family Eriodoride—Terenura and then Ellipura and Formicivora following. Mr. Sclater includes it in the subfamily Formicariine, and places it between Terenura and Cercomacra. Weare not satisfied with either arrangement. The bill of khamphocenus is very long, the culmen slightly curved, with hardly any terminal hook and a very slight subterminal notch on the tomia of the maxilla and none what- ever on the mandible. The nostrils are situated a considerable distance beyond the frontal feathers ; they are elongated and overhung to some extent by a membrane which has a lobe near the middle. Rictal bristles are well developed. ‘The tarsi are covered behind by a continuous entire scutellum, which bears no signs of divisional sutures ; the toes are rather feeble, the hallux being rather long. ‘The wings are rounded, but present no peculiarity ; the tail in one section of the genus is long, much rounded, the rectrices being narrow: in the other section it is shorter and squarer. On the whole, we think Rhamphocenus best placed near Formicivora, notwithstanding the very different form of the bill and the structure of the nostrils. Both genera have well-developed rictal bristles, a feature not at all usual in Formicariide. Mr. Sclater divides Rhamphocenus into two sections—a long-tailed section and a short-tailed section *. This arrangement we follow.. One member of each section * Mr. Sclater places in the second section Microbates collaris, but we are doubtful if this is correct. Apart from its peculiar coloration, MZ. collaris has open oval nostrils, thus differing considerably from Rhampho- cenus. That Microbates is allied to Rhamphocceenus is obvious; both have similar bills, the mandible being destitute of any trace of a subterminal notch. This character might be used to separate these two genera from the rest of this section of the Formicariide, and the nostrils to divide them from one another. RHAMPHOCZANUS. 219 occurs, within the limits of ourcountry. The whole genus has a wide range in Tropical America, the most southern member occurring in South-eastern Brazil. 1. Rhamphocenus semitorquatus. Rhamphocenus semitorquatus, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 4691; ix. p. 1087; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p.- 145°; 1870, p.195*; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 61°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 115°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 2627. Rhamphocenus cinereiventris, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, p. 525 (nec Scl. ?) *. Supra rufescenti-murinus, pileo rufescentiore; capitis et cervicis lateribus rufis, hoc colore infra nigro margi- nato: subtus gula alba, abdomine toto cinereo, pectore nigro striato ; cauda nigricanti-brunnea, rectricitus immaculatis: rostri maxilla nigricanti, mandibula albida, pedibus obscure corylinis. Long. tota 3:7, ale 2:0, caude rectr. med. 1:1, rectr. lat. 0-9, rostri a rictu 0-9, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. maris ex Veraguas, Panama. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis, Hab. Costa Rica, La Balsa (Carmiol”), Ric Sucio (Zeledon °), San Carlos (Boucard ®) ; Panama, Santiago de Veraguas *, Calovevora 4 (Arcé), Lion Hill (If‘Leannan ' 6),-- CoLomBia8, This species must for the present be considered doubtfully distinct from R. cinerei- ventris, a bird described and figured by Mr. Sclater in 1855 from a specimen now in the Derby Museum at Liverpool, obtained by Delattre at Pasto in Colombia. At our request the type has been kindly lent us for re-examination, and we can now affirm that a male from Veraguas in our collection exactly agrees with it in all respects except that it lacks the conspicuous brown postocular stripe that exists in the type as shown in Wolf's drawing. There is just a trace of this stripe in one of our specimens, but in the rest it is absent. Our impression is that this stripe is not constant; and if so Mr. Lawrence’s name will have to be placed as a synonym of R. cinereiventris, a course adopted by Sclater and Salvin in 18795. Tf, however, the receipt of more specimens confirms the differences now apparent, R. semitorguatus must stand, but the bird called ft. cinereiventris in Mr. Sclater’s Catalogue, from Sarayacu in Ecuador, having no post- ocular spot whatever must be either considered distinct from both described species or merged with &. semitorquatus. The range of this species in our country is limited to Costa Rica and the State of Panama, but it appears to be everywhere rare. The first specimens procured were from the line of Railway’. A small number were afterwards sent us by our coliector Arcé from the neighbourhood of Santiago de Veraguas , and it has also been found by several of the collectors of Costa Rica 25°, 2. Rhamphocenus rufiventris. Scolopacinus rufiventris, Bp. P. Z.S. 1837, p. 119%. Rhamphocenus rufiventris, Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 157, t. 47. f. 2°; Sel. P.Z.S. 1857, p. 202°; 1859, 28% 220 FORMICARIID. © p: 383‘; Ibis, 1883, p. 95°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 261°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 8997; P.Z.S. 1864, p. 356°; 1879, p. 525°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vill. pp. 6”, 183"; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 145”; 1870, p. 195"; Ibis, 1869, p. 319"; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. pp. 8867’, 405 *°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 581”. Supra cinereus, capite summo et nucha cum alis extus leviter rufescente tinctis, capitis lateribus et corpore toto subtus (guJa alba excepta) pallide rufis ; cauda nigricante, rectricibus tribus externis (extima rhachide et pogonio externo fere tota alba) albo terminatis ; subalaribus albidis rufescente lavatis : rostro corylino, mandibula pallida, pedibus plumbeis, Long. tota 4:8, ale 2-0, caudw rectr. med. 1°75, rectr. lat. 1:2, rostri a rictu 1:2, tarsi 0-9. (Descr. maris ex V. de San Miguel, Salvador. Mus. nostr.) mari similis. . . Hab. Mexico, Vera Cruz (W. B. Richardson), San Andres Tuxtla (Sallé?), Playa Vicente (Boucard*); British Honpuras, Orange Walk (Gaumer) ; GuaTEMALA Velasquez 1), Choctum’, Chisec, Lanquin’, Retalhuleu (0. S. & F. D. G.); qg ? q ’ Honvvras, Truxillo (Townsend "); Satvapor, La Libertad, Volcan de San Miguel (W. B. Richardson); Nicaragua, Chinandega (W. B. Richardson), Sucuya 15, Los Sabalos 1° (Nutting), Greytown (Lfolland 14); Costa Rica, Bebedero de Nicoya (Arcé 14); Panama, Bugaba }8, Santa Fé *, Calobre 18 (Arcé), Lion Hill (Jf Lean- nan ® 1°),—-CoLoMBIA 9°. The first specimens of this bird that reached Europe were those obtained by Col. Velasquez in Guatemala, and described by Prince Bonaparte in 18371. The bird is now known as an inhabitant of the hot forest region of the whole of Central America, beyond which area it reaches the middle of the Mexican State of Vera Cruz in one direction and the northern part of Colombia in the other, being nearly everywhere tolerably abundant. It is absent from Western Mexico, but occurs on both sides of the mountain-range of Guatemala. It is only in Costa Rica that this bird seems to be rare, for though we have a specimen from Bebedero in that country !4, it appears from Mr. Zeledon’s most recent list of the birds of Costa Rica that only a Guatemala example of &. rufiventris exists in the National Museum of Costa Rica. Mr. Nutting 1° 1” obtained his specimens in dense forest, and he tells us that these birds climb about trees like Nuthatches (Siéta). Salmon says ® that the iris in life is red, and that this bird feeds on insects and builds its nest in low bushes. He does not, however, tell us how the latter is constructed, nor give us any information about the eggs. Stolzmann, writing of the closely allied &. albiventris, says that the only specimen he shot at Yurimaguas was in the top of a low tree in the forest, its movements recalling those of a Polioptila. LS bS jel GYMNOPITHYS. B. Terrestres: tarsi plerumque elongati. c. Regio ocularis plus minusve nuda. c’. Nares semioperculate. GYMNOPITHYS. Gymnopithys, Bonaparte, Ann. Se. Nat. (iv.) i. p. 132; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p- 296. Mr. Sclater places Pithys leucaspis and its allies with P. albifrons, the type of the genus Pithys ; but it belongs rather to Gymnopithys, of which G. rufigula is the type. P. albifrons is a very peculiar species with no near allies. It has oval open nostrils which are situated high up near the culmen; the orbital space is feathered and the formation of the crest is quite sud generis. G. fulvigula has a naked orbital space and operculated nostrils, in both of which characters it is followed by G. leucaspis and its allies. The range of Gymnopithys extends from Guiana over the Amazons Valley to Colombia, and thence northwards to Nicaragua; two closely allied species occurring within our limits. 1. Gymnopithys bicolor. Pithys leucaspis, Lawr. Aun. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 326 (nec Sel.) *. Pithys bicolor, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 6°; Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 357°; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p. 145%; Sel. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 296 (partim) *. Supra rufo-brunnea, fronte et capitis lateribus nigricanti-cinereis, tectricibus auricularibus nigris, regione postoculari nuda: subtus alba, cervicis lateribus, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus brunneis ; subalaribus fuliginosis, remigibus interne umbrino marginatis: rostro nigricante, mandibula pallida, pedibus corylinis. Long. tota 5:0, ale 3:0, caudee 1:9, rostri a rictu 0-75, tarsi 1:05. (Descr. maris ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Panama, Santa Fé (Arcé *), Lion Hill Station (/‘Leannan 12°), Paraiso Station (Hughes), Chepo (Arcé). This species was at first referred to G. leucaspis by Mr. Lawrence, who soon, however, appreciated its differences from that bird and described it under its present name?. From G. leucaspis it differs in being duller on the upper surface and in having the forehead and sides of the head cinereous instead of reddish ; moreover the male of G. bicolor has no concealed dorsal spot as in G. leucaspis. Both birds have a naked space behind the eye, which in the case of G. lewcaspis is said to be light blue, the legs being of the same colour and the iris red. Concerning G. bicolor we have no information on these points. The range of this species is strictly confined to the southern portion of the State of 222 FORMICARIID. Panama. A little way further south, in the Valley of the Cauca, G. rujiceps takes its place, whilst northward at Chiriqui and beyond G. olivascens prevails. G. leucaspis is probably restricted to the forests of the eastern slope of the Cordillera drained by the upper waters of the Amazons and Orinoco. We have lately received a specimen from Mr. T. H. Wheeler from the Llanos of the Rio Meta. 2. Gymnopithys olivascens. Pithys bicolor, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 109°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 195°; Sel. Ibis, 1873, p. 873°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 296 (partim)*; Boucard, P.Z.S. 1878, p. 62°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 115°. Pithys bicolor olivascens, Ridgway, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xiv. p. 460’. G. bicolort similis, sed capite toto summo et fronte rufo-brunneis, hac haud nigricanti-cinerea. (Descr. maris ex La Balza, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. Honpvuras, Santa Ana (Wittkugel") ; Nicaragua, Chontales (Bel¢*) ; Costa Rica, Angostura!, La Balsa (Carmiol), Navarro de Cartago (Zeledon °), San Carlos (Boucard®); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Bugaba (Arcé ?). This bird has hitherto been placed with G. dzcolor, but it evidently belongs to a distinct species, with a more northern range than its near ally. One of the characteristic features of G. bicolor is its dark grey forehead; in this bird the forehead is reddish brown to the base of the bill. Like G. bicolor the male has no concealed dorsal patch, as is the case in G. leucaspis; moreover that bird has a black band bordering the white under surface on either side, separating it from the dark neck and flanks. G. olivascens has its nearest ally in a Colombian bird which has hitherto been confounded with G. leucaspis, but which is clearly distinct from that bird and we therefore describe it as G. rujiceps *. The range of G. olivascens appears to extend from Chiriqui northwards to Henduras. We are not certain whether all the Costa Rica references belong to it, but as our specimen from that country is clearly of this species, we assume that it, and not G. bicolor, alone is found there. | Mr. Ridgway, who has kindly lent us his types for examination, considered this bird only subspecifically distinct from G. bicolor, but we think its characters quite definite. The relationship of both birds to G. leucaspis is remote. * Gymnopithys ruficeps, sp. n. G. olivascenti affinis, sed fronte et pileo rufescentioribus, hypochondriis magis rufis et statura majore differt. Long. ale 2°5. Hab. CotomsBra, Cauca Valley (Salmon). There are four specimens of this species in the British Museum, a male and a female from Salmon’s collec- tion and two of Bogota make. They are specimens 8, ¢, g, and h of “ Pithys leucaspis.” — GYMNOCICHLA. 223 d’. Nares aperte. e. Plume supranasales plus minusve criniformes. - GYMNOCICHLA. Gymnocichla, Sclater, P. Z.S. 1858, p. 274; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 271. The most obvious feature of this genus is the bare head of the male, on which the feathers are reduced to hair-like bristles, the colour of the naked skin in life being light blue. The bill is moderately strong, the nostrils open and nearly round. The tarsi are rather strong, the acrotarsium distinctly divided by scutella, the planta being smooth. The tail is moderate and rounded. . Two closely allied species constitute this genus, one of which is found in the State of Panama and the adjoining portion of the mainland of Northern Colombia. The other occurs in Costa Rica and thence northwards to Honduras. 1. Gymnocichla nudiceps. Myiothera nudiceps, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. v. p. 106, t. 67. Pyriglena nudiceps, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1854, p. 113%. Gymnocichla nudiceps, Scl. P.Z.8. 1858, p. 274°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 272‘; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 294°; Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 856°; Salv. P.Z.S. 1870, p. 1957. Pithys rufigularis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 293 (nec Bodd.) *. Myrmeciza ferruginea, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 470°. Niger unicolor, pileo et capitis lateribus sparsim crinitis, quasi nudis, cute (ave vivo) cerulea; plaga dorsali celata, tectricum alarum marginihus anguste atque remigis primi margine albis, rectricibus lateralibus vix albo terminatis: rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6-5, ale 3-0, caude 2-3, rostri a rictu 0-95, tarsi 1:2. . Q supra ferrugineo-brunnea fere unicolor, cauda saturatiore, alis extus castaneis: subtus saturate cinnamomea, gula vix pallidiore, remigibus interne pallide rufescenti-fusco marginatis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama? (Bell), Chiriqui, Bugaba’, Mina de Chorcha’, Chitra (Arcé), Lion Hill (Leannan? °§ ®),—Nortuern CoLoMBia 2, The bare head of the male of this species, the skin being blue in life, renders it remarkable. ‘The feathers of the head, however, are not wholly absent, but appear as bristles thinly scattered over the otherwise bare surface. The first specimen of this species was obtained at Panama by Mr. J. G. Bell, and is the one now in the collection of the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia, which was described and figured by Cassin}. Other examples were secured near Santa Marta? in Northern Colombia, and both M‘Leannan® and Arcé7 sent us many specimens of both sexes from various parts of the State of Panama as far north as Chiriqui and the Costa Rican frontier. Whether this species is found on the Pacitic side of the mountains of that country, which seems probable, or not remains yet to be 224 FORMICARIIDZ. determined ; on the eastern side of the range the allied form, G. chiroleuca, takes its place. The female of this species was described by Mr. Lawrence as Myrmeciza ferruginea ®, as was pointed out by Sclater and Salvin in 1864 in their paper on M‘Leannan’s collections °. 2. Gymnocichla chiroleuca. Gymnocichla nudiceps, Moore, P. Z.8. 1859, p. 55°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 119°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 109’. Gymnocichla chiroleuca, Scl: & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1869, p. 417*; Salv. Ibis, 1869, p. 314°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 272°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xiv. p. 469”. Precedenti similis, sed tectricibus alarum majoribus late albo marginatis, tectricibus minoribus externe omnino albis, plaga dorsali alba minore et nucha plumosa distinguenda. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Tucurriqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) 2 supra schistaceo-brunnea, capite summo et cervice postica saturate ferrugineis; alis fuscis extus obscure ferrugineis, tectricibus omnibus nigricantioribus et late rufo terminatis: subtus late ferruginea. ¢ juv. femine similis, sed capite supra obscuriore, tectricibus alaram majoribus haud rufo terminatis. (Deser. femine et maris juv. ex Santa Ana, Honduras. U.S. Nat. Mus.) Hab. Honpuras, Omoa (Leyland 4), Santa Ana ( Wittkugel) ; Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé 4). Though only two male specimens are known to us, this bird is evidently distinct from G. nudiceps. Not only are the wing-coverts much whiter, but the denudation of the head is not carried nearly so far back as in the allied species. This fact is of importance, as G. chiroleuca thus serves as an intermediate step between G. nudiceps and Myrmelastes immaculatus and the allied forms which we now place next the genus Gymnocichla rather than in Thamnophilus, where they have latterly rested. Leyland obtained his specimen at Omoa, where he says only two or three birds came under his notice. They frequent thickets, and make a noise like the breaking of small twigs. Our single specimen was sent us from Tucurriqui, on the Atlantic side of the Cordillera of Costa Rica, by our collector Arcé, but without any note concerning it. The authorities of the Derby Museum at Liverpool have kindly lent us Leyland’s specimen, so that its specific identity with the Costa Rica type is assured. We are indebted to Mr. Ridgway for an inspection of a female and a young male of this bird. ‘The former is darker on the upper surface than the female of G. nudiceps, and has the edges of the wing-coverts more clearly defined. MYRMELASTES. Myrmelastes, Sclater, P. Z. 8. 1858, p. 274. Thamnophilus, Scl, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 180 (partim). The type of this genus is M. plumdeus, with which Thamnophilus immaculatus auct., MYRMELASTES. 225 Myrmelastes corvinus, Lawr., and Myrmeciza exsul and its close ally MW. selateri seem strictly congeneric. Thamnophilus leuconotus also belongs here. The larger black species are evidently closely allied to Gymnocichla, the chief difference being in the feathering of the head, Gymnocichla having the crown bare, thinly strewn with hair-like feathers; a tendency to this denudation is shown in Myrmelastes, in which the frontal and loral feathers are thin, leaving the skin visible, which in all cases appears to be light blue in life, as in Gymnocichla. Myrmelastes, as we understand it, contains four or five species, of which four occur within the limits of the southern section of Central America. All are forest-loving terrestrial species, and all hang round the hordes of foraging ants (Hciton), feeding on the insects started from their path. 1. Myrmelastes immaculatus. Thamnophilus immaculatus, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 340'; Salv. Ibis, 1870, p. 1142; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 194°; Berl. & Tacz. P. Z.S. 1883, p. 564°; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 189°. Pyriglena ellisiana, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1855, p. 109, t. 100 °. Niger, margine alarum proximo et macula dorsali celata parva albis, rostro et pedibus nigris. Long. tota 6°5, ale 3°3, caude rectr. med. 3-1, rectr. lat. 2-1, rostri a rictu 1:0, tarsi 1°3. (Descr. maris ex Tucurriqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) 2 saturate brunnea, subtus dilutior ; fronte, capitis lateribus et cauda nigricantioribus, mandibula infra pallida. (Descr. feminee ex Calovevora, Panama. Mus. nostr.) flab. Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé2); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui®, Boquete de ) q qui”, q Chitra, Calovevora *, Calobre ? (Arcé).—CotomBia!®; Ecuapor ! 45, Latresnaye first described the male of this species in 1845 from Colombian speci- mens ', and the female also received a name from Mr. Sclater in 1855, based upon an example in the British Museum from the same country®. The two birds were associated as sexes of the same species by Salvin in 18702, on receipt of several birds from Panama and Costa Rica, both males and females, sent us by our collector EK. Arcé. The range of Myrmelastes immaculatus is somewhat restricted, and extends from Western Ecuador northwards to Costa Rica. It is also found in the valley of the Magdalena, as specimens are sometimes to be found in the trade collections of skins sent from Bogota. Salmon, however, did not meet with it in the State of Antioquia, nor did M‘Leannan on the Isthmus of Panama. We are without any record of its habits, but may safely assume that it is an inhabitant of the forest. _Stolzmann’s specimens were obtained at Chimbo, in Western Ecuador, a beavily-forested district. That excellent collector noted the colour of the iris as burnt-sienna, the naked part of the sides of the head greyish blue, brighter on the auricular region, but nearly white in the female 4. Though placed in Thamnophilus by recent writers, we now consider that this species BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., March 1892. 29 226 FORMICARIID. comes much better in Myrmelastes near Gymnocichia. ‘The tarsi are too long for Thamnophilus, and they are covered at the back by a single shield, and not a number of scutella, as in Thamnophilus. The feathers of the front portion of the head are thin and scattered, showing a tendency towards the bare head of Gymnocichla. The frontal feathers of Pyriglena are full and dense, but Gymmnocichla is not distantly related to that genus, in which Mr. Sclater originally located the female when he described it as Pyriglena ellisiana °®. 2. Myrmelastes lawrencii. Myrmelastes corvinus, Lawr. Ibis, 1863, p. 182° (nec Thamnophilus corvinus, Gould) ; Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 7”. Gymnocichla nudiceps, Salv. P. Z.S. 1870, p. 195 (partim) *; 1874, p. 317%. Thamnophilus immaculatus, Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 189 (partim) °. Niger, unicolor, macula celata dorsali et tectricibus alarum apicibus anguste albis: rostro nigro, pedibus obscure corylinis. Long. tota 6-U, ale 3-0, caude 2°45, rostri a rictu 1:0, tarsi 1:15. (Descr. maris ex Mina de Chorcha, Panama. Mus. nostr.) © adhuc nobis ignota. Hab. Panama, Chiriqui®, Mina de Chorcha (Arcé), Lion Hill (M*Leannan 12), Mr. Lawrence’s Myrmelastes corvinus was placed by Mr. Sclater, following Salvin 4, as a synonym of Gymnocichla nudiceps*, but a re-examination of the question makes us believe that this is not its true position. On carefully comparing all our specimens called Thamnophilus immaculatus and Gymnocichla nudiceps we tind two adult males agreeing with one another, and differing in several particulars from both those birds. There is no white margin towards the base of the wing as in 7’. immaculatus, and the lesser wing-coverts are edged with white and not black as in that bird; moreover, they are smaller, and have a shorter tarsus. From G. nudiceps they differ in having the crown feathered, the forehead alone showing scanty feathering; the wing-coverts have less white, the larger ones being wholly black. Mr. Lawrence's description’ was based upon a young male in changing plumage, the wing-coverts being tinged with rufous; except so far as this rufous colouring goes, our adult birds agree very closely with the type, which, through the kindness of the authorities of the American Museum of Natural History, is now before us. The peculiarities of this bird are best recognized by placing it in Myrmelastes, and by removing Thamnophilus immaculatus to the same genus. These two birds, with some others, thus form a genus allied to Gymnocichla in which the feathers of the forehead and lores are so thin as to allow the skin beneath to be seen. This feature is a step in the direction of the bare head of G. nudiceps, G. chiroleuca being some- what intermediate. . It unfortunately happens that Mr. Lawrence’s name clashes with Gould’s Thamno- philus corvinus, a synonym of T. leuconotus, which we now remove from Thamnophilus MYRMELASTES. 227 and place in Myrimelastes. This involves a change of name, and we propose to call Mr. Lawrence’s bird WM. lawrencit. 3. Myrmelastes intermedius. (Myrmeciza immaculata, Tab. LI. figg. 26, 3 2.) . Myrmeciza exsul, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 191 (?) (nee Sclater)*; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. Vil. p. 825°. Myrmeciza immaculata, Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 357°; Salv. P.Z.S. 1870, p. 195*; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 109°; Boucard, P.Z.S. 1878, p. 61°; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 4057; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 115 (partim) °; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 279°. Myrmeciza intermedia, Cherrie, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xiv. p. 345 *° ? Supra obscure badius ; capite toto et corpore subtus usque ad medium ventrem nigricanti-plumbeis, pileo et gula obscurioribus, ventre imo dorso concolore, campterio alari albo: rostro nigro, pedibus obscure corylinis. Long. tota 5-5, alee 2°6, caude 1°75, rostri a rictu 0-9, tarsi 1:15. @ mari similis, sed pileo obscure badio tincto, gula tantum plumbea, abdomine et pectore dorso concoloribus. (Descr. maris et femine exempl. typ. ex Panama, Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nicaragua, Los Sabalos ( Nutting’); Costa Rica, Pacuare °, Angostura °, La Balsa (Carmiol), San Carlos, San Mateo (Boucard ®), Jimenez (Zeledon ®), Carillo (C.F Underwood); Panama, Bugaba (Arcé +), Lion Hill Station (Jd‘Leannan ? °), Chepo (Arcé), Turbo (Wood *). This species is closely allied to Myrmeciza easul of Colombia *, from which it differs in having the wing-coverts unspotted. Panama specimens were at first referred to the southern form ! 2, but were separated therefrom by Sclater and Salvin in 1864, under the name of Myrmeciza immaculata*, which name must again give way, as there is already a species called immaculatus in the genus now used. The range of this bird has now been traced through the State of Panama and Costa Rica to Eastern Nicaragua 7, Mr. Nutting having met with it at Los Sabalos’ on the Rio San Juan del Norte which drains the great lake. Here he states that I. intermedius is common, and lives upon the ground in the dense forest. Mr. Wood! noticed this bird in the thick and dry parts of the forest at Turbo on the Isthmus of Darien in some * In Mr. Sclater’s original description (P. Z. S. 1858, p. 540) this species is assigned to Panama (Delattre) and Nicaragua, but it almost certainly lives further south. y If Mr. Cherrie’s Myrmeciza intermedia” is distinct from M. immaculata, which seems to us very doubtful, the range of VM. immaculata must be further curtailed, and it must have a new name. Mr. Cherrie gives it as extending from Panama to Talamanca (S8.E. Costa Rica), that of M. intermedia from Panama and the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica (7.e. inclusive of Talamanca) to Nicaragua. Thus these two supposed forms are found together over a considerable area. We have not seen authentic specimens of M. intermedia, but our single adult male from Costa Rica, which ought to be of this form, seems absolutely undistinguishable from the Panama types. The first primary is not edged with white in any of our Panama birds, nor can the under ‘ wing-coverts be described as white—both characters, according to Mr. Cherrie, of M. immaculata. 29* 1 . WAS } Streeter hareen. , Rostrum sensim arcuatum; rectrices laterales ad basin albe. c& Rostrum longius, rectius. EUPHERUSA. Eupherusa, Gould, Mon. Troch. vy. t. 824 (Sept. 1857); Salv. Cat. Rirds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 72. Three species now constitute this genus, all of them belonging exclusively to our EUPHERUSA. 271 country—Z£. poliocerca to South-western Mexico, E. eximia to Guatemala and Central Nicaragua, and £. egregia to Costa Rica and the adjoining part of the State of Panama. Asin Microchera and Callipharus the inter-ramal space is more or less feathered ; the bill is slender, the tomia of the maxilla turned inwards towards the tip; the sexes dissimilar ; the tail rounded. It differs from those genera in having a decurved bill, which is comparatively long, the white at the base of the lateral rectrices does not extend to the whole of the outer webs, and the size of the birds is considerably larger. 1. Kupherusa eximia. Ornismya eximia, Delattre, Echo du Monde Savant, 1843, p. 1069". Eupherusa eximia, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. t. 824°; Sel. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 180°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 271*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 72°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 280°; Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1892, p. 38277. Supra nitente, subtus micanti-gramineo-viridis, tectricibus subcaudalibus niveis ; alis purpureo-nigris, secun- dariis castaneis apicibus nigris; cauda nigricante, rectricibus mediis cupreo-viridi lavatis, rectricibus duabus utrinque lateralibus in pogonio interno cum rhachidis bitriente basali albis: rostro nigro. Long. tota 3°8, ale 2:3, caude 1:4, rostri a rictu 0°8. Q supra mari similis, subtus omnino sordide alba. (Descr. maris et femine ex Coban, Guatemala. Mus. nostr. ) Hab. Mexico, Chinautla (Loucard), Chimalapa and Sierra de Santo Domingo in Tehuantepec (W. &. Richardson"); Guatemata, Coban (Delattre!, 0. 8S. & f. D. G.*), Kamkhal, Choctum and track between Cahabon and San Luis (0. 8. & F. D. G5); Nicaragua, Matagalpa (W. B. Richardson’). The French traveller Delattre discovered this species at Coban in Guatemala, and subsequently described it in 18431. It was at Coban that Salvin found it in 1859 to be one of the commonest Humming-Birds during the month of November, frequenting the flowering-plants, principally Salviw, which abound at that season in the vicinity of the town. . eximia is also found in the forest-region lying to the northward of Coban as low as about 1200 or 1500 feet above sea-level. We never met with it in any other part of Guatemala; but its range passes a little beyond the limits of that country both to the northward and southward, as M. Boucard says that it occurs at Chinautla in Puebla in the month of August, and Mr. Richardson found it on the Isthmus of Tehu- antepec, both at Chimalapa and in the Sierra de Santo Domingo, in March and April, and also near Matagalpa in the highlands of Central Nicaragua in July. The eastern slopes of the mountains of Central America between these limits probably mark the limits of the range of this species. Though observed in great numbers at Coban we never found a nest, and noticed nothing peculiar in its habits. 272 TROCHILIDZ. 2. Eupherusa egregia. Eupherusa egregia, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 389°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 146’; Salv. P. Z.S. 1869, p. 316°; 1870, p.210*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 73°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p.71°; Sharpe, in Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. (text) "; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 122°. Eupherusa eximia, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 127 (nec Delattre) *. E. eximic similis, sed rectricibus mediis pallidiore cupreis, rectricibus duabus utrinque externis in pogonio externo (margine ipso excepto) albis. 2 caude rectricibus duabus utrinque lateralibus omnino albis, interdum ad apicem utrinque nigro stricte lim- batis. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Carmiol, Endres), Cervantes, Barranca (Carmiol°), Cervantes de Cartago (Zeledon’); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Castillo 1, Calovevora’ (Arcé). An immature male from Castillo and a female from Calovevora were the first specimens we received of this species, and formed the types of the description’. About the same time Mr. Lawrence examined specimens from Costa Rica, but referred them to the more northern ally Z. eximia®. Now that the bird is better known to us from adult specimens sent us both from the Volcan de Chiriqui and Costa Rica, it proves to be readily distinguishable from its near ally, the greater extent of white on the outer rectrices being sufficient to separate them. | 3. Eupherusa poliocerca. Eupherusa poliocerca, Elliot, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1871, viii. p. 266'; Syn. Troch. p. 212°; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 302, fig. 44°; Muls. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, i. p. 271,t. 24°; Gould, Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 55 (April, 1881) °; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 74°. E. eximic similis, quoad corporis et ale colores; caude rectricibus mediis pallide cupreo-viridibus et rectri- cibus quatuor utrinque ad basin albis ad apicem et ad pogonium externum ad purpureo-griseum gradatim mutandis. © adhuc ignota. Hab. Mexico, Omilteme (Mrs. H. H. Smith ®%), Putla (Rébouch'). Mr. Elliot described this species from specimens obtained at Putla in Western Mexico by the French collector Rébouch, who sent them to M. Boucard!. The only other specimens we have seen formed part of the collection formed for us by Mrs. Herbert H. Smith in the Sierra Madre del Sur at Omilteme, a small place situated in the mountains above Chilpancingo at an elevation of 8000 feet above sea-level. Mrs, Smith secured two males in beautiful condition in the month of July, but no females; and that sex still remains unknown to us, d°, Rostrum brevius, magis arcuatum. ELVIRA. Leucochloris (Elvira), Mulsant & Verreaux, Class. Troch. p. 32 (1865). Elvira, Muls. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, i. p. 266; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 74. ELVIRA. 273 _ The birds belonging to this genus were formerly placed either in Thawmantias (=Agyrtria) or Hupherusa, to neither of which genera do they strictly belong. (Arcé). This species was discovered by Warszewiez near David in Chiriqui, and was described by Gould in 18501'. The types (a male and a female) are in the National collection. With them a number of other specimens from the same district and from Costa Rica agree in every particular. A Costa Rica example sent by Carmiol from Dota was described by Mr. Lawrence as HL. niveicauda in 1865°, but its identity with E. chionura was soon recognized °, 2. Elvira cupreiceps. Eupherusa cupreiceps, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 3487; ix. p. 127°. Elvira cupreiceps, Muls. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, i. p. 268°; Gould, Mon. Troch. Suppl. t. 53 (Aug. 1880)*; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 122°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 75°. E. chionure similis, sed rostro breviore et magis arcuato, pileo et rectricibus duabus mediis saturate cupreis illius plumis nigro limbatis, rectricibus omnibus (preter duas medias) plus minusve albis fusco terminatis : rostri maxilla nigra, mandibule dimidio basali albido. Long. tota 3:3, ale 2-0, cauds 1°15, rostri 0-7. Q femine LH. chionure similis, pileo et cauda supra cupreis et forma rostris differt. Hab. Costa Rica (Carmiol, Endres), Barranca (Carmiol', Zeledon, in U.S. Nat. Mus.), Tucurriqui (Arcé*), Naranjo de Cartago (Zeledon®). BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., May 1892. 35 274 TROCHILIDA. E. cupreiceps was described by Mr. Lawrence in 1866 from male specimens sent to the United States National Museum by Carmiol from Barranca in Costa Ricat. A female from Tucurriqui had for some time been in our collection; but we did not venture to describe it from such insufficient material. The resemblance of this species to EF. chionura is obvious; but at the same time its distinctive characters can readily be recognized in its more curved bill and coppery head. Its range seems confined to Costa Rica, where it inhabits the mountain-forests at about an elevation of 3000 feet above sea-level. ad”. Rostrum robustum, maxille tomia haud incurva. et. Culmen ad basin plumatum, tegule nasales partim exposite : sexus dissimiles ; plaga auricularis nitida nulla. ©. Tectrices subcaudales magne, laxe ; rectrices laterales purpureo haud tincte. HYPUROPTILA. Agyritria, 5. Chalybura, Reich. Aufz. d. Col. p. 10 (1854). Hypuroptila, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 89 (May 1854). In this and the following genera of this section the bill is stouter than in the genera immediately preceding, but the ends of the tomia of the maxilla are not curved inwards to any great extent. In Hypuroptila and in Lampornis the culmen is feathered at the base, but the nasal covers are partially exposed, and the sexes are dissimilar. In Hypuroptila the under tail-coverts are large and full, and the rectrices are bronze or greenish-bronze—both characters by which it may at once be distinguished from Lampornis. The range of this genus extends from Nicaragua to Colombia and Venezuela. Of the five species all but one occur within our limits; H. tsawre and H. melanorrhoa are restricted to Panama and Costa Rica and Nicaragua respectively. a. Mandibula omnino et pedes nigricantes ; subcaudales elongate, laxe. 1. Hypuroptila buffoni. Trochilus buffoni, Less. Hist. Nat. Troch. p. 331, t. 55°. Hypuroptila buffoni, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 89 (May 1854) °; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 87°. . Chalybura buffoni, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vil. p. 319*; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 365°. Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis, capite summo et uropygio cupreo-tinctis : subtus nitenti-smaragdino-viridis, tectricibus subcaudalibus pure albis ; cauda chalybeo-cyanea, rectricibus mediis saturate cupreo-viridibus : rostro nigro. Long. tota 4:8, ale 2°75, caudee rectr. med. 1°5, rectr. lat. 1°85, rostri 1-2. @ subtus cinerea, hypochondriis viridi lavatis, rectricibus lateralibus albido terminatis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) HYPUROPTILA. 275 Hab. Pawama, Lion Hill (M‘Leannan4*), Obispo Station (0. S.), Paraiso (Hughes), Chepo (Arcé 3),—CotomBia?; VENEZUELA ?. Lesson’s type of this species was supposed to have come from Brazil}, but it is now known that the range of H. buffoni is limited to the north-western portion of South America, where it is a common bird, and that it only enters our fauna as far as the line of the Panama Railway, where M‘Leannan‘? and others procured many specimens, and where Salvin observed it in May 1873 near Obispo Station. H. buffoni has a near ally in H. ceruleiventris, from which it differs in having the under surface pure green instead of being deeply tinged with blue. The latter bird is found further inland in Colombia, and is sent in large numbers in the trade collections of Bogota. H. buffoni seems to be strictly confined to the hotter parts of the countries it inhabits. B. Mandibula (bitriens basalis) et pedes carnei; subcaudales minores. 2. Hypuroptila urochrysea. Hypuroptila urochrysea, Gould, P. Z. 8. 1861, p. 198°; Mon. Troch. ii. t. 90 (July 1861); Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 89°. Chalybura buffoni, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, p. 529 (nec Less.) *. Supra saturate gramineo-viridis, uropygio et tectricibus supracaudalibus cupreo tinctis; cauda cupreo-aurea : subtus smaragdino-viridis, abdomine sordide griseo viridi lavato: maxilla nigra, mandibula carnea apice nigra. Long. tota 5-0, ale 2°75, caude rectr. med. 1°6, rectr. lat. 1-8, rostri a rictu 1:15. (Deser. exempl. typ. ex Panama. Mus. Brit.) © adhuc ignota. Hab. Panama ( Warszewiez 1).—N. CoLomBia. Warszewiez was the discoverer of this species !. The single male specimen obtained by him passed into Gould’s hands, and was described in 1861. This type is said to have been shot at Panama, but no other collector has met with it in that district. As Salmon found it in the State of Antioquia, both near Medellin and Remedios, and as Warszewiez also visited that portion of Colombia, it is just possible that the locality Panama may be founded ona mistaken record of locality, and that Antioquia is the only district in which this rare species is found. Salmon’s birds were wrongly entered as Chalybura buffoni in the list of his collection 4. H. urochrysea is closely allied to H. isawre, but may be distinguished by the purer green colour of the throat. 3. Hypuroptila isaure. Hypuroptila isaure, Gould, P. Z. S. 1861, p. 199'; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 897. Chalybura isaure, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 72°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 152%. H. urochrysee similis, sed dorso vix ceruleo lavato, uropygio magis cupreo tincto; subtus gutture et Tpectore cerulescentibus. Long. tota 4°7, ale 2°8, caude rectr. med. 1:6, rectr. lat. 1°8, rostri a rictu 1-1; 35* 276 TROCHILID. 9 subtus omnino sordide grisea, rectricibus duabus utrinque externis. griseo terminatis, fascia subterminali obscura. (Descr. maris et femine ex Santa Fé, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Talamanca (Zeledon, in U.S. Nat. Mus.) ; Panama, Boca del Toro (fide Verreaux 1), Santa Fé 4, Santiago de Veraguas (Arcé). The single, somewhat immature, male specimen described by Gould under this name was sent him by MM. Verreaux of Paris, who received it from Boca del Toro, on the Atlantic coast of the State of Panama, near the frontier of Costa Ricat. This type remained unique for many years, until our collector E. Arcé rediscovered the bird at Santa Fé and other places in Central Panama, and sent us specimens of both sexes 4. The range of the species would thus appear to be very limited, and confined to the western parts of the State of Panama, and Talamanca, the border State of Eastern Costa Rica. A little to the southward H. urochrysea takes its place, and to the northward in the rest of Costa Rica and Nicaragua we find H. melanorrhoa. It is closely allied to the first-mentioned bird, but may be distinguished by the bluish shade which over- spreads the green of the under surface. 4. Hypuroptila melanorrhoa, (Chalybura melanorrhoa, Tab. LV. figg. 2¢, 39.) Chalybura melanorrhoa, Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 584°; Ibis, 1872, p. 319°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 122°; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 406‘; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121”. Hypuroptila melanorrhoa, Gould, Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 10 (July 1881)°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 90’. Chalybura carmoh, Lawr. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1865, p. 39°. Similis precedentibus, sed uropygio et cauda lete purpureo-cupreis : subtus colore viridi saturate ceruleo haud tincto, tectricibus subcaudalibus purpureo-nigris haud albis facile distinguenda. Long. tota 4:5, ale 2°8, caude rectr. med. 1°6, rectr. lat. 1:8, rostri a rictu 1:1. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Tucurriqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) 9 a femina H. isaure tectricibus subcaudalibus griseis haud albis differt. Hab. Nicaraeva, Chontales (Belé?), Los Sabalos (Nutting 4); Costa Rica (Endres), Angostura ®, Pacuare (Carmiol *), Tucurriqui (Arcé!), Jimenez (Zeledon*), Tala- manca (Zeledon, in U.S. Nat. Mus.). A series of specimens of this species from Eastern Costa Rica sent us by our collector E. Arcé were the first that reached us. These were described in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society ’ in 1864 under the name the species now bears!. The following year Mr. Lawrence described the same bird, also from Costa Rica specimens, as Chalybura carnioli®. Other specimens have since been obtained in Costa Rica, where the bird is now well known. It also occurs in Nicaragua, as Belt secured several examples of both sexes at Chontales?, and where Mr. Nutting also found it at Los Sabalos 4. Though clearly allied to both H. tsaure and H. urochrysea, this species may at once HYPUROPTILA.—LAMPORNIS. 277 be distinguished by the rich purple-bronze colour of the upper tail-coverts and tail; the tint of the green of the under surface is dark but without blue shade, and the under tail-coverts are purple-black instead of white. We have no evidence of the existence of any member of this genus in Chiriqui, at least not on the Pacific side of the mountain-range. Nor is the genus represented in Western Costa Rica. d°. Lectrices subcaudales normales ; rectrices laterales purpureo tincte. LAMPORNIS., Lampornis, Swainson, Zool. Journ. iii. p. 358; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p- 91. The purple colour of the greater part of the lateral rectrices in nearly all the species of Lampornis, the shorter rounder tail, and normal under tail-coverts serve to distinguish this genus from Hypuroptila, which otherwise has structural points in common with it. The genus contains ten species, of which four occur within our limits, one of them being the very widely ranging L. violicauda, which enters the State of Panama as far as the Line of Railway. ‘The most extensively distributed is Z. prevosti, which spreads from the middle of the State of Vera Cruz to Costa Rica, a modified form, LZ. hendersoni, occupying the island of Old Providence. The fourth species, L. veraguensis, has a very restricted range in the western part of the State of Panama. 1. Lampornis violicauda, Le Colibri a queue violette de Cayenne, Buff. Pl. Enl. 671. f. 21. Trochilus violicauda, Bodd. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 41°. Lampornis violicauda, Elliot, Ibis, 1872, p. 351°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p-. 93%. Lampornis mango, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 319°; Sel. & Saly. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 365°. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, capite summo obscuriore: subtus gutture et abdomine medio nigris, cervicis late- ribus micanti-viridibus, hoe colore cyaneo gradatim transeunte ad guttur nigrum ; hypochondriis viridibus, subcaudalibus nigris saturate viridescenti-cyaneo lavatis; caude rectricibus mediis saturate viridibus, late- ralibus lete purpureis chalybeo-cyaneo marginatis: rostro nigro, pedibus nigricantibus. Long. tota 4:5, alee 2°6, caudee 1°4, rostri a rictu 1-1. 2 subtus alba, fascia longitudinali nigra a mento usque ad crissum extendente, subcaudalibus viridibus albo marginatis, rectricibus lateralibus chalybeo-cyaneo-purpureis, plaga mediana purpureo-rubida, apicibus albis, Hab. Panama, Lion Hill (M‘Leannan4**), Paraiso (Hughes 4). —Sourn AMERICA, generally from Colombia to South Brazil 4. This well-known and widely-ranging species is only found within our limits at the extreme south-eastern portion, 7. ¢. between the line of the Panama Railway and the mainland of South America. In the south it ranges over nearly the whole of Tropical South America, keeping its specific characters with remarkable precision. Only in the birds of Western Ecuador has any separation been attempted of late years, and these were described by Gould as L. iridescens, but the differences are hardly appreciable. 278 TROCHILIDA. The great diversity between the sexes of this bird led to their being described as distinct species by the old authors. All of these titles are now collected under Lampornis violicauda, though the application of this name is questioned. For a long time Linneus’s 7rochilus mango was considered its proper appellation, but Mr. Elliot showed that this name belonged to the very distinct Jamaican Lampornis, and we have followed him in this opinion. Lampornis violicauda is not uncommon on the line of the Panama Railway both at Lion Hill and Paraiso Stations. We have received examples from both places; and M‘Leannan, who collected principally at Lion Hill, also sent specimens to Mr. Lawrence. 2. Lampornis prevosti. Trochilus prevosti, Less. Hist. Nat. Col. p. 87, t. 24’. Lampornis prevosti, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 75 (May 1858)*; Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 287°; 1859, pp. 367 *, 385°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 127°; 1870, p. 8877; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 272°; 1864, p. 380°; 1889, p. 8657°; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 8362"; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 98"; Lawr. Bull. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. no. 4. p. 832"; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250”; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 275; P. Z. S. 1883, p. 451"; Stone, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1890, p. 207°" Lampornis thalassinus, Ridgw. Pr. Biol. Soc. Wash. iii, p. 23”. Lampornis prevosti thalassinus, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 573”. Lampornis mango, de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 62°°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 96”. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis: subtus abdomine medio viridi-cyaneo tincto, hypochondriis aureis, gutture medio nigro lateribus suis micanti-viridibus, subcaudalibus purpureo-nigris; caude rectricibus mediis saturate viridibus, lateralibus rufo-purpureis, chalybeo-cyaneo marginatis: rostro nigro. Long. tota 4:5, ale 2-6, caude 1°45, rostri a rictu 1-2. @ subtus alba, fascia mediana nigra a mento ad crissum apud pectus plumis viridibus intermixta, cervicis lateribus et hypochondriis aureo-viridibus, subcaudalibus viridi-fuscis albo terminatis; caude rectricibus lateralibus apicibus albis, fascia lata subterminali chalybeo-cyanea. (Descr. maris et femine ex Santa Ana, Peten. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico (Sallé*), Altamira, Tampico and Tantina in Tamaulipas (W. B. Richard- son 1”), Misantla (de Oca, F. D. G.), Jalapa (de Oca), Choapam (Boucard*), Cordova (Boucard*, Sumichrast 4), Uvero (Sumichrast!*), Northern Yucatan (G@. F. Gaumer'®), Meco I., Mugeres I. (G. F. G.1°), Cozumel I. (Benedict, G. F. G.), road from Ticul to Uxmal, Labna (Stone), Santa Efigenia (Sumichrast 13); Bririsu Honpuras, Belize (Llancaneauaz 1); Guaremaua (Skinner °), Santa Ana near Peten, Escuintla, Hacienda de la Concepcion (0. S.”); Honpuras, Bonacca I. (G. F. Gaumer'), San Pedro (G. M. Whitely’); Costa Rica, Bebedero de Nicoya (Arcé 12),— Venezveta?®, Lesson’s figure of this bird was taken from a female or young male specimen of a Lampornis from an unknown locality. In his ‘Index Général des genre Trochilus,’ p- xli, he gave its locality with doubt as Surinam. Bonaparte, who included this bird in his ‘Conspectus Avium,’ assigned it to the island of Tobago, and Gould was the LAMPORNIS. . 279 first person to attach Lesson’s name to the Mexican Lampornis, and in this course he has been followed by all recent writers, With a general resemblance to L. violicauda this species may readily be distinguished by the middle of the abdomen being green and not black, and this character is shared by the following closely allied species. The range of L. prevosti is very extensive, and includes the whole of the Mexican State of Vera Cruz, and even spreads a little further north to Tampico and Altamira in the State of Tamaulipas. It thence passes through Yucatan, British Honduras, Guatemala, and as far south as Western Costa Rica. In Guatemala it is by no means common, and we do not recollect to have seen any skins of it in the great collections made near Coban. It occurs, however, in the province of Peten and near Escuintla on the side of mountains bordering the Pacific Ocean. In both places we found this bird feeding from the flowers of a species of Erythrina, commonly planted to form hedges. Boucard says! that it frequents the gardens of Cordova and Jalapa, and builds in the coffee-trees ; and according to de Oca ° it is common and resident in the State of Vera Cruz, but in no other part of Mexico. It is common on most of the islands lying off the coast of Yucatan, British Honduras, and the Republic of Honduras. The Cozumel bird was separated by Mr. Ridgway as L. thalassinus 18, but we cannot trace any difference between our series from that island and others from the mainland. The presence of L. prevosti in Venezuela seems to be assured. Not only did Mr. Spence procure a specimen in that country !2, but we believe Count Berlepsch has also obtained skins from there which are certainly referable to this species. 3. Lampornis hendersoni. Lampornis hendersoni, Cory, Auk, iv. p. 177’; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 99”. L. prevosti similis, sed rostro breviore forsan distinguendus. Long. tota 4:4, alee 2°65, caude 1-4, rostri a rictu 0-9. 9 afemina L. prevosti rostro brevi differt. (Descr. maris et femine ex Ins. Old Providence. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Old Providence I. in the Caribbean Sea (R. Henderson } 2). This bird is very closely allied to LZ. prevosti, and the only difference that can be relied on with any certainty is the dimensions of the bill, that of the island bird being very short. Mr. Cory, in his description, speaks of the back being green instead of bronzy, the black patch on the throat longer and narrower, and the top of the head faintly tinged with ash colour. These are variable characters, and may be partly due to the age of the plumage and the way the skin is made up. The birds which were described by Mr. Cory were all obtained by Mr. R. Henderson on the little island of Old Providence, which lies at some distance from the east coast of Central America in the Caribbean Sea. ‘Three of these specimens were most kindly sent us by Mr. Cory. 280 TROCHILIDZ. 4. Lampornis veraguensis. Lampornis veraguensis, Gould, Mon. Troch. ui. t. 76 (May 1858)’; Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 140°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 178°; Salv. P. ZS. 1867, p. 153 *; 1870, p. 207’; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 99 °. L. prevosti similis, sed gula tota micanti-viridi, colore nigro omnino absente facile distinguendus. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Chiriqui. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Warszewiez 1), David (Bridges 1°, Hicks **), Cor- dillera del Chucu, Calobre (Arcé 5), Agua Dulce (Herrera, in U.S. Nat. Mus.). Gould’s description of this species was taken from specimens sent to him by Warsze- wiez from Chiriqui, and the bird has since been found in the same district by several more recent travellers. Arcé also met with it at Calobre, halfway between Chiriqui and Panama. The range of the species is very restricted, and probably does not extend beyond the western half of the State of Panama. In Costa Rica the allied form, L. prevosti, is found, and at Panama L. violicauda. As a species L. veraguensis is easily distinguished, for the whole throat is glittering green, the middle as well as the sides; in all the allied forms the middle of the throat is black. f4, Culmen ad basin plumatum, tegule nasales quoque plumate (margine inferiore excepto); plaga auricularis nitida, violacea: sexus similes. PETASOPHORA. Petasophora, Gray, List Gen. Birds, p. 18 (1840) ; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 105. In this genus the feathering of the forehead is carried further along the bill than in Lampornis, so that the nasal covers are almost hidden. Petasophora has also a pecu- liarity in the conspicuous elongated glittering blue auricular tufts, which are to be found in every one of the species. The character of the coloration of the throat is also peculiar, each feather showing a dark disc with a glittering margin in certain lights. The tomia of the maxilla are rather strongly serrate, so much so that a Brazilian species bears the name JP. serrirostris from this feature. Seven species are included in Petasophora, one of which, however, is of doubtful value. All the species inhabit mountain-ranges, most of them living at a considerable elevation. P. delphine, though also a bird of the mountains, likewise visits the lower grounds. Of the three species found within our limits, P. thalassina inhabits Southern Mexico and Guatemala, P. cyanotis Costa Rica and the State of Panama, and the Andes of “South America as far south as Bolivia. P. delphinw is a widely-ranging bird of the northern portion of the southern continent, and reaches the eastern forests of Guatemala. PETASOPHORA. 281 Ptilosis plerumque nitidi-viridis. 1. Petasophora thalassina. Trochilus thalassinus, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 441°. Petasophora thalassina, Gould, P. Z. S. 1847, p. 87; Mon. Troch. iv. t.227 (May 1853) *; Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1858, p. 297*; 1859, pp. 367°, 386°; 1864, p. 1777; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p- 127°; Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 468°; 1860, pp. 195°, 260", 263; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 109”; Lawr. Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 284; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 292’; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 64°; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p.250'7; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 157°; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 822”. Ramphodon anais, Less. Hist. Nat. Troch. p. 146, t. 56”. Ornismya anais, Less. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, Suppl. p. 104, t. 37. Trochilus anais, Sw. Birds Braz. & Mex. t. 75”. Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis ; subtus gutture micanti-viridi, plumis singulis disco obscuriore ; abdomine medio saturate violaceo-cyaneo, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus viridibus, his cervino lim- batis; mento, genis et plaga auriculari elongata, nitide violaceis; rectricibus mediis dorso fere concolor- ibus, reliquis cyanescentioribus, omnibus fascia subterminali nigricanti-chalybea: rostro nigro. Long. tota 4:5, alee 2°7, caude 1°7, rostri a rictu 1:0, 2 mari similis, sed coloribus omnibus pagine inferioris minus nitidis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Duefias, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico? (Benvelet*°, White’), Guanajuato (Sanchez), Temiscaltepec (Bullock +) Real del Monte, Ajusco (W. B. Richardson '°), Hacienda Eslava, Chimalpa and Tetelco in the Valley of Mexico, Montafia de Orizaba, Coatepec !®, Cordova (Sanchez, F. Ferrari-Perez °), Jalapa (de Oca® %, M. Trujillo °), Orizaba (Sumichrast “"), Puebla (errari-Perez +’), ‘Totontepec (A. Boucard®, M. Trujillo), Oaxaca 4 (Fenochio**); GuatemaLa (Skinner’), Quezaltenango (0. S.1°), San Martin, Chuipache, Toliman (W. B. Richardson), Duefias ", Volcan de Fuego 1, Montafia de Chilasco, Coban (0. S. & F. D. G.). This species was first described by Swainson in 1827, from specimens obtained by Bullock at Temiscaltepec in Central Mexico 4, and it isnow known to be a not uncom- mon bird in the Valley of Mexico "°, chiefly in the months of June and July !°, and on the eastern edge of the plateau in the State of Vera Cruz. It appears to be absent from the sierras of Western * and North-western Mexico, and though we have not traced it northward of Real del Monte in the State of Hidalgo, Sefior J. Sanchez gives Guana- juato as one of its localities. In Guatemala it is a common characteristic bird of the highlands, where it keeps almost exclusively to the region of evergreen oaks, its range in altitude extending from about 5000 to 9000 feet above the level of the sea. In the oak forests it frequents the brushwood, and its presence may often be detected by the rather monotonous song the male utters when resting on a dead twig of some bush. Lesson, who gave a very fair figure of this species in his ‘ Histoire Naturelle des * Petasophora thalassina, Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 292, ex Tres Marias Is. (Xantus), is based upon a bird wrongly located. BIOL, CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., Judy 1892, 36 282 . -TROCHILIDA. Trochilidées,’ under the name of Ramphodon anais, seems to have confused it with the South-American bird we now know as P. tolata. His first description of R. anais was based upon a Mexican specimen. | P. thalassina may readily be distinguished from P. cyanotis by its blue abdomen. In very adult birds the chin is slightly tinged with blue, but not nearly so much so as in P. iolata. | 2. Petasophora cyanotis. Trochilus cyanotus, Bourc. & Muls. Ann. Sc. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, vi. p. 41+. Petasophora cyanotus, Gould, P. Z. 8S. 1847, p. 8°. Petasophora cyanotis, Gould, Mon. Troch. iv. t. 228 (May 1853)°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 162°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 125°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 316°; Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1870, p. 2107; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 110°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 69°; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 500”; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121”. Petasophora cabanidis, Heine, J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 182”. Petasophora cabanisi, Lawr. Aun. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 126”. P. thalassine similis, sed colore violaceo a mento et abdomine medio omnino absente. Hab. Costa Rica (Carmiol, Endres), Barranca®, Dota®, Grecia (Carmiol), Cartago (Cooper °), Orosi (Kramer ®), Irazu (Boucard®, Rogers®), La Palma (Nutting 1°), Faldas de Irazu (Zeledon''), Las Cruces de Candelaria (Zeledon); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Chitra, Calovevora (Arcé’).—Sovura America, Andes, from Colombia and Venezuela! to Bolivia’. Birds of this species from Costa Rica have been separated from the South-American form both by F. Heine and Mr. Lawrence under the names of P. cabanidis and P. cabanisi; but their comparisons are chiefly made with P. thalassina, which is certainly a distinct species. ‘The differences observable between the Costa Rican and Andean birds are very slight, and consist in the former being rather darker on the abdomen and in the bright feathers of the throat spreading further over the breast. We doubt if even these slight characters are constant, but due in a great measure to the way the skins are made up. P. cyanotis is a common bird in the highlands of Costa Rica and the State of Panama. A gap then occurs in its range, and it reappears in the Andes of Venezuela and Colombia, and thence passes southwards as far as Bolivia. Ptilosis plerumque fusca. 3. Petasophora delphine. Ornismya delphine, Less. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 444. Petasophora delphine, Gould, P. Z. S. 1847, p.9°*; Mon. Troch. iv. t. 229 (May 1853) °; Salv. This, 1860, pp. 194°, 195°, 261°, 2767; 1872, p. 320°; P. ZS. 1870, p. 210°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 111; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8.1870, p. 837". Fusco-brunnea, tectricibus supracaudalibus obscurioribus et cum uropvgio ferrugineo terminatis: subtus PETASOPHORA.—PANTERPE. 283 fuscescens, gutture pallidiore, medialiter plumis nitide viridibus (ad pectus cyaneis) ornato ; plaga auriculari elongata, nitide violacea; subcaudalibus ferrugineis ; cauda viridi-brunnea, fascia subterminali obscura utrinque ferrugineo limbata: rostro nigro. Long. tota 4-5, alee 2°6, caude 1°5, rostri a rictu 0°8. 2 mari similis, plaga gulari viridi et auricularibus elongatis violaceis minoribus distinguenda. (Descr. maris et feminee ex Coban, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Guatemata (Skinner !), Coban (0.8.45); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. 1. Whitely"); Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt*); Costa Rica (Carmiol1!); Panama, Calovevora (Arcé®).—CotomBia; Ecuapor; Peru; VenezveLa; Gutana ll. Petasophora delphine is a well-known bird in all the countries forming the northern portion of the South-American continent from Guiana on the east. to Colombia on the west, and it passes southwards as far as Peru. In Central America it also enjoys a wide range, occurring at intervals throughout our country as far north as Coban in Vera Paz. . When staying at the Jatter town in November 1859, Salvin obtained several specimens which were shot in the neighbourhood, mostly when feeding amongst the Salvie which abound there and are in full flower towards the close of the year. | As M‘Leannan did not meet with this species on the line of the Panama Railway, it is probable that it is not found in the hottest part of the lowlands, but keeps mostly to the forest-clad hills at some elevation above sea-level. Sect. B. TROCHILI INTERMEDII. Tomia maxille ad apicem indistincte serrata. a. Culmen ad basin plumatum ; tegule nasales partim exposite ; rostrum subrectum. PANTERPE. Panterpe, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 43; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 158. This genus has no near allies, so far as we know at present. In the feathering of the base of the bill it resembles Heliangelus and Heliotrypha, and it agrees with those genera in the absence of white at the end of the lateral rectrices; but the sexes are alike instead of being widely different, the tail more rounded, and the glittering colours differently arranged. Panterpe is restricted in its range to Costa Rica and the adjoining portions of the State of Panama. 1. Panterpe insignis, Panterpe insignis, Cab, & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 43’; Gould, Mon. Troch. v. t. 3386 (May 1861)’; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1862, p. 164°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 45 (partim)*; ix. p. 124°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 316°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p.717; Zeledon, An. Mus, Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 122°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 158°. 36* 284 TROCHILID A. Supra nitenti-ceruleo-viridis, tectricibus caude superioribus cerulescentioribus; nucha nigra; pileo nitide cyaneo: subtus nitide aurea, hypochondriis viridescentioribus, gutture medio nitide rubro; plaga pectorali cyanea, tectricibus subcaudalibus saturate: viridibus; cauda saturate cyaneo-chalybea: rostro nigro, mandibule dimidio basali carnea. Long. tota 4:2, ale 2°5, caudew 1°5, rostri a rictu 0°9, (Descr. maris ex Volcan de Chiriqui. Mus. nostr.) 2 mari similis. Hab. Costa Rica, San José (Hoffmann ! *), La Candelaria (v. Frantzius®®), Volcan de Cartago (EL. Arcé®, J. Cooper ®, Boucard"), Faldas de Irazu §, La Palma (Zeledon) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Arcé ®). This beautiful species was discovered by the late Dr. Hoffmann in Costa Rica, and was described by Cabanis and Heine in 1860 from the single specimen sent by him to the Berlin Museum?, This specimen also formed the subject of Gould’s plate2. A few years afterwards our collector, Enrique Arcé, procured a series of specimens from Costa Rica, and subsequently others from the Volcan de Chiriqui, the sexes of each specimen from the latter locality being noted on the label. We thus learn that there is no tangible difference between the sexes of this species, the female being hardly less brilliant than the male. At one time it was supposed that the bird described by Gould as Anthocephala castaneiventris (a female Oreopyra) was the female of Panterpe insignis®, but this view has, we believe, been now definitely abandoned. The range of P. insignis seems to be very limited, and probably does not extend beyond the upland zone of forest which occupies the higher volcanoes of Costa Rica and Chiriqui. Zeledon gives its Costa Rica habitat as the slopes of the Volcan de Irazu, which is another name for that of Cartago. The same collector has sent a specimen to the United States National Museum from La Palma. b. Culmen ad basin plumatum ; tegule nasales (pars distalis) distincte exposite ; rostrum leviter arcuatum. al. Guttur album aut nitide viride aut ceruleo-viride. a’. Cauda uniformis, subquadrata ; pileus viridis, dorso concolor. al”. Sexus fere similes. AGYRTRIA. Thaumantias, Bp. Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 255 (nec Eschsch.). Agyriria, Reich. Aufz. d. Col. p. 10; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 178. Of the twenty-two species included in this genus only two occur within our limits, one of them being the widely-ranging A. candida, which extends from Eastern Mexico to Nicaragua, the other being A. duciw, the only known specimen of which came from Honduras. It is somewhat remarkable that in Costa Rica and the State of Panama AGYRTRIA. 285 both Agyrtria and Cyanomyia are unrepresented, though both occur on each side of that district. Though many of the species of Agyrtria are well defined, others are not so, and the specific limits of the latter are not clearly understood. The genus extends over nearly the whole of the tropical portion of South America, its northern limit being defined by that of A. candida in the middle of the Mexican State of Vera Cruz. Several species occur in Southern Brazil and Bolivia, but none seem to pass beyond the limits of the tropical forests. As a genus Agyrtria is very closely allied to Cyanomyia, and it is questionable whether they should be kept apart ; the tail of the latter is perhaps slightly more forked, but the difference is hardly material. In colour there is more diversity, as none of the members of Agyrtria have the crown glittering blue. Cyanomyia, on the whole, seems a natural group of species, and on that account had better be kept apart. 1. Agyrtria lucie. Thaumatias lucie, Lawr. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1867, p. 2331; Elliot, Ibis, 1878, p- 52°. Agyrtria lucie, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 208°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 188‘. “Upper plumage of a dull bronzy dark green, the crown duller ; the upper tail-coverts of a lighter bronzy green, somewhat golden; the tail-feathers are dull bronzy green, all except the two central ones are broadly marked near their ends with dark purplish bronze, the tips being ashy grey; the throat and breast are glittering bluish green, middle of the abdomen white; the under tail-coverts are light olive margined with white; wings brownish purple; upper mandible black, the under yellow with the end black ; feet black. Length (skin) 3? inches, wing 2}, tail 12, bili 13.” (Lawrence, 1. s. ¢.) Hab. Honpuras 1, We have never seen a specimen of this species, which Mr. Lawrence compares with A, linnwi (=A. viridissima, nob.), which it resembles in size and colour, differing in the tail being like that of A. nivetpectus. . The type was the only specimen of the species in the collection in which Mr. Lawrence found it, but there were many examples of A. candida. 2. Agyrtria candida. Trochilus candidus, Bourc. & Muls. Ann. Sc. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, ix. p. 326°. Thaumatias candidus, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1858, p. 3587; 1859, p. 886°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 130°; 1860, p. 40°; Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 467°; 1860, p. 2707; 1872, p. 820°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 190°; G. C. Taylor, Ibis, 1860, p. 116"; Gould, Mon. Troch. y. p- 292 (May 1860) ; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 206; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 277"; Lawr. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4. p.33™“; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p- 250*°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 96". Supra nitenti-cupreo-viridis, pileo et uropygio magis cupreo tinctis: subtus nivea, tectricibus subcaudalibus concoloribus, cervicis lateribus et hyochondriis nitide aureo-viridibus ; cauda olivescenti-viridi, rectricibus lateralibus fascia subterminali cupreo-purpurea ornatis: rostri maxilla nigra, mandibula carnea apice nigra. Long. tota 3°6, ale 2:0, caude 1-2, rostri a rictu 0-75. 286 TROCHILIDZA. 2 mari similis, sed rectricum lateralium apicibus pallidioribus. (Descr. maris et feminz ex Coban, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) | Hab. Mexico (de Oca"), Misantla (F. D. G.°), Cordova 1°, Playa Vicente (Boucard °), Sochiapa (IZ. Trujillo ®), Guichicovi (Sumichrast * ™), Chimalapa (W. B. Richard- son®), Temax in Yucatan (G. F. Gaumer®); British HonDuras, Corosal (Roe), Belize, Cayo and Great Southern Pine-ridge (Blancaneaua ®); GUATEMALA (Skinner +), Coban! 7, Choctum, Yzabal? ( O.S. & F. D.G.); Honpuras (G4. Taylor 1°), Truxillo (Townsend, in U.S. Nat. Mus.), Santa Ana (Wetthugel, in U.S. Nat. Mus.); Nicaragua, La Libertad and Santo Domingo in Chontales, Matagalpa (W. B. Richardson), Chontales (Belt ®). This distinct species of Agyrtria was discovered by Delattre in Mexico’. It is there a common species from the middle of the State of Vera Cruz southwards to the eastern side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, occurring also in Yucatan and thence through British Honduras to Eastern Guatemala and Nicaragua. It is very abundant in the neighbourhood of Coban at an elevation of about 4300 feet in the month of November, and we also met with it at Yzabal in September at nearly the sea-level. At the latter place it frequented the flowers of the underwood under the forest trees. At Coban the flowering Salvie were the chief attraction. A, candida is the only species of Ayyrtria which has the crown of nearly the same colour as the back and the whole of the under surface, including the under tail-coverts, pure white. The sexes are much alike, but the female may be distinguished by the tips of the lateral rectrices being paler than in the male. bb’, Sexrus dissimiles. ARINIA., Arinia, Muls. “ Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, 1877, Oct. 12”; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 193. This genus was based by Mulsant upon a bird discovered by M. Boucard at Punta Arenas in Costa Rica. It is apparently closely allied to Agyrtria, but a difference in the coloration of the sexes separates the two forms. | Arinia is restricted in its range to a limited district of Costa Rica, in which country neither Agyriria nor Cyanomyia occur. J. Arinia boucardi. Arima boucardi, Muls. Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, 1877, Oct.*; Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 209°; Sharpe, in Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. (April 1885)°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 193‘. Arena boucardi, Muls. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, iv. p. 194, t. 121°. Sapphironia boucardi, Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 71°. * Male. Upper surface and flanks bronzy green, darkest on the head. Throat and breast shining bluish green. ARINIA.—CYANOMYIA. 287 Abdomen and under tail-coverts pure white. Median pair of rectrices dark bronze-green ; next bronze- green with black tip, remaining lateral feathers bronze-green at base, rest black, the bronze-green decreasing in extent as it goes towards the external feather. All the lateral feathers edged with white at their tips. Maxilla black; mandible flesh-colour, tip black. Feet black. Total length 314 inches, wing 2, tail 15%, culmen 144, “Female. Differs in having the middle of the throat, breast, and underparts pure white. Median rectrices bronzy green ; lateral feathers green at base, then black, and tipped with grey. Rest like the male.” (Liltiot, 1. s. ¢.°) Hab. Costa Rica, Punta Arenas (Boucard ! 8), This bird is only known from the types obtained by M. Boucard in 1876 at Punta Arenas, the chief port on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. b". Cauda uniformis, subfurcata; pileus micans aut cyaneus aut purpureo-cyaneus, obscure viridis aut obscure cyaneus. CYANOMYIA. Cyanomyia, Bonaparte, Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 254; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 194. Uranomitra, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 41 (ex Reich.). Cyanomyia contains eight or nine species, all but two of which are strictly confined to the northern section of our region—the two exceptions belonging to the Andes of Colombia and Peru. Of the northern species four or five are strictly confined to Mexico, one (C. guatemalensis) ranges from British Honduras to Nicaragua, and one is said to belong to Honduras alone. In Cyanomyia the tail is slightly forked and uniform in colour, without any white at the base of the lateral feathers. The crown in nearly all the species is glittering blue, inclining to violet in some of them; in others the fore part of the crown is very dark dull green or dark dull indigo-blue. The genus naturally divides into two groups: in one the whole of the maxilla, except the tip, is flesh-colour and the flanks are white ; all of the birds possessing these characters are from Western or Central Mexico. The other group belongs to Eastern Mexico, and Central America as far south as Nicaragua, and in it the maxilla is black and the flanks shining green. The two Andean birds belong to this latter group. a. Maailla (apex exceptus) carnea; hypochondrie fere pure alba. a. Pileus cyaneus aut purpureo-cyaneus micans. 1. Cyanomyia verticalis. Trochilus quadricolor, Vieill. Ene. Méth. p. 5737 ?? . Agyrtria B. Uranomitra quadricolor, Reich. Aufz. d. Col. p. 10°. Cyanomyia quadricolor, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. t. 284 (May 1855)°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 386‘; Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141°; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 362°; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 2097; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 292°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 276°; Herrera, La Nat. (2) 1. p. 322°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 96". 288 TROCHILID. Trochilus verticalis, Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vég. p. 1 (cf. J. f. Orn. 1868, p. 55)”. Cyanomyia verticalis, Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 194”. Uranomitra ellioti, Berl. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 562", Supra brunnescenti-olivacea viridi vix tincta, cervice postica viridescentiore ; capite summo et cervicis lateribus nitenti-ceruleis, his pallidioribus: subtus (tectricibus subcaudalibus inclusis) nivea, lateribus infra alas fuscis ; cauda olivaceo-viridi, rectricibus lateralibus angustissime albo terminatis: rostro carneo, apice nigro. Long. tota 4:0, alw 2-2, caude 1-25, rostri a rictu 1-05. © mari similis; colore cw#ruleo capitis minus nitido. (Descr. maris et femine ex Bolanos, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico (Deppe 1, Floresi *), Mazatlan (Grayson ®, A. Forrer 1°), Bolafios, Sierra de Bolafios, Calvillo, Lake Chapala, San Blas, Zapotlan (W. B. Richardson }°), Guadalajara (Grayson ®), Volcan de Orizaba (Sallé and Boucard®), Choapam (Boucard +), Guanajuato (Dugés®), Jalisco (Sanchez 4), valley of Mexico (Villada ®, de Oca", Herrera). This species has usually passed as C. guadricolor (Vieill.), but, as Count Berlepsch has shown 14, it cannot be that bird, the description of which, founded upon a specimen said to have come from Trinidad’, better suits Cyanomyia francie of Colombia than the present species. Count Berlepsch proposed to call this bird Uranomitra ellioti*, but Lichtenstein’s title, Trochilus verticalis, a synonym, according to Cabanis and Heine, of C. guadricolor, may be used for it, based as it is upon Deppe’s specimens collected in Mexico. The range of C. verticalis is chiefly confined to the sierras of North-western Mexico, from Mazatlan southwards through the States of Jalisco and Aguas Calientes *. The most southern place whence we have received specimens is Zapotlan, which is on the south side of the Rio Lerma and Lake Chapala. Floresi’s specimens, of which Gould had a number in his collection, were probably all obtained at or near Bolafios. M. Boucard tells us that he and M. Sallé found this species at a great elevation on the peak of Orizaba during an excursion to that mountain®. No specimens were obtained on Popocatepetl by Elwes and Godman in 1888, nor did Mr. Richardson find it on the upper parts of Ixtaccihuatl; but Herrera and other writers on Mexican birds say that it occurs in the Valley of Mexico, and M. Boucard says he found it breeding at Choapam in the month of March 4. 2. Cyanomyia violiceps. Cyanomyia violiceps, Gould, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1859, iv. p. 971; Mon. Troch. v. t. 285 (Sept. 1860)*; Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 386°; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 208‘; Lawr. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 32°; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p.250°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 276"; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 96°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 196°. Uranomitra violiceps, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 41 ™. * When in London last summer (1891) Mr. W. Brewster showed us a specimen of a Cyanomyia allied to ‘ this species from Sonora, It has not yet, so far as we know, been described. CYANOMYIA. 289 C. verticali similis, sed colore ceruleo ; capitis summi plerumque magis violaceo, cervicis lateribus magis viridibus et cauda nitide rufescenti-cuprea distinguenda. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Oaxaca, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Mexico, Cuernavaca’, Puebla’, Atlixco, Oaxaca! (Boucard?), Putla (Rébouch), Sierra Madre del Sur, Chilpancingo, Venta de Zopilote (Mrs. H. H. Smith), Santa Efigenia and Tapana (Suimichrast °°). M. Boucard discovered this species when collecting in the State of Oaxaca, and his specimens, sent to M. Sallé, were described by Gould ! and subsequently figured in his Monograph ?. It is, according to M. Boucard, found in Oaxaca at all seasons of the year. It builds its nest from March to May, and may be seen in the gardens of the town of Oaxaca, taking its food from the flowers of Cacti. C. violiceps is closely allied to C. verticalis, but may usually be distinguished by the deeper violet-blue of the crown. More certain characters are the greener tints of the sides of the neck and the colour of the tail. ‘The latter is of a bronzy-reddish hue, whereas in C. verticalis it is olive-green. B'. Pileus obscurus. 8. Cyanomyia viridifrons. Cyanomyia viridifrons, Elliot, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1871, viii. p. 267°; Ibis, 1876, p. 314°; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 804°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 277°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 196”. Uranomitra viridifrons, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 197°; Sharpe, in Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 49 (April 1885) 7; Berl. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 562°. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, tectricibus supracaudalibus et cauda cupreo tinctis; capite summo ad trontem saturatiore obscure nigricanti-viridi, cervicis lateribus nitenti-viridi lavatis: subtus (tectricibus subcauda- libus inclusis) nivea, lateribus infra alas viridibus: rostro carneo, apice nigro. Long. tota 3°7, ale 2:1, caude 1:2, rostri a rictu 1:0. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Putla, W. Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Mexico, Putla (Rébouch1+), Oaxaca (Fenochio®), Tehuantepec (W. B. Richard- son®; Sumichrast, in U.S. Nat. Mus.), Tonala in Chiapas (W. B. &.). This species was discovered by M. Eugene Rébouch near Putla in the Mexican State of Oaxaca, and described by Mr. Elliot in 187114. One of the original specimens passed into Gould’s collection, and is now before us. An immature specimen from Oaxaca sent us by Sefior Fenochio appears to belong to the same species, and two others—one from Tehuantepec, the other from Tonala in Chiapas—agree very closely with the typical bird. But the specimens from the State of Guerrero obtained by Mrs. Herbert Smith, which we have hitherto considered to belong to this species, differ in having the forehead and crown dark indigo-blue instead of green, and it seems necessary to separate them. The southern extension of C. virédifrons has not yet been determined. We trace it BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., Judy 1892. 37 290 TROCHILID:. to Tonala, but when at Retalhuleu in 1862 Salvin saw in the collection of Dr. Bernoulli a skin of a Cyanomyia which, from a note made at the time, was most probably of this species. 4. Cyanomyia guerrerensis, sp. n. C. viridifronti similis, sed capite summo et fronte saturate obscure cyaneis nec viridibus, dorso postico paulo grisescentiore, forsan distinguenda. Hab. Mexico, Rincon, Acaguizotla and Tierra Colorada in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith). Five specimens of this Cyanomyia in Mrs. Smith’s collection, made in the Sierra Madre del Sur in the State of Guerrero, all agree in having the forehead and crown dark indigo-blue, instead of dark green as in the type of C. viridifrons; the back, too, seems a little greyer, and the tail perhaps deeper bronze. As this bird appears to have a distinct range from C. viridifrons, we now describe it, but the characters are undoubtedly slight and we do so with some diffidence. The position of both these birds is to some extent made more doubtful from the fact of C. violiceps being found in the districts occupied by each of them. The green colour of the flanks under the wings in both C. viridifrons and the present bird con- trasted with the dusky flanks of both C. verticalis and C. violiceps, as well as the total absence of glittering feathers on the crown in all stages of the two first-mentioned birds, is fair evidence of their distinctness. We may further remark that one of the Guerrero birds is quite young in first complete plumage, the feathers of the head are in moult, and the new ones are of the dark indigo-blue of the other more adult specimens. B. Maxilla nigra; hypochondrie viride lavate. 5. Cyanomyia microrhyncha. | Cyanomyia microrhyncha, Elliot, Ibis, 1876, p. 316°; Muls. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, iv. p. 172, t. 119*; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 197°. Uranomitra microrhyncha, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 197*; Sharpe, in Gould’s Mon. Troch. Suppl. (April 1885) °. ‘Top of head and occiput dark metallic blue. Hind neck and mantle shining metallic green; rest of upp parts bronzy red. Throat, upper part of breast, and centre of abdomen white, with a few metallic green feathers scattered among the white ones, Flanks and under tail-coverts bronzy red, metallic. Wings dark brown, slightly shaded with purple. Tail brilliant metallic bronze. Total length 33 inches, wing 21, tail 13, bill along culmen 4.” (idiot, 1. s. c.*) Hab. Honvuras (fide Elliot '). We have not met with any bird agreeing with the above description. Mr. Elliot, when describing the species, stated that the type was said to come from Honduras. CYANOMYIA. 291 As it evidently belongs to the same section of the genus as C. cyanocephala this locality may be correct. It must be noted, however, that C. guatemalensis has been found in Honduras and also in Nicaragua, so that this area seems occupied by an allied form. 6. Cyanomyia cyanocephala. Ornismya cyanocephalus, Less. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, p. xlv'; Suppl. p. 134, t. 18°. Cyanomyia cyanocephala, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. t. 286 (May 1856)*; Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 367+; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 159°; Lawr. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 82°; Elliot, Ibis, 1876, p. 3147; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 96°; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 197". Uranomitra cyanocephala, Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 158". Agyrtria B. Uranomitra faustina, Reich. Troch. Enum. p. 7, t. 760. ff. 4756-7". Uranomitra lessoni, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 41 ™. Supra nitenti-cupreo-viridis, pileo nitide ceruleo, cervicis lateribus nitide viridibus ceruleo certa luce lavatis : subtus nivea, hypochondriis nitenti-viridibus, abdomine medio albo; cauda et tectricibus subcaudalibus olivaceis his albo stricte limbatis: maxilla nigra, mandibula carnea apice nigra. Long. tota 4:0, ale 2:3, caude 1:35, rostri a rictu 0:9. Q mari similis, colore cxruleo pilei minus nitido. (Descr. maris et feminse ex Cordova, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Mexico, Jalapa 8 (de Oca*®, FP. D. G.1, Ferrari-Perez 4, M. Trujillo), Coatepec (de Oca®, F. Ferrari-Perez, M. Trujillo), Mirador (Sartorius, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Huatusco (f. Ferrari-Perez), Orizaba (Sumichrast®, F. D. G., de Oca®), Cordova (Sallé, de Oca®), Oaxaca (Sallé), Guichicovi (Sumichrast °°), Chimalapa (W. B. Richardson), Gineta Mountains (Sumichrast, in U. S. Nat. Mus.). Though stated by Lesson to be a bird of Brazil! his description and figure sufficiently indicate that it was this Mexican species that he was dealing with. Other names have . been suggested for it by Reichenbach !?, and by Cabanis and Heine?!*, but we see no reason for not adhering to Lesson’s title, which has been much used. The bird is very common, according to de Oca®, in the neighbourhood of Jalapa, Coatepec, Orizaba, and Cordova, where it remains throughout the year frequenting the gardens of those towns. It builds its nest in April and May, constructing it of “ tule” (Cyperus), and covering it on the outside with bits of lichen. The hen bird makes the nest in three or four days, the male helping. Several other travellers have observed this species in this part of the State of Vera Cruz, but it is not confined to so limited an area, for a specimen in the Gould collec- tion of M. Sallé’s preparation is marked Oaxaca; and we have received several examples from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec sent us by Mr. Richardson, and where others were obtained by Sumichrast. The former were all shot in March and April. 7. Cyanomyia guatemalensis. Cyanomyia cyanocephala, Sci. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 127 (nec Less.) *; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 39°, 195 *, 261*; G. C. Taylor, Ibis, 1860, p. 114°. Cyanomyia guatemalensis, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 148°; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 204°; Cat. Birds 37* 292 TROCHILID. Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 198°; Lawr. Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 284°; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 292". Uranomitra guatemalensis, Berl. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 562”. C. cyanocephale persimilis, cauda cupreo- nec olivaceo-viridi tincta forsan distinguenda. Hab. British Honpuras, Southern Pine-ridge of the Western District (Blancaneaux®) ; GuateMaLA, Pine-ridge of Poctun, Coban, Mountains of Chilasco and San Geronimo in Vera Paz, Duefias! (0. 8S. & F. D. G.°), Panajachel (W. B. Richardson ®) ; Honpuras, Siquatepec (G. C. Taylor®); Nicaragua, Matagalpa (W. B. &.°). The difference between this bird and the Mexican C. cyanocephala, though slight, seems to be fairly definite when adults with plumage of about the same age are com- pared. It is then seen that the tail of the southern form is more decidedly tinged with a bronzy hue, that of the northern bird being nearly pure olive. Females and young birds are not always easy to distinguish. The range of C. guatemalensis extends beyond the limits of Guatemala in both direc- tions, being found in the pine-clad districts of the western parts of British Honduras at an elevation of 1500 to 2000 feet above sea-level, and near Matagalpa in Nicaragua, also in a pine-region, at an elevation of about 4000 feet. The specimens obtained by Mr. Richardson in the last-named locality were shot between June and October. In the highlands of Guatemala it is a common bird, especially about the village of Duefias, where it chiefly feeds from the flowers of a Euphorbiaceous tree which grows there to a height of twenty or thirty feet, and forms one of the chief trees of the scrubby forest. Nests were found in successive years near the house of the Hacienda at Duefias, placed in the outer branches of a large cypress tree. In cutting one of these nests down it was thrown quite on one side, but the eggs did not fall out owing to a -pro- jecting rim inside the nest keeping them from being upset. ‘This rim would preserve the eggs from danger during great oscillations caused by high wind. Some birds of this species were very tame, one would even take cotton-wool from a table inside the house, doubtless for nest-building ; the same bird would daily search the cut flowers in the rooms. On one occasion it was caught but showed little fear, and whilst in the hand sucked at sugar dipped in water, and on being liberated flew to a tree close by. ‘The wind produced by the rapid action of the wings of these little birds is considerable, for the surface of the piece of wool over which the intruder hovered was violently agitated by the disturbance of the air. b!. Guttur nunquam omnino album ; color nitido-cyaneus nullus ; supra plumis micantibus nunquam ornate. AMAZILIA. Les Amazilis, Lesson, Ind. gén. Troch. p. xxvii. Amazilia, Reich. Av. Syst. t. 39; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 208. AMAZILIA. 293 In many respects Amazilia resembles Cyanomyia and Agyrtria, the main points of structure being similar, the culmen being feathered to the base, but so as to leave the nasal covers distinctly exposed on their anterior portion. In Amazilia the throat is never wholly white, and none of its members have any glittering blue colours, or any glittering colours on the top of the head. We are more or less acquainted with twenty-nine species of Amazilia, but there are some others which we have not met with ; the former are spread over the Andes as far south as Peru, and over the northern portion of South America, none, so far as we know, occurring in the valley of the Amazons nor in Brazil. In Central America and Mexico we recognize thirteen species, two of which range as far north as the mouth of the Rio Grande. On the western side of Mexico, Mazatlan is the most northern point reached, Only one species also occurs in South America. Generally speaking, all species of Amazilia are birds of comparatively low-lying lands, but they ascend the mountains at certain seasons to an elevation of at least 4000 feet. a. Corpus subtus omnino cinnamomeum. 1. Amazilia cinnamomea. Ornismya cinnamomea, Less. Rev. Zool. 1842, p. 175°. Pyrrhophena cinnamomea, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 156°; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 204°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 204°; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 292’; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p- 82°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 967; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250°. Amazilia cinnamomea, Salv. Ibis, 1864, p. 380°; 1870, p. 115°°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 207"; Boucard, P. Z.S. 1878, p. 71; 1883, p. 451”; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. iv. p. 26; Nutting, Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 386”. Ornismya rutila, Delattre, Echo du Monde Sav. 1843, p. 1069". Trochilus corallirostris, Bourc. & Muls. Ann. Se. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, ix. p. 328". Amazilia corallirostris, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. t. 8307 (May 1857) **; Scl. P. Z.S. 1858, p. 358"; 1859, p. 8386"; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 180°; Taylor, Ibis, 1860, p. 115 **; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 268 *°. Supra nitenti-cupreo-viridis, pileo obscuriore, loris et corpore toto subtus cinnamomeis, hoc ad mentum palli- diore ; cauda castanea, apice ct marginibus externis obscure cupreis: rostro carneo (ave viva sanguineo), apice nigro. Long. tota 4:2, ale 2°25, caude 1:3, rostri a rictu 0-9. (Descr. maris ex Retalhuleu, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) @ mari similis, sed subtus pallidior. Hab. Mexico, Mazatlan ° and Presidio de Mazatlan (Grayson, Forrer'), San Blas (W. B. Richardson 11), Tecolapa, Culata (W. Lloyd™), Plains of Colima (W. B. R. 14), Acapulco (A. Lesson'), Tierra Colorada, Rio Papagaio, Acaguizotla, La Venta, Dos Arroyos, Alto de Camaron, Venta de Pelegrino (Mrs. H. H. Smith), State of Oaxaca (Boucard *°), Santa Efigenia, Tapana (Sumichrast °*), Chimalapa (W. B. R.™), Potrero (Sumichrast*), Merida in Yucatan (Schott*, Ff. D. G., G. F. Gaumer!!), Holbox I. (G. F. G.1!); British Hoypuras, Orange Walk (G. F. 294 TROCHILID 2. G. 11), Belize (Blancaneauz 11), Cays off the coast (0. S.°); Guatemaua, San Gerdnimo 23, Escuintla!’, Santana Mixtan (0. S. & F. D. G.), Retalhuleu (0. S. & F. D. G., W. B. Richardson); Satvapor, Acajutla (Capt. J. M. Dow, in U.S. Nat. Mus.), La Libertad (W. B. &.1"); Honpuras, Tigre I. 19, Comayagua (G. C. Taylor **); Nicaragua, Chinandega, El Volcan Chinandega, Momotombo (W. B. R.™), Sucuya (Nutting); Costa Rica?’ ™, San Mateo, Punta Arenas (Boucard 1”). This species was first described by R. P. Lesson from skins obtained by his brother, A. Lesson, at Acapulco in the Mexican State of Guerrero1. We have many examples from this district sent us by Mrs. Herbert H. Smith, and the species has been traced northwards along the coast of Mexico through the State of Colima to San Blas and Mazatlan. Southwards it occurs uninterruptedly as far as Costa Rica, and we have many specimens before us from Tehuantepec, the Pacific coast-region of Guatemala, Salvador, and Nicaragua. On the east side of the continent Sumichrast records it from Potrero in the State of Vera Cruz, but we have never seen specimens from that State. It occursin Northern Yucatan and some of the islands off the coast, and in the northern part of British Honduras. In the interior of Guatemala the only place we ever met with it was San Gerénimo, where it was fairly common at an altitude of about 3000 feet above sea-level. In Honduras, G. C. Taylor says it was a common species at intervals as he travelled across the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic Oceans, especially near Comayagua at an altitude of 1900 feet, where many birds were feeding from the flowers of .a cactus growing in open ground. In Guatemala we noticed that the blossoms of the orange-trees were usually frequented by this bird. As a species A. cinnamomea is very distinct from all other Amazilie except A. graysoni, which is a considerably larger bird. Its real affinity is probably with A. yucatanensis and its allies, as it agrees with them in having a flesh-coloured maxilla and dark wings without any chestnut at the base. It also has points in common with A. pristina and the other Andean species of that section of the genus. 2. Amazilia graysoni. Amazilia (Pyrrhophena) graysoni, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 404". Pyrrhophena graysoni, Grayson, Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p. 183°; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. li. p. 292°. Amazilia graysoni, Gould, Ibis, 1867, p. 247 *; Sharpe, in Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. (March 1887)’; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 209°. A, cinnamomee similis et omnino ejusdem coloris, sed multo major. Long. tota 4°7, ale 2-6, caudex 1:7, rostri arictu 1-1. (Descr. maris ex Tres Marias Is., Mexico Occ. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Tres Marias Islands (Grayson 12%, Forrer). The late Col. A. J. Grayson discovered this species during his visits to the Tres AMAZILIA. 295 Marias Islands between 1865 and 1867; and Mr. Alphonse Forrer also found it when at the same islands in March 1881. Two skins, a male and a female, from the last- named collector are now before us, and confirm the characters set forth by Mr. Lawrence when describing Grayson’s birds. Grayson says that birds of this species are very abundant on the islands, where they seem to be constantly at war with one another. Sometimes combats between them become of a desperate nature. One day, while watching a number of them in active motion around some tobacco-flowers, of which they are very fond, he saw two fine males after darting at each other for some time at length come to a deadly struggle high above his head; they finally clinched each other, each having one of the mandibles of the other in his mouth, at the same time scratching with their claws and using their wings with the greatest force. Whilst in this situation they wheeled round and round and fell to the ground. He then caught both under his hat, but even then, when held apart, they showed a desire to continue the struggle. Grayson also says that he frequently saw birds of this species dart from their perch upon diminutive flies after the manner of a real Flycatcher, and their gizzards when examined were always full of minute insects. B. Guttur et pectus viridi micantes. al. Ale ad basin cinnamomee. a". Cauda aut purpureo-castanea aut chalybea. 3. Amazilia beryllina, Trochilus beryllinus, Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vog. p. 1 (ef. J. f. Orn. 1868, p. 55) *. Amazilia beryllina, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. t. 312 (July 1861)*; Scl. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 177°; Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141°; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 364°; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 23°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 96"; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 322°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 209°. Ornismya arsinoe, Less. Suppl. Ois.-Mouches, p. 154, t. 28°°. Amazilia arsinoe, Scl. P.Z.S. 1859, pp. 297", 866”. Trochilus marie, Boure. Ann. Sc. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, ix. p. 819”. Amazilia marie, Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 158". Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, dorso postico magis cupreo, tectricibus supracaudalibus purpurascentibus: subtus micanti-gramineo-viridis, abdomine imo et tectricibus subcaudalibus castaneis, his purpureo tinctis; alis purpureo-nigris ad basin castaneis, subalaribus omnino castaneis ; cauda nitenti-purpureo-cupreo-castanea : maxilla nigra, mandibula carnea apice nigra. Long. tota 4:0, ale 2:1, caude 1-3, rostri a rictu 0°85. @ mari similis, sed coloribus minus nitidis abdomine grisescentiore. (Descr. maris et femine ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico’? (Deppe'), Choix in Sinaloa (W. Lloyd ®), San Blas and Tepic (W. B. Richardson °), Guanajuato (Dugés *, Sanchez 7), Huayimo, Sierra de Tepic, Bolaiios, Zapotlan (W. Bb. £#.°), Tonila, San Marcos, Beltran, all in Jalisco (W. Lloyd °), 296 TROCHILID A. Patzcuaro (Dugés*), Volcan de Colima ( W. B. R.°), Chilpancingo, Xautipa, Amula, Omilteme in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith°), Valley of Mexico (White®, Villada®, de Oca*, Sanchez", Herrera®), Tetelco in the Valley of Mexico (Ff. Ferrari-Perez®), Cofre de Perote (IZ. Trujillo), Jalapa (de Oca® 1112, Sanchez", F. Ferrari-Perez 4, Trujillo®), Coatepec (P. Ferrari-Perez®, Trujillo®), Orizaba (Botteri?, de Oca®, Sanchez7), Cordova (Sallé?, de Oca®, Sanchez"), Omealca (F. Ferrari-Perez), Villa Alta, Totontepec (I. Trujillo®), Oaxaca (Penochio °), Chimalapa, Tehuantepec (W. B. Richardson °). Deppé’s specimens, briefly described by Lichtenstein, were the first of this species that reached Europe}. The same bird was soon afterwards renamed Ornismya arsinoe by Lesson?°, and figured in the Supplement to his Histoire Naturelle Oiseaux- Mouches. Bourcier’s name Trochilus maria !8 also, we feel sure, belongs here, though this name has been applied to the next species. Amazilia beryllina is one of the commonest of the Mexican Humming-Birds, and is distributed over a large area of that country, from the northern confines of the State of Sinaloa in the north to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and over the plateau of Mexico to the State of Vera Cruz in the east. De Oca says that this bird is found in the Cantons of Jalapa, Cordova, and Orizaba, and other parts of the State of Vera Cruz 6, It frequents the gardens of the houses of Jalapa during the whole year, but is more common in the months of May, June, and July, which are the nesting-season. There is considerable variation in the colour of the tail in this species, and in some specimens the upper tail-coverts and the tail are deep violet-purple, but we are unable to fix these variations to any definite localities. Asarule the darker specimens are from the more northern parts of Western Mexico, but this is not always the case. The range in altitude of this bird extends from the sea-level at San Blas to the plateau of Mexico. 4, Amazilia devillii. Trochilus devillii, Bourc. Rev. Zool. 1848, p. 272’. Amazilia devillii, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. t. 813 (May 1860)’; Salv. Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 369°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 211*; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 451°. Pyrrhophena devillii, Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 204°; Lawr. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 337; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250°. Amazilia arsinoe, Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 195°. Amazilia dumerilii, Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 263 7°, 270”. Amazilia marie, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 222 (nec Bourc.) »*. A. berrylline similis, sed alis ad basin minus castaneis, colore viridi subtus usque ad crissum extenso. Q minus nitida. (Descr. maris et femine ex Duenas, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Yucatan (Gawmer®), 1 Gineta Mountains in Chiapas (Sumichrast’ 8) ; GuaTEMALA 4, Choctum, Yzabal °, Duefias 14, Volcan de Fuego, La Trinidad (0. 8. & F. D, G.); Satvapor, Volcan de San Miguel, La Libertad (W. B. Richardson). AMAZILIA. 297 Bourcier’s description of this bird was based upon a specimen from Guatemala, where the species is abundant from the sea-level at Yzabal to an altitude of 5000 feet on the slopes of the Volcan de Fuego. On the plains of Duefias, which stretch from the village to the foot of the volcano, A. devillii used to be a very common bird, especially in the months of July, August, and September, at the time the tree- convolvulus (Lpomea murucoides) was in flower. During foggy afternoons at this rainy season, when clouds drifted with the southerly wind between the volcanoes of Agua and Fuego, these and other Humming-Birds were to be seen in greatest number feeding from the flowers and fighting with one another. In October it was met with at a lower elevation (5009 feet) on the Volcan de Fuego, but its migratory movements are doubtless influenced by the plants in flower at different places at different times. Until lately we were not aware of A. devillii being found beyond the limits of Guatemala, but Mr. Richardson has sent us a good series of specimens from Salvador shot in February, March, and April at La Libertad on the Pacific coast and on the Volcan de San Miguel. Mr. Lawrence and Sumichrast, confirmed by Mr. Ridgway, include this species in the birds of the Gineta Mountains of Chiapas. Mr. Richardson’s specimens from Chimalapa certainly belong to the Mexican form A. beryllina, and have the extended chestnut bases to the primaries and secondaries of that bird. It would thus appear that these two species occur in very close proximity. 5. Amazilia cyanura. Amazilia cyanura, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. t. 815 (Sept. 1859)*; Salv. Ibis, 1863, p. 2397; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 212°; Berl. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 562%. Pyrrhophena cyanura, Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 195°. Supra nitenti-viridis, ad dorsum posticum rufescenti-purpurea, tectricibus supracaudalibus et cauda saturate chalybeis : subtus gramineo-viridis micans, tectricibus subcaudalibus chalybeis; alis ad basin castaneis : maxilla nigra, mandibula carnea apice nigra. Long. tota 3°6, ala 2-1, caude 1-3, rostri a rictu 0°85. (Descr. maris ex Retalhuleu, Guatemala. Mus, nostr.) Hab. GuatTemaLa, Retalhuleu (0. 8.5, W. B. Richardson*), Mazatenango (0. S. 3); Nicaracua, Realejo (Sir E. Belcher!; Capt. J. M. Dow, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), El Volcan Chinandega, Matagalpa (W. B. Richardson), Chontales (Belt *). The original specimens of this species were obtained at Realejo, Nicaragua, by Sir Edward Belcher, and presented by him to the Zoological Society, whence they passed into Gould’s hands and finally to the British Museum. Belt also found it in Nicaragua ®, and recently Mr. Richardson secured for us a good serles of examples on the volcano near Chinandega, including a female which resembles the male in the characteristic colouring of the tail, but has less bright tints on the body ; the under tail-coverts, too, are dusky, with paler edges. The range of A. cyanura extends to the Pacific coast-region of Guatemala, where BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IT., Ju/y 1892. 38 298 TROCHILIDA. Salvin found it near Retalhuleu and Mazatenango in September 1862. Mr. Richardson also met with it in the same district in April 1891. Thus in all probability the range of the species extends uninterruptedly from Guatemala, close to the Mexican frontier, to Nicaragua. B". Cauda nitente olivacea aut cuprea. 6. Amazilia ocai. Amazilia ocai, Gould, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1859, iv. p. 96*; Mon. Troch. v. t. 289 (July 1861) *; Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 867°; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 16, t. —*; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 213°. Hemistilbon ocai, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 150°. Thaumatias lerdi, de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 2477. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, pileo ceruleo-viridi, dorso postico et tectricibus supracaudalibus viridi-cupreis, gutture et pectore gramineo-viridibus micantibus, plumis singulis albis macula discali viridi ornatis; maculis gutturalibus minoribus, abdomine medio griseo, hypochondriis aureo-viridi lavatis; tectricibus subcaudalibus pallide viridi-cupreis late albido marginatis; alis ad basin castaneis; cauda cupreo- olivaceo-viridi, rectricum lateralium rhachidibus et pogoniis externis ad basin castaneis: rostro nigro, mandibula ad basin carnea. Long. tota 4:0, ale 2:3, caude 1:35, rostri a rictu 0°85. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Mexico, Jalapa (de Oca!?*), Paso del Macho ? (de Oca’). The type specimen obtained by de Oca at Jalapa and described by Gould in 1859, and subsequently figured in his Monograph, is the only one we have seen; nor have we any other information regarding the species unless the bird described by de Oca as Thaumatias lerdi belongs to it, as seems to me to be not improbable. The latter name was placed by Mr. Elliot as a synonym of Agyrtria norrisi, which was considered by Gould to be a second member of his genus Hemistilbon, A. ocai being the type. Gould also gave the habitat of A. norrisi as Bolafios, but on what grounds he did so is not apparent. Bourcier, the author of the name, gave its locality as Guayaquil, and we believe the bird to be the same as Amazilia dumerilii. ‘* Agyrtria norrisi”” therefore must be erased from the list of Mexican Humming- Birds. 7. Amazilia sumichrasti. Amazilia sumichrasti, Salv. Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1891, vii. p- 376'; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p- 218, t. 7. f. 27. Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis, pileo obscuriore dorso postico magis aurescente: subtus gramineo-viridis micans, colore albo ad basin plumarum vix obvio, abdomine et hypochondriis viridibus ; tectricibus subcaudalibus pallide rufescentibus; cauda lete nitenti- cuprea; primariis internis et seoundariis ad basin castaneis: maxilla nigra, mandibula carnea apice nigra. Long. tota 3-8, ale 2-1, caudex 1:2, rostri arictu 0-9. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Tehuantepec. Mus. nostr.) AMAZILIA. 299 Hab. Mexico, Santa Efigenia, Tehuantepec (Ff. Sumichrast !*). The only specimen we have seen of this distinct species was sent by the late Prof. F. Sumichrast to M. Boucard and ceded to us by him. The specimen is a male, and was shot in December 1877. It is named after its discoverer, who long resided at various places in South Mexico and studied the vertebrate fauna of that country with great industry and success. A. sumichrasti has some resemblance to A. ocai, but the points of difference are many and obvious. Chief amongst them is the colour of the under tail-coverts and tail, and the denser green colour of the throat, on which the white bases of the feathers are hardly visible. B!. Alw ad basin purpurco-nigre. " Abdomen posticum cinnamomeum ; lora viridia. Y 8. Amazilia yucatanensis. Trochilus yucatanensis, Cabot, Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 74 (1845)". Amazilia yucatanensis, Gould, Mon. Troch. v. t. 308 (Sept. 1861) *; de Oca, La Nat. i. p. 308, t. —°; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. iv. p. 25°; Boucard, P. Z. 8. 1883, p. 451 >; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 214°. Pyrrhophena cerviniventris, Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 195 (nec Gould)”. Supra nitenti-cupreo-viridis, pileo obscuriore ; gutture et pectore viridibus micantibus, abdomine hypochon- driis et tectricibus subcaudalibus castaneis ; cauda castanea cupreo limbata et terminata; alis ad basin purpureo-nigris : rostro carneo, apice nigro. Long. tota 4:0, ale 2-2, caude 1:5, rostri a rictu 0°95. Q mari similis, sed subtus pallidior, rectricibus duabus mediis ad basin cupreis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Santana, Peten. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Yucatan (Cabot!?), Merida in Yucatan (Ff. D. G.°, G. &. Gaumer °); GuaTEMALA, Santa Ana in Peten (0. S. 7). Dr. Samuel Cabot, who accompanied Stephens in his well-known travels in Yucatan, was the discoverer and describer of this species. His type also formed the subject of the plate in Gould’s Monograph of the Trochilide, the upper figure of which, supposed to represent a female of this species, was drawn from a specimen of A. cinnamomea, as Gould more than half suspected at the time. Many years elapsed after the first discovery of this species before anything more was heard of it, and it was not until Salvin shot three specimens at the little village of Santa Ana, on the road from Vera Paz to Peten, in April 1862, that it was again noticed. Since that time a few more examples have reached us from Northern Yucatan, amongst them two males which were shot by Godman when at Merida in February 1888. The Santa Ana birds were feeding from the flowers of an Erythrina in company with Amazilia riefferi and Lampornis prevosti. 38* 300 TROCHILID 2. 9. Amazilia cerviniventris. Amazilia cerviniventris, Gould, P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 150'; Mon. Troch. v. t. 309 (May 1857) *; Scl. P.Z.S. 1856, p. 287°; 1857, p. 17*; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 209°; Merrill, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, ii. p. 26°; Coues & Sennett, Bull. U. S. Geogr. Surv. iv. p. 357; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. iv. p. 25°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 214”. Amazilia yucatanensis, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 219 (partim) ” A, yucatanensi affinis, abdomine et tectricibus subcaudalibus pallidioribus, hypochondriis et abdomine antico viridi lavatis, margine pectoris postico viridi male definito. Q mari similis. (Descr. maris et femine exempl. typ. ex Cordova, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Texas °7,—Mexico, Presas de Aldama, Altamira, Tampico, Tantina in Tamau- lipas (W. B. Richardson ®), Valles in San Luis Potosi (W. B. &.°), Misantla, Colipa (F. D. G.%), Vega del Casadero, Tomatla (IM. Trujillo °), Jalapa (de Oca®), Cordova (Sallé1*, de Oca*), Tlacotalpam, San Andres Tuxtla (Sallé *), Vera Cruz and Laguna near Vera Cruz (W. B. Richardson®), Sochiapa (M. Trujiilo °). Gould described this species from some of M. Sallé’s specimens obtained near Cordova, where the bird is now known to be common, and it has been traced south- wards to Sochiapa near Playa Vicente and northwards throughout the States of Vera Cruz and Tamaulipas across the Rio Grande into Texas. It does not appear to be found inland much beyond the eastern slope of the mountains of these States, Valles in the State of San Luis Pctosi being the furthest point from the coast. Its presence on the northern side of the Rio Grande was first announced by Dr. Merrili in 1877 °, and it is now known to be a common bird near Brownsville, whence Mr. Armstrong has sent us many specimens. The distinctness of A. cerviniventris from ), Las Cruces de Candelaria (Zeledon, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Cartago (Boucard®). Bourcier’s description of this species was based upon a bird said to have come from Bogota !, but it best suits this Costa Rican species. Not only did Gould apply the ~ name to the Costa Rica bird, but Mr. Elliot, who claimed to have the type before him, did the same, so that little doubt attaches to the question. . A. sophie in general appearance is exceedingly like A. cyanura, but the lower back is not quite so coppery, and the wings are dark to the base instead of being chestnut. Except for a specimen in the United States National Museum from Nicaragua, the range of this species seems strictly confined to Costa Rica, where it occurs on both sides of the mountain range. It has no near relative in the State of Panama, but in Northern Colombia and in the Cauca Valley two very closely allied forms are found in A. warszewiezi and A. saucerottii, which only differ in the colour of the lower back and tail. 304 TROCHILIDA. c. Culmen ad basin nudum; tegule nasales fere omnino exposite. c!. Rostrum elongatum, rectum ; cauda brevis, rotundata, rectricibus lateralibus albo terminatis. FLORICOLA. Floricola, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 82. Heliomaster, auctt. nec Bonaparte. The species here included in Floricola were usually placed under Heliomaster till Mr. Elliot showed that that name properly belongs to H. furcifer, and proposed a new generic name for them. In general appearance Floricola resembles Heliomaster and Lepidolarynx, and these three genera have always, we believe, been placed in juxta- position. Floricola, however, has several points of difference from the other two forms which keeps it somewhat widely apart from them. Instead of the culmen being feathered at the base to such an extent that the nasal covers are completely hidden, the latter are fully exposed, and this character brings Florico/a into the neighbourhood of a group of genera all of which have the culmen bare nearly to the base. It stands apart from all these genera by virtue of its long bill and short tail. Four species are included in the genus, belonging to two sections, which may readily be distinguished by the colour of the crown. Of these the widely ranging J. longi- rostris in a slightly modified form extends as far as Central Vera Cruz. The other two species belonging to the plain-headed section are peculiar, the one to Mexico, the other to Central America. a. Pileus ceruleo-viridis micans. 1. Floricola longirostris. Oiseau-Mouche & long Bec, Aud. Ois. Dor. i. p. 128, t. 59°. Trochilus longirostris, Vieill. N. Dict. d’Hist. N. vii. p. 366°. Heliomaster longirostris, Gould, Mon. Troch. iv. t. 259 (May 1853) 3; Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 140°‘; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 195°, 263°, 2767; 1869, p. 316°; P. Z. S. 1867, p. 155°; 1870, p. 210"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 126”. Floricola longirostris, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 83°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 229”. Heliomaster sclateri, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 54'*; Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 189"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 47°; ix. p. 126. Heliomaster pallidiceps, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 189"; Scl. Cat. Am. Birds, p. 310”; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 205°; 1869, p. 316"; 1872, p. 820%; Cat. Strick]. Coll. p. 367”; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 229%; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 126”; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 82%; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 27; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250%; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. 1. p. 96”. Heliomaster stewarte, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vil. p. 291°; Scl. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 365 *'. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, nucha et tectricibus supracaudalibus cupreo tinctis, dorso postico plaga irregulari FLORICOLA. 305 alba notato, capite summo micanti-ceruleo-viridi ; stria rictali, plaga costali utrinque, et abdomine medio albis; mento nigro; plaga gulari micanti-rosaceo-rubra, pectore et abdominis lateribus griseis, hypo- chondriis nitide viridi lavatis, tectricibus subcaudalibus griseis ad basin fascia subterminali viridescente, apicibus albis; caude rectricibus mediis cupreo-viridibus, reliquis ad basin viridescentibus ad apicem chalybeis, apicibus ipsis albis: rostro nigro. Long. tota 4:6, ale 2:3, caude 1°25, rostri a rictu 1:45 (Descr. maris ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Q capite summo inornato dorso concolore, stria rictali latiore ; gula nigra, plumis singulis albo marginatis non- nunquam plumis rosaceis intermixtis. Hab. Muxico, Jalapa (de Oca", Sanchez ®), Oaxaca (Boucard), Sierra de San Domingo, Tehuantepec (W. B. Richardson), Santa Efigenia, Tapana and Tonila (Sumi- chrast *6 ?8); GuaTEMALA, Santa Ana in Peten, Las Salinas, Duefias’7, Retalhuleu (0. S. & F. D. G.), Naranjo (Goss, in U. S. Nat. Mus.) ; Satvapor, Volean de San Miguel, La Libertad (WV. B. Richardson) ; Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt 22); Costa Rica, Bebedero de Nicoya, Tucurriqui (Arcé), San José and Angostura (Car- miol11 1"); Panama, David (Bridges *), Chiriqui, Cordillera del Chucu 2, Laguna del Castillo 1°, Chitra 1°, Cordillera de Tolé °, Calovevora 1°, Calobre, Santa Fé 9 (4rcé), Lion Hill (Mf Leannan *° 31), Paraiso (Hughes ™), Line of Railway, Chepo (Arcé). —Soutn America, from Colombia to Trinidad!? and Guiana, Amazons Valley and Ecuador. e Males of this species from Guiana and Venezuela have rather bluer heads than those from Mexico, Panama birds being nearly intermediate. The northern bird was separated by Gould under the name of Heliomaster pallidiceps 8, but with the series now before us we do not see our way to admitting any specific difference. Floricola longirostris is not a common bird in Mexico, and does not seem to be found northward of Jalapa in the State of Vera Cruz. It is absent from Western Mexico, but occurs on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and thence southwards on both sides of the Cordillera of Guatemala, reaching an altitude of nearly 5000 feet in the mountains near Duefias. Here it is rather a rare bird, though every now and then we secured a specimen when feeding from the flowers of Ipomwa murucoides. In the State of Panama this species seems to be very abundant, as our collector Arcé obtained us many specimens, finding it in nearly every place he visited. It is equally common in the parts of South America in which it is found. | Other attempts to divide the Central-American birds besides that of Gould have been made; Mr. Lawrence referred the Panama form to that of Colombia, which he called Heliomaster stewarte, and Cabanis and Heine described the Venezuela bird as H. sclatert. In our opinion both birds belong to F. longirostris. The trifling paler shade of the crown, being variable in itself, is insufficient for definition, and other characters, such as the width of the bill, are equally untrustworthy. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., Judy 1892. 39 506 TROCHILIDA. B. Pileus viridis dorso fere concolor. 2. Floricola constanti. Ornismya constantii, Delattre, Echo du Monde Savant, 1843, p. 1069 °. Heliomaster constanti, Gould, Mon. Troch. iv. t. 260 (May 1853) ?; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p- 129°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 263°; Cat. Strick]. Coll. p. 367°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 54°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 1267; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 82°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 817°; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250°. 7 Floricola constanti, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 84°"; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121”; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 231”. Poy Supra (pileo incluso) nitenti-cupreo-viridis, plaga irregulari dorsali alba, stria rictali utrinque alba, mento nigro, gutture micanti-rubido, plumis singulis stricte cinereo marginatis ; abdomine medio albo, lateribus et pectore cinereis, hypochondriis viridi lavatis, plaga costali alba, tectricibus subcaudalibus fuscis albo marginatis ; caud rectricibus mediis dorso concoloribus nigro terminatis, reliquis ad basin griseis, fascia lata subterminali nigra, apicibus albis: rostro nigro. Long. tota 5-0, ale 2°7, caude 1°45, rostri a rictu 1:5. (Descr. maris ex Guatemala. Mus. Brit.) 2 mari similis, plaga gulari rubida aut parva aut omnino absente. Hab. Mexico, Gineta Mountains in Chiapas (Swmichrast 8 10); GuateMata © (Delattre}, Skinner ®), San Gerénimo (0.8. & F. D. G.4); Satvapor, San Salvador (Hardi- man, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Volcan de San Miguel, La Libertad (W. B. Richardson 38) ; Nicaragua, Matagalpa, Momotombo (W. B. B.3); Cosra Rica (v. Frantzius 7, Carmiol"), Bebedero de Nicoya, Tempate (4rcé 18), San José (Zeledon 1), Sumichrast states that this species is found in the Gineta Mountains in Chiapas !° to the southward of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. ‘This is the most northern record we have of this species. In Guatemala it must be a very local bird, for we only once met with it when a specimen was brought to us when staying at San Gerdnimo, 3000 feet above sea-level. Yet Gould speaks of it as common in that country, whence he had received many specimens. In the Republic of Salvador, Mr. Richardson secured a good series of skins between February and April 1891, both on the sea-coast at La Libertad, and on the slopes of the Volcan de San Miguel, a little distance in the interior. It also occurs at Momotombo on the western side of the Lake of Managua, and on the shores of the Gulf of Nicoya in Costa Rica. This seems to be the extreme limit of its southern range, for in the State of Panama we find no trace of it. 8. Floricola leocadiz. Trochilus leocadie, Bourc. Ann. Sc. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, (2) iv. p. 1413. Heliomaster leocadie, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 140°; Scl. Cat. Am. Birds, p- 810°; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 2924; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 32°; Sumichrast, La Nat. vy. p. 250°. | Floricola leocadiea, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 847; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p- 282°, Heliomaster pinicola, Gould, Mon. Troch. iv. t. 261 (May 1853) °; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 299”; Sanchez, An, Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 96". FLORICOLA.—CYANOPHAIA. 307 F. constanti similis, sed plaga gulari micanti-rubida multo minore et cauda supra plerumque obscuriore differt. (Deser. maris ex Alto de Camaron, Guerrero, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Pine-region-of N. Mexico (Sanchez 1), Sierra de Alamos in Sonora (W. Lloyd *), Mazatlan (Grayson *), Presidio de Mazatlan (A. Forrer®), San Blas, Bolafios (W. B. Richardson 8), Valley of Mexico? (le Strange’), Acapulco (Capt. J. M. Dow, in U.S. Nat. Mus.), Dos Arroyos, Rio Papagaio, Alto de Camaron, and Venta de Pelegrino (Mrs. H. H. Smith®), Tehuantepec (Sumichrast *°), Chimalapa (W. B. Richardson 8). Floricola leocadie is a northern form of F. constanti, and is entirely restricted to Mexico, where it is found almost exclusively on the western side from Sonora in the north to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Gould, who described the species as Heliomaster pinicola®, says that it inhabits the lofty pine-ridges of Northern Mexico; but this statement is hardly correct, for we have abundant evidence that its chief abode is at a low level, and even reaches the sea-coas at Mazatlan, San Blas, Acapulco, and Tehuantepec. Our specimen from Alamos is quite young in its first plumage, and was shot on the 23rd May, 1888. One from San Blas is not fully grown, and was shot on 2nd May, 1889. , White 2°), Ixtapalapa, Hacienda Eslava, Chimalpa, 'Tetelco, San Antonio Coapa, and Las Cruces in the Valley of Mexico, Las Vigas, Montafias de Orizaba (Lf. Ferrari-Perez°), Tlascala (f. D. G.°), Cofre de Perote (AZ. Trujillo’), Jalapa (de Oca’, Sanchez ), Mirador (Sartorius, in U. 8. Nat. Mus.), Cordova (Sallé), Amula, Omilteme in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith ®), Villa Alta, Totontepec, Tonaguia in Oaxaca (IZ. Trujillo *), Oaxaca (Fenochio®); GuaremaLa (Skinner !°), Quezaltenango, Totonicapam (0. 8. & I. D.G.), Santa Maria, Chuipaché (W. B. Richardson ®), Volcan de Fuego !, V. de Agua, Chilasco, Santa Rosa above Salama, San Gerénimo 1°, Santa Barbara, Coban "19 (0. S. & F. D. G.°); Nicaragua, Matagalpa (W. B. Richardson). This is one of the commonest and most characteristic of the Humming-Birds of the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala, its range extending from the States of Sonora and Tamaulipas to the uplands of Nicaragua, birds from these widely-separated districts presenting no appreciable difference. Its range in altitude is considerable. It does not occur much below 4000 feet above sea-level, and thence reaches as high as 7000 or 8000 feet. On the slopes of the Volcan de Fuego we used to find it not uncommonly in open glades in the oak-forests, where it took its food from any plants that happened to be in flower. Of the breeding-habits of this species we have no account, but a three- BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., Judy 1892. 40) 314 TROCHILIDA. parts grown bird from Sierra de Victoria was shot by Mr. Richardson in April, so that the nesting-time in that district would commence in March or the end of February. But the nesting-season probably extends over a considerable period, for de Oca says he once found a nest in December, though the usual nesting-time in the valley of Mexico, where the bird is more common than at Jalapa, is in July and August. According to Villada it feeds from the flowers of Cacti and Agave, and also from those of Bouvardia and Salvia ??. Mr. Richardson’s specimens were all shot at Matagalpa between June and October. In Lower California an allied species occurs in PB. xantusi, distinguished by its cinnamon abdomen and chestnut tail. ‘This bird has not yet been detected on the eastern side of the Gulf of California. Sect. C. TROCHILI LA VIROSTRES. Tomia (et maxille et mandibule) usque ad apicem levia, haud serrata. a. Plerumgue majores: cauda plerumque normalis, furcata, rotundata aut cuneata, rectricibus plerumque latis; gula vie unquam micanti-rubra ; caput vie unquam cristatum, plume cervicales laterales elongate nulle neque plume superciliares elongate ; dorsum fere uniforme, fascia transversa conspicua nulla. a’. Plerumque majores: cauda variabilis, cuneata, rotundata aut furcata (interdum profunde). a". Rostrum valde curvatum (usque ad circuli trientem); cauda rectricum apicibus acutis ; tegule nasales nude, ptilosis simplex haud coloribus micantibus ornata ; renigum externorum rhachides normales. EUTOXERES. Eutoxeres, Reichenbach, Syst. Av. t. xl.; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 261. Of this genus, remarkable for the very singular shape of the bill, only one species occurs within our limits, ranging from the western part of the State of Panama to Costa Rica. This bird has two close allies—one in Colombia and the other in Western Ecuador. Another species (L. condaminit) is very distinct, and is only found on the eastern slopes of the Andes of Ecuador and Peru. utoweres is closely allied to Phaethornis, but may at once be distinguished by the bill, which is abruptly curved to a third of a circle. 1. Hutoxeres salvini. Kutoxeres aguila, Gould, Mon. Troch. i. t. 3 (Nov. 1851) (nec Bourc.)'; Salv. P. Z.S. 1867, p. 152°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 120°. Trochilus aquila, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vi. p. 189%. Eutoxeres salvini, Gould, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1868, i. p. 456°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 204°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 2627. EUTOXERES. 315 Supra saturate nitenti-viridis, pileo obscuriore, uropygio czruleo tincto hoc fulvo limbato: subtus nigrescens, gutturis plumis medialiter pallide cervinis, abdominis albis ; cauda viridi-brunnea, apice alba: rostro nigro, mandibula ad basin flava. Long. tota 5:3, alee 3-0, caudee 2°3, rostri a rictu 1-2. Q mari similis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Calovevora, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Turrialba (Arcé"), Rovalo ( Warszewiez 1); Panama, Belen (Merritt *), Chitra, Calovevora °, Calobre (Arcé). This remarkable bird is found in many parts of Western Panama, and thence north- wards to the lowlands of Costa Rica lying on the Atlantic slope of the Cordillera. It is apparently absent from the line of the Panama Railway, but two closely allied forms occur in South America—one in Colombia, the other in Ecuador. ‘The presence of this species in the State of Panama was first detected by Dr. Merritt, who observed it in the district of Belen, where he obtained several specimens, which he sent to Mr. Lawrence accompanied with the following note :—“ It was as near as I can recollect during the month of September, 1852, that I saw for the first time and obtained a specimen of this (to me) curious and novel bird. I was at that time stationed in the mountainous district of Belen, province of Veraguas, New Granada. “My attention at that particular time was directed towards the collection of specimens of the Humming-Bird family. One day while out hunting a short distance from the camp for these chefs-d’wuvre of nature in the feathered race, I was startled by the swift approach of a small object through the close thicket, which darted like a rifle- bullet past me, with a loud hum and buzzing of wings. Indeed, it was this great noise that accompanied its flight, which being so much greater than I had ever heard before from any of these winged meteors of the southern forests, that especially attracted my attention as something uncommon. “The bird continued its flight but a short distance beyond the spot where I stood, when it suddenly stopped in its rapid course directly in front of a flower. There for a moment poising itself in this position, it darted upon the flower in a peculiar manner ; ‘in fact, the movements which now followed of this little creature were exceedingly curious to me. Instead of inserting its beak into the calyx by advancing in a direct line towards the flower, as customary with this class of birds according to my limited observations, this one performed a curvilinear movement, at first stooping forward while it introduced its beak into the calyx, and then, when apparently the point of the beak had reached the desired locality in the flower, its body suddenly dropped downwards, so that it seemed as though it was suspended from the flower by the beak. ‘That this was not actually the case, the continued rapid movement of its wings demonstrated beyond a doubt. In this position it remained the ordinary length of time, and then by performing these movements in the reverse order and direction, it freed itself from the flower, and afterwards proceeded to the adjoining one, when the same operation was repeated as already described.” Dr. Merritt proceeds to describe the flower as that of a“ species of palm, the blossoms 40* 316 TROCHILIDZ. of which are attached alternately on either side to a pendent stalk. ach flower resembles an inverted Roman helmet, and is attached as it were by the point of the crest to the stalk. It is a fleshy mass of a deep crimson colour, and the cavity of the calyx extends in a tortuous manner downwards towards the attachment of the flower to the stalk.” b". Rostrum elongatum plus minusve arcuatum ; tegule nasales parton exposite: cauda rotundata aut cuneata, rectricibus mediis elongatis ; remigum rhachides normales. a", Cauda rotundata. THRENETES. Threnetes, Gould, Mon. Troch. i. t. 13 (Oct. 1852); Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 263. Threnetes contains five fairly well-defined species which are distributed over the northern portion of South America, trom the valley of the Amazons to the north coast. One species is peculiar to our country, ranging from Panama to Guatemala, having a near ally in Western Ecuador. In general form Threnetes resembles Glaucis, so much so that it has been merged in that genus by some writers. Besides some peculiarities in the coloration, it shows no serrations like those of Glaucis on the cutting-edges of the bill, which inall respects resembles that of Phaethornis. The tail is much more rounded and formed of wider feathers, the central rectrices not being produced far beyond the rest. 1. Threnetes ruckeri. Trochilus ruckeri, Boure. P. Z. 8S. 1847, p. 46°. Glaucis ruckeri, Gould, Mon. Troch. i. t. 11 (Nov. 1851)?; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 319°; ix. p- 121‘; Sel. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 364°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 204°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121". Threnetes ruckeri, Reich. Aufz. d. Col. p. 15°; Salv. Ibis, 1878, p. 428°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 265"; Salv. & Elliot, Ibis, 1873, p. 278 (partim)”. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, pileo obscuriore, macula postoculari et stria maxillari cervinis, loris, tectricibus auricularibus et gula antica nigris, pectore cinnamomeo, corpore subtus reliquo fusco-griseo, tectricibus subcaudalibus aureo-viridibus fulvo limbatis, rectricibus mediis dorso concoloribus, reliquis ad basin albis, dimidio distali nigro, apicibus albis: maxilla nigra, mandibula carnea apice nigra. Long. tota 4:5, ale 2°3, caudee 1°3, rostri a rictu 1°35. (Descr. maris ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) mari similis. Hab. Guatemata®; Costa Rica (Endres*, Zeledon, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Angostura (Carmiol, Zeledon"), Jimenez’ (Zeledon, in U. S. Nat. Mus.); Panama, Veraguas (Warszewiez *), Mina de Chorcha®, Bibalaz (Arcé), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan ? °), Line of Railway (Arcé}°), Paraiso (Hughes 1°), Bourcier’s description of this species was based upon a specimen from an unknown locality. A few years after it was published Warszewiez sent two specimens from THRENETES.—PHAETHORNIS. 317 Veraguas to Gould, who figured them in his ‘Monograph of the Trochilide.’ The bird is now known to be not uncommon in some parts of the State of Panama and also in Costa Rica. An allied species of Threnetes from Ecuador was described by Gould as Lf. fraseri; this has been united to 7. ruckeri by some writers, but seems to be distinct. It has a smaller cinnamon patch on the breast, is greyer on the under surface, and has’ darker median rectrices. . b!”. Cauda cuneata. a‘. Majores: cauda rectricibus mediis productis. PHAETHORNIS. Phethornis, Swainson, Zool. Journ. iii. p. 357. Phaethornis, auct., Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 267. { This genus, consisting of about seventeen species, is spread over the lowland forests of the greater portion of Tropical America, none of the species ascending the mountains to any considerable height. Of the three main sections into which the genus is divisible, two only are represented within our limits, each by a single species. P. emiliew, which is closely allied to P. guyi, reaches Costa Rica, and P. longirostris occurs throughout Central America and in Eastern Mexico as far as the middle of the State of Vera Cruz. The section of Phaethornis represented by the latter bird is remarkable for the form of the tail, which is cuneate, the central rectrices being elongated, and the rest gradually reduced in length towards the outside, and all of them conspicuously tipped with white or buff. The bill is long and curved, and no glittering marks enter into the coloration of the plumage. 1. Phaethornis emiliz. Trochilus emilie, Bourc. & Muls. Ann. Sc. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, ix. p. 317’. Phaethornis emilie, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 44°; Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1867, p. 152°; 1870, p. 205*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 268°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. 1x. p. 121°; Salv. & Elhot, Ibis, 1873, p. 12"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 67°; Tacz. Orn. Pér. i. p. 268°. Phaethornis yaruqui, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 194°. Supra saturate nitenti-ceruleo-viridis, pileo nigricanti, tectricibus supracaudalibus cerulescentioribus albo stricte terminatis, fascia subterminali nigra; tectricibus auricularibus nigris: subtus obscure griseus, cervicis lateribus et pectore viridi lavatis, gula media stria indistincta fulva notota; cauda purpureo-nigra ad basin chalybea, rectricibus mediis elongatis ad apicem cum rhachide albis: rostro nigro, mandibula flavida apice nigra. Long. tota 5-7, ale 2-4, caude rectr. med. 2-2, rectr. lat. 1-0, rostri a rictu 1°7, ? mari similis: subtus pallidior, gula nigra stria mediana distincta fulva, superciliis fulvis, caude rectricibus __lateralibus albo terminatis, rectricibus mediis clongatis (long. 2°9). (Deser. maris et femine ex Tucurriqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Endres), San José, Peorsnada (Zeledon, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Angos- tura, Barranca (Carmiol®), 'Tucurriqui, Turrialba (Arcé), Irazu (Rogers >), Tres Rios, Naranjo (Soucard’); Panama, Boquete de Chitra‘, Laguna del Castillo, 318 . TROCHILIDA. Cordillera del Chucu 4, Calovevora‘, Santa Fé? (Arcé), Truando Falls (Wood ?°). —CoLomBIA!; PERU ®. A very closely allied species to P. guy of Venezuela, and perhaps not always to be distinguished from that bird. Adult males, however, have the bases of the rectrices and the upper tail-coverts distinctly tinged with blue, these feathers being green in the allied form. P. emilie was described by Bourcier and Mulsant from a specimen from Bogota, whence we have received many examples, probably shot in the lowlands or deeper valleys of the Andes. In the State of Panama near Santa Fé and elsewhere in that neighbourhood and in Costa Rica on the Atlantic side of the mountain-range this Phaethornis appears to be a common bird, but it has not been detected on the line of the Panama Railway, though specimens formed part of the collection made during Lieut. Michler’s exploring expedition to Darien. These were named P. yarugui by Cassin, the bird of Ecuador, but they doubtless belong here. 2. Phaethornis longirostris. Ornismya longirostris, Less. & Delattre, Echo du Monde Savant, 1843, p. 1070°. Phaethornis longirostris, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 42°; Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1857, p. 227°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p.9*; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 319’; ix. p. 121°; Sel. & Salv. P.Z.S. 1864, p. 3647; 1879, p. 528°; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 204°; 1872, p. 319”; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 205%; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 272"; Boucard, P. Z. 8S. 1878, p. 67"; Berl. Pr. A. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 560"; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121”. Trochilus cephalus, Bourc. & Muls. Rev. Zool. 1848, p. 269°. Phaethornis cephalus, Gould, Mon. Troch. i. t. 19 (Sept. 1858)"; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 126"; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 2067". Phaethornis moorit, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1860, p. 296 (nec Lawr.)”. Phaethornis cassini, Lawr. Ann, Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 3847”. Supra eneo-viridis, pileo obscuriore, plumis nuche uropygii et tectricum supracaudalium cervino marginatis, stria utrinque superciliari aliisque malaribus et una in gule medio pallide cervinis, genis nigricantibus: subtus griseo-cervinus, gula obscuriore ; cauda nigra ad basin wneo-viridi, rectricibus lateralibus albo terminatis, rectricibus duabus mediis parte prolongata alba: rostro nigro, mandibula flavida apice nigra. Long. tota 6:4, ale 2-5, rectr. med. 2°75, rectr. lat. 1:0, rostri a rictu 1°7. (Descr. exempl. ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) © mari similis. Hab. MExico, near Cordova (Sallé, de Oca !°), San Andres Tuxtla (Boucard*), Chimalapa, Tehuantepec (W. B. Richardson) ; Brrrish Honpuras, San Felipe (F. Blancaneaua); GuateMaLa (Skinner? 1°), Yzabal, Choctum, track to Peten (0. 8S. & F. D. G.); Honpvuras, Santa Ana (Wittkugel, in U. S. Nat. Mus.) ; Nicaragua, Rio San Juan (Sallé°), Chontales (belt); Costa Rica, La Balza (J. Carmiol®), Jimenez \, San José (Zeledon), Naranjo (Boucard *); Panama, Bugaba (Arcé 1), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan°), Obispo (Salvin), Chepo (Arcé), Turbo (Schott 21)—N. CoLomsta ; W. Ecuapor. PHAETHORNIS.—PYGMORNIS. 319 According to de Oca this is a very rare species in Mexico, a statement confirmed by recent observation, for we are not aware of any specimens having been obtained in the State of Vera Cruz since M. Boucard sent the birds from San Andres Tuxtla to M. Sallé, as recorded by Mr. Sclater in 1857. It occurs, however, on the eastern side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, as Mr. Richardson secured specimens there at Chimalapa in March and April 1890 at an altitude of 4000 feet above sea-level. In British Honduras and thence southwards in Eastern Guatemala P. longirostris becomes more common, We found it fairly abundant in the heavily forested country of Northern Vera Paz in February 1862 at an altitude of about 1200 feet, and also near the sea-level at Yzabal. It also occurs in Eastern Nicaragua and in Costa Rica. It is rare in many parts of the State of Panama, but not uncommon on the line of Railway, and passes beyond our limits into Northern Colombia and Western Ecuador. P. longirostris was discovered by Delattre, and described in 1843. Shortly afterwards M. Sallé, during his visit to Nicaragua, procured the specimens which were named Trochilus cephalus by Boucier and Mulsant. The same bird received yet another name when Mr. Lawrence described the birds obtained during Lieut. Michler’s expedition to Darien as Phaethornis cassini, the types of which were examined by Count Berlepsch and pronounced to be inseparable from P. longirostris. A near ally to this species in South America is the widely ranging P. swperciliosus (Linn.), which under somewhat varying forms extends over the whole of the Amazons Valley and Guiana. From this bird it differs in the greater width of the edges of the feathers of the lower back and the greater whiteness of the tips of the outer rectrices. bt. Minores: cauda regulariter cuneata. PYGMORNIS. Pygmornis, Benaparte, Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 250; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus, xvi. p. 280. This small form of Phaethornis contains eight species, which occupy nearly the same area of South and Central America as their larger allies. Only one species is at all common within our limits, a second, which is abundant in Colombia, just reaches our southern frontier at Darien. Many writers on Trochilide do not separate Pygmornis from Phaethornis ; but on the whole we think it best to keep the two forms apart. Pygmornis, besides its small size, has a rather differently constructed tail, the central feathers not being distinctly pro- minent beyond the rest, but form the apex of a regular wedge. In the adult male the tail is shorter than in the female. 1. Pygmornis adolphi. Phaethornis adolphi, Bourec. MS. apud Gould, Mon. Troch. 1. t. 85 (Sept. 1857)*; Sel. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 287 (descr. nulla) *; 1859, pp. 367°, 385°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 126°; 1860, 320 ; TROCHILIDZ. p. 88°; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 365"; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 195°, 260°; 1872, p. 319"; P. Z.8. 1867, p. 152"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 291; ix. p. 121”; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. p. 591”. Pygmornis adolphi, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iil. p. 7”; Salv. & Elliot, Ibis, 1873, p. 271"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 67"; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 282. Supra cupreo-viridis, capite summo obscuriore, tectricibus supracaudalibus elongatis rufescentibus, stria post- oculari cervina, tectricibus auricularibus nigricantibus: subtus rufescens, gutture obscuriore ; cauda seneo- viridi, rectricibus omnibus rufo terminatis duabus mediis ad apicem pallidioribus: rostro nigro, mandibula flava apice nigra, pedibus flavis. Long. tota 3-8, ale 1:5, caude rectr. med. 1°35, rectr. lat. 0°7, rostri a rictu 1:0. © mari similis, sed gutture pallidiore, cauda longiore rectricibus duabus mediis magis productis (long. 1°45) distinguenda. (Descr. maris et femine ex Cordova, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Mexico, Cordova (Sallé12), Jalapa (de Oca *), Playa Vicente (Boucard*, M. Trujillo), Teotalcingo (Boucard*), Teapa (Mrs. H. H. Smith); Guaremata (Skinner), forests of Northern Vera Paz, Kamkal near Coban, Coban § 9, Lanquin, Yzabal °° (0. S. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, Segovia River (Zownsend 1+); Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt!); Costa Rica (Endres 18, Angostura (Carmiol'®, Zeledon), Talamanca (Zeledon), San Carlos (Boucard 1"); Panama, Santiago de Veraguas (Arcé*!), Lion Hill (M‘Leannan7}2), Paraiso (Hughes 18), Obispo (Salvin). This species of Pygmornis was discovered by M. Sallé during his residence at Cordova in Mexico, the first description of it being published with a figure by Gould in his ‘Monograph of the Trochilide.’ It is not a common bird by any means in Mexico, though specimens have been obtained in several places in the States of Vera Cruz and Tabasco. In the dense forests of Eastern Guatemala, P. adolphi is usually to be seen up to an elevation of over 4000 feet above sea-level. At Coban we found it in the month of November, feeding from the blossoms of the numerous Salvie which abound there. Though not common its presence could readily be detected by the peculiar sound produced by the wings. At Yzabal it was more numerous in the forest bordering the town, but always in the dense undergrowth beneath the forest trees. It was by no means shy, taking little notice of an observer, and searching the flowers within a few feet of him. Like most Humming-Birds it rests frequently, selecting a small dead twig for its perch, where it trims its feathers with its long bill, which it cleans by rubbing on the perch on which it stands. Keeping to the eastern side of the main mountain-chain of Central America, P. adolphi is found in the Province of Chontales in Nicaragua and in Eastern Costa Rica. In the State of Panama it occurs on both sides of the mountains, the southern limit of its range terminating near the line of the Panama Railway, for in Darien the allied P. stritgularis takes its place. PYGMORNIS.—SPHENOPROCTUS. 321 2. Pygmornis striigularis. Phaethornis striigularis, Gould, Mon. Troch. i. t. 37 (Oct. 1854)"; Berl. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 560°. Pygmornis striigularis, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 7°; Salv. & Elliot, Ibis, 1873, p-. 273°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 281°. Phaethornis, sp.?, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 194°. Phaethornis adolphi, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. iii. p. 809 (nec Bourc.) ’. P. adolphi similis, sed corpore subtus grisescentiore, gule plumis medialiter fuscis quasi striatis. (Descr. exempl.. typ. ex Colombia. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Panama, Turbo (Lieut. Michler 2° 7).—CotomsiA!5; Ecuapor®; Upper AMAzoNS VALLEY °, According to Count Berlepsch, the single female specimen obtained at Turbo during Lieut. Michler’s expedition to Darien belongs to this species. It was Jeft undeter- mined by Cassin, and referred to P. adolphi by Mr. Ridgway, before being submitted to Count Berlepsch, whose determination we now follow. The species was described by Gould from trade skins from Bogota, and is now well known as an inhabitant of Colombia, Ecuador, and the Valley of the Upper Amazons ; in the latter district EK. Bartlett found it at Chyavetas at the foot of the Andes of Peru. ce. Rostrum brevius, modice curvatum; tegule nasales partim exposite ; remigum trium externorum rhachides tumide, pogonio externo ad partem tumidam obsolete. c', Cauda cuneata. SPHENOPROCTUS. Sphenoproctus, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 11; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 286. In this and the next genus the males all have remarkably thickened shafts to the outermost three primaries of the wing, these feathers in the female being normal. Whether Sphenoproctus is really distinct as a genus from Campylopterus is open to question, and many writers unite them. Sphenoproctus, as its name implies, has a peculiar wedge-shaped tail, and as the coloration of the species is also peculiar, the two forms may be kept separate. Sphenoproctus contains two doubtfully distinct species, one of which belongs to Mexico, the other to Guatemala. 1. Sphenoproctus pampa. Ornismya pampa, Less. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, Suppl. p. 127, t. 15°. Campylopterus pampa, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 43 (Sept. 1855) (partim) *; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p- 127°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 260°. Sphenoproctus pampa, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 51°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1888, p. 450°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 2867, BIOL, CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., July 1892. Al 322 TROCHILIDA. Supra nitenti-viridis, capite summo micanti saturate cyaneo: subtus griseus medialiter pallidior, tectricibus auricularibus, cervicis lateribus, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus obscurioribus ; cauda purpureo- nigra, rectricibus mediis omnino reliquis ad basin nitenti-ceruleo-viridibus, rectricibus externis utrinque in pogonio externo medialiter pallidis: rostro nigro. Long. tota 5°5, ale 2°7, caude rectr. med. 2°15, rectr. lat. 1:7, rostri a rictu 1-2. © mari similis; caude rectricibus utrinque externis in pogonio externo ad apicem et apicibus omnino griseis, abdomine concoloribus. (Descr. maris et femine ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Izalam and Tizimin in Northern Yucatan (G. F. Gawmer®); GuatemaLa (Skinner *), Coban 4, Choctum’, Chisec? (0. S. & #. D. G.). Lesson’s description and figure of this species were based upon a male specimen supposed to have come from Paraguay, and until a difference was recognized between the Mexican and Guatemalan birds the name was applied in common to both. Gould, however, in his ‘Introduction to the Trochilide,’ pointed out the slight distinction separating the two birds, and applied Lesson’s title to the Guatemalan form, using Lichtenstein’s name S. curvipennis for the Mexican. In this course he has been followed by subsequent writers; but it is rather doubtful if he was right in so doing ; for if the colour of the central tail-feathers goes for anything, Lesson’s figure repre- sents the Mexican rather than the Guatemalan bird. ‘The point is of slight importance, and we adhere to the assignment of these names as adopted by Gould. S. pampa is limited in its range to the great forests of Northern Vera Paz, where it is not uncommon at an elevation of about 1500 feet above sea-level. On one occasion a specimen was obtained near Coban in November 18594, but it was an exceptional circumstance to find it at so high an elevation as 4300 feet. 2, Sphenoproctus curvipennis. Trochilus curvipennis, Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vog. p. 1 (ef. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 56) *. Sphenoproctus curvipennis, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 51%; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 156°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 287°. Campylopterus pampa, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 287°; 1859, pp. 367°, 885"; de Oca, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 552°; La Nat. iii. p. 830°; Sanchez, An. Mus. Nac. Mex. i. p. 96”. S. pampe similis, sed rostro paulo longiore, capite summo pallidiore ceruleo et cauda paulo viridescentiore distinguenda. (Descr. maris et femine ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico (Deppe'), Misantla, Colipa (F. D. G.*), Cuesta de Misantla (MZ. Trujillo *), Coatepec (de Oca®, M. Trujillo*), Jalapa (de Oca®, F. Ferrari-Perez®, F. D. GA, C. F. Hige*, M. Trujillo *), Mirador (Sartorius, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Atoyac (Mrs. H. H. Smith*), Orizaba (Sanchez 1°), Cordova (Sallé®), Teotalcingo (Boucard"). The first specimens of this bird to receive a name were sent from Mexico by Deppe and briefly described by Lichtenstein in his Price-list of the Duplicates of that collector’s spoils. The species is now known to be common on the slopes of the mountains of Vera Cruz from Jalapa to Teotalcingo. De Oca says that it is found in the dense bush near Coatepec in winter, and also occurs in similar places near Cordova SPHENOPROCTUS.—CAMPYLOPTERUS. 323 and Orizaba. Boucard, who met with it at Teotalcingo, records that it breeds there in the month of March, and a nest and eggs obtained by him were sent to M. Sallé. Deppe’s specimens were probably secured near Misantla, where Godman found the bird not uncommon in the month of March. It occurs in the neighbourhood of this district during the greater part of the year, as we have records of it also in May, June, and October. ad”. Cauda rotundata. CAMPYLOPTERUS. Campylopterus, Swainson, Zool. Journ. iii. p. 358; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p- 288. Platystylopterus, Reich. Aufz. d. Col. p. 11. Nine species are contained in this genus, which has a wide range in Tropical America from Bolivia and the Valley of the Amazons to Southern Mexico. Of these only two occur within our region, both of them being peculiar to it—one of them (C. hemileucurus) ranging from Southern Mexico to the State of Panama, keeping, however, to the forests of the more mountainous parts; the other (C. rufus) is only found in the Guatemalan highlands and the districts adjoining to the southwards. The peculiar swollen shafts to the outer three primaries of the wing of the male, together with the rounded tail, are characters which distinguish Campylopterus from all its allies. 1. Campylopterus hemileucurus. Trochilus hemileucurus, Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vig. p. 1 (ef. J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 55)*. Campylopterus hemileucurus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 18°; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1862, p. 162°; Scl. P. Z. 8S. 1864, p.176*; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 204°; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 205°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 291"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 121°; Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 32°; v. Frantz. J. f. Grn. 1869, p. 315; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 68"; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250"; Nutting, Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. v. p. 501"; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 157"; Berl. J. f. Orn. 1887, p. 816; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121”. Ornismya delatiri, Less. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 147”. Campylopterus delatirii, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 45 (Sept. 1855 °°) ; Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 287” ; 1859, pp. 867°, 885"; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 127”; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 195 *, 260 **; de Oca, La Nat. ii. p. 20, t. —*. Lete saturate violaceo-cyaneus micans, capite summo obscure viridi-cyaneo, fere nigro, tectricibus alarum et supracaudalibus saturate viridibus ; cauda chalybeo-nigra, rectricibus mediis viridi lavatis, rectricibus tribus utrinque lateralibus late albo terminatis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 6:0, ale 3°3, caude 2-3, rostri a rictu 1:3. Q supra nitenti-viridis, capite summo nigricanti-cupreo tincto: subtus grisea, cervicis lateribus, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus viridibus, gula micanti-violacea ; caude rectricibus mediis dorso fere concolo- ribus, tribus utrinque lateralibus albo late terminatis: rostro nigro. (Descr. maris et feminz ex Coban, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico (Deppe'), Jalapa (Delattre™, de Oca 29>, F, Ferrari-Perez “4, Ms Tru- 41* 324 TROCHILIDA. jillo?), Huatusco (F. Ferrari-Perez), Cordova (Sallé 1°), Orizaba (Sumichrast ™*), Playa Vicente (IM. Trujillo), Teotalcingo (Boucard *!), Omilteme in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith’), Chimalapa and Sierra de San Domingo, Tehuantepec (W. B. Richardson’), Gineta Mts. (Sumichrast ® #2); Guatemata (Skinner ®*), Coban 4 (0. 8S. & F. D. G.), Kamkal, Choctum, Totonicapam, Volcan de Fuego, Volcan de Agua(0. 8. & F. D. G.), Retalhuleu( W. B. Richardson") ; Honpuras, Santa Ana (Witthkugel, in U.S. Nat. Mus.) ; Nicaracua, San Rafael del Norte (W. B. Richard- son); Costa Rica, (Carmiol) ; San José (Von Frantzius*), La Palma de San José *°, Tucurriqui (Zeledon), Tres Rios, Rancho Redondo (Boucard 11); PANAMA, Cordillera del Chucu °, Chitra 6, Boquete de Chitra, Calovevora ® (Arcé). This very distinct species of Campylopterus, the largest Humming-Bird of our region, was discovered by Deppe in Mexico, and very briefly described by Lichtenstein in 1830, in his list of that collector’s duplicate specimens, under the name it now bears. A few years later, in 1839, the same species received another name (0. de- lattrii) from MM. Delattre and Lesson, based upon specimens obtained by the former traveller at Jalapa in Mexico. The bird is now known to be not uncommon on the eastern slopes of the mountains of the State of Vera Cruz, and thence southwards through Central America to the State of Panama, occurring also in the Sierra Madre del Sur in Western Mexico, and in the mountains of Guatemala stretching towards the Pacific Ocean. | According to Delattre, C. hemileucurus is only found at Jalapa during two months of the year; and this statement is confirmed by de Oca, who says it is common there during October and November, flying from nine o’clock in the morning until noon. We have, however, several specimens from Mateo Trujillo which were shot at Jalapa in July, and at Playa Vicente in February, and it also occurs on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the latter month. Other dates of capture, both in Mexico and Guatemala, tend to show that this bird probably does not migrate in any wide sense of the term, but moves from place to place as certain flowers come into bloom. At Coban, in Guatemala, C. hemileucurus is common during the month of November, feeding from the flowers of the various species of Salvie which there abound. It also occurs in the heavily-forested region which lies to the northward, and in the forests of the volcanoes of Guatemala, and as low as 1000 feet on that side of the Cordillera which extends to the Pacific Ocean. Its range in altitude is thus great, as it reaches to at least 8000 feet above sea-level. 2. Campylopterus rufus. 7 Campylopterus rufus, Less. Rev. Zool. 1840, p. 731; Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 50 (May 1852)°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 127°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 38*, 195°, 263°, 2647; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 860°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 294°. Platystylopterus rufus, Reich, Aufz. d. Col. p. 11”, CAMPYLOPTERUS.—PHAZOCHROA. 325 Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, capite summo obscuriore: subtus cinnamomeus, abdomine medio pallidiore, tectri- cibus auricularibus brunnescentioribus ; caude rectricibus mediis dorso fere concoloribus, reliquis ad basin cinnamomeis, subtus fascia subterminali nigra in rectrice extima usque ad rhachidem tantum extendente, pogonio externo igitur omnino cinnamomeo: rostro nigricante, pedibus carneis. Long. tota circa 5:3, ale 2°8, caude 2:0, rostri a rictu 1:2. © mari omnino similis, remigum trium externorum rhachidibus haud tumidis. (Descr. maris et feminse ex Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Guatemata (Constancia*, Skinner *), Duefias?*, Volcan de Fuego *, Plains near Pacicia and Patzum (0. 8. & F. D. G.); Satvapor, Volcan de San Miguel (W. B. Richardson ®). Lesson described this species in 1840 from a specimen without locality. The species was subsequently traced to Guatemala, where Constancia met with it and sent ex- amples to Strickland, and where Skinner also found it and supplied Gould with a series of skins. In Guatemala C. rufus is decidedly a local bird, and the only district in which we met with it is situated between 5000 and 6000 feet above sea-level, and extends from the neighbourhood of the Lake of Atitlan to Duefas and the great volcanoes in the vicinity. It probably ranges further southwards along the highlands, as we have a specimen from the Volcan de San Miguel in Salvador which was shot by Mr. Richardson in March 1891. At some seasons C. rufus is very common near Duefias. A nest found in August was in a cypress tree in a coffee-plantation, and was attached to a branch about five feet from the ground. It had two eggs when found, but the nest and eggs were destroyed the following day. The old bird sat very close, allowing one to approach within a foot of the nest. On the slopes of the Volcan de Fuego, near the edge of the Llano of Duefias, this bird was also very common, especially near the road which leads to the hacienda of Calderas. On the higher ground near Pacicia C. rufus was observed feeding from the flowers of the large species of Yucca which grow on the open plain ; the flowers of the banana (Musa) are also eagerly sought by this bird. The habits of this species in thus frequenting more open country and second-growth woods are in strong contrast with those of C. hemileucwrus, which is a denizen of the denser forest, a". Rostrum subrectum ; tequle nasales magis exposite ; remigum rhachides plerumque normales. PHAOCHROA. Pheochroa, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 54; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 299. Pheochroa was separated by Gould from the South-American Aphantochroa and from Campylopterus, from both of which it has slight points of difference. It most resembles the former in the sombre colour of both its species; but the lateral rectrices are tipped with white and the outer primaries are slightly thickened. ‘The latter 326 TROCHILIDZA. character, however, is not well defined, and is carried to nothing like the extent seen in Campylopterus. Two species constitute the genus, one of them belonging to Eastern Guatemala and thence southward to Nicaragua, the other to Costa Rica, Panama, and probably the north-western corner of South America. 1. Pheochroa cuvieri. Trochilus cuvieri, Delattre & Bourc. Rev. Zool. 1846, p. 310°. Campylopterus cuvieri, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 52 (Sept. 1856) *; Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 140°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 319‘; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121°. Pheochroa cuvieri, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 55°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 8365"; Salv. P. ZS. 1867, p. 153°; 1870, p. 205°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 299°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. ix. p. 121”. Supra nitenti-viridis: subtus obscurior, plumis omnibus griseo marginatis, abdomine griseo, subcaudalibus viridi-griseis albido marginatis; caudz rectricibus mediis viridibus, lateralibus albo terminatis et fascia subterminali nigra notatis: rostro nigro, mandibule bitriente basali carnea. Long. tota circa 4°6, alee 2°7, caude 1:7, rostri a rictu 1. @ marisimilis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Lion Hill, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Punta Arenas (0. S.1°), Mirabayes, Bebedero de Nicoya (Arcé?!°), Pozo Azul de Pirris (Zeledon 4°); Panama (Delattre!), David (Bridges 3), Bugaba ® (Arcé), Lion Hill (0. &., M*Leannan+*), Paraiso (Hughes 1°),—Co.LomBia ? VENEZUELA ! This species was discovered by Delattre and described by him and Bourcier in 1846 from specimens said to have been shot on the Isthmus of Panama and at 'Teleman. If the latter place is the village of that name on the banks of the Polochic river in Guatemala, both P. cuviert and P. roberti were included in Delattre’s collection. The description undoubtedly refers to the Panama bird, as the colour of the base of the mandible is given as white, that of P. roberti being wholly black. The range of this species, as given by Gould, extends to Colombia and Venezuela, but we have never seen specimens from any place south of the line of the Panama Railway. Northwards and westwards of this line it spreads over the rest of the State of Panama to Western Costa Rica, where it is not uncommon on the shores of the Gulf of Nicoya. In Nicaragua, and thence northwards to British Honduras, its place is taken by P. robert. 2. Pheochroa roberti. Aphantochroa roberti, Salv. P. Z. S. 1861, p. 203’; Heine, J. f. Orn. 1863, p. 178°. Campylopterus roberti, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 53 (Sept. 1861) *. Pheockroa roberti, Gould, Intr. Troch. p.55*; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 406°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 300°. Trochilus cuviert? (partim), Delattre & Bourc. Rev. Zool. 1846, p. 310’. PH ZOCHROA.—EUGENES. 327° P, cuviert similis, sed fascia caude subterminali chalybeo-nigra multo latiore, mandibula omnino nigra quoque differt. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. British Honpuras, San Felipe, western district, Cayo and Belize river (f. Blan- — caneaux®); GuatemaLa, Choctum (R. Owen13, 0. 8S. & FD. G.*), Cautodloc (0. 8S. & F. D. G.), Teleman? (Delattre’); Honpuras, Santa Ana (Wittkugel, in U.S. Nat. Mus.) ; Ntcaraeva, Los Sabalos (Nutting 5). Mr. Robert Owen, who was formerly interested in the estate of San Gerdénimo in Vera Paz, and where he resided for some time, procured us the first specimen of this species from Choctum. It was described by Salvin in 1861, and figured by Gould the same year. In 1862, during a visit to the low-lying forest-region of Northern Vera Paz in the month of February, we obtained several specimens and saw others frequenting openings in the forest, such as the banks of a stream or a clearing. Mr. Blancaneaux also met with it at various places on the upper portion of the Belizeriver. Southwards of Guatemala we have no personal knowledge of its existence, but Mr. Ridgway informs us that two specimens are in the United States National Museum obtained at Santa Ana by Herr Wittkugel, and Mr. Nutting includes it in his list of birds from Los Sabalos in Nicaragua. In Costa Rica, at least on the western side, its place is taken by P. cuviert. e’, Rostrum variabile sed nunquam valde arcuatum; tegule nasales et spatio inter mandibule ramos magis plumate ; remigum rhachides normales ; ptilosis hic illic coloribus micantibus ornata. el". Rostrum elongatum, rectum; cauda uniformis sensim furcata ; macula postoculari alba. EUGENES. Eugenes, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 59 (Sept. 1856) ; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 302. Two closely allied beautiful species constitute this genus, which is a peculiarly Central-American one, spread over the highlands from Sonora and beyond the frontier of Southern Arizona in the north to Costa Rica in the south. LE. fulgens, which has by far the more extended range, keeps strictly to the high grounds of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, £. spectabilis taking its place in Costa Rica. The long bill, the brilliant colours of the head and throat, the slightly forked uni- form tail, are characteristic features of Hugenes, distinguishing it from Sternoclyta and Urochroa, its nearest allies. 328 TROCHILIDA. 1. Eugenes fulgens. Trochilus fulgens, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 441". Eugenes fulgens, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 59°; Moore, P.Z.S. 1859, p. 53°; Sel. & f-- 7 1859, p. 1284; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 261’, 263°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 8027; Sel. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 176°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 273°; Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141°; Henshaw, in Wheeler’s Geogr. & Geol. Surv., Zool. v. p. 879**; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 349, t. i. fig. 5; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 164”; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250"; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 157"; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 822". Celigena fulgens, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 2877; 1858, p. 297°; 1859, pp. 367 °, 386”. Ornismya rivolii, Less. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, pp. xxvi, 48, t. 4 a Ornismya clemencie 2 , Less. Suppl. Ois.-Mouches, p. 115, t.8”. Trochilus melanogaster, Licht. in Mus. Ber., fide Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 20 * Eugenes viridiceps, Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, (2) xxv. p. 55 (187 8). Supra saturate cupreo-viridis, nitidus, cervice postica et dorso antico nigris a fronte adspectis; capite summo lete micanti-violaceo: subtus gula micanti-viridi, pectore et abdomine medio nigris a fronte, viridibus a tergo adspectis, abdomine imo griseo, tectricibus subcaudalibus pallide viridibus griseo late marginatis ; cauda cupreo-viridi: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 5:5, ale 3:0, caude rectr. lat. 1°85, rectr. med. 1°5, rostri a rictu 1-4. Q supra saturate gramineo-viridis, nitida; capite summo fuscescente: subtus grisea, gula plumis medialiter fuscis, hypochondriis viridi lavatis; caude rectricibus lateralibus griseo-albo terminatis et fascia lata subterminali chalybeo-nigra ornatis. (Descr. maris et feminew ex Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Norta America, Arizona ".—Mexico, Sierra de San Luis Potosi, Sierra de Val- paraiso, Sierra de Nayarit, Sierra de Bolafios (W. B. Richardson"), Guanajuato (Dugés 1°), Temiscaltepec (Bullock 1), Valley of Mexico (White®, Herrera 1°), Chi- malpa, Hacienda Eslava in the Valley of Mexico (/. Ferrari-Perez"), Ajusco Valley of Mexico (W. B. Richardson"), Rio Frio, Ixtaccihuatl (W. B.#.7), Puebla (f. Ferrari- Perez ), La Parada (Boucard®), Alpine region of Orizaba (Sumichrast*), Las Vigas (Ferrari-Perez), Jalapa (de Oca’? , Ferrari-Perez °, M. Trujillo"), Coatepec (de Oca 8), Mirador (Sartorius, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Cordova (Sallé"), Totontepec (Boucard ®°), Sierra Nevada de Colima (W. B. Richardson), Omilteme and Xucu- manatlan in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith’), Tonaguia (M. Trujillo’), Oaxaca (Fenochio"); Guatemaua (Skinner +), El Rincon in San Marcos, Santa Maria, San Martin, Chuipaché in Quezaltenango (W. B. Richardson’), Volcan de Fuego ®, Duefias >, Mountains of Chilasco, Tactic ®, Coban ® (0. S.& F. D. G.7); Nicaragua, San Rafael del Norte (W. B. Richardson). This well-known species of the Mexican highlands crosses the northern political boundary of Mexico and enters Southern Arizona. Thence it spreads southwards over the sierras of North-western Mexico and over the tableland, including the valley and the higher parts of the States of Vera Cruz, Colima, Guerrero, and Oaxaca. In Guate- mala it is only found in the mountainous portions at.an elevation of from 4000 to 8000 feet. Near Duefias, where the ravines of the Volcan de Fuego open out into the plain, EUGENES. 329 this species is found in great abundance at certain seasons, feeding from the flowers of the tree-convolvulus (Zpomw@a murucoides), and flying on cloudy misty afternoons, the males fighting incessantly with one another and with every other species of Humming- Bird frequenting the same place. The females do not join in the same company, and therefore are, or appear to be, much rarer than the males. The southern limit of this species is Southern Nicaragua, whence we have recently received two specimens from Mr. Richardson, who shot them at San Rafael del Norte in March and April 1892. In Mexico, in the neighbourhood of Jalapa and Coatepec, de Oca says}® that this species is found in spring and summer, but is more common in autumn, feeding from the flowers of Centaurea benedicta. He also says that it is found in the Valley of Mexico, a statement confirmed by many other observers, but that he never found its nest. Villada tells us!” that EL. fulgens is one of the first Humming-Birds to arrive in spring, appearing in March when the species of Cereus are in flower, and frequenting other Cacti as well as Agave. Later in the year it seeks Lobelia laxiflora and Erythrina corallodendron. In the month of June, when these plants have finished flowering, it retires to the neighbouring hills where Bouvadia abounds; in August and September it returns to the plains when Salvia patens and S. fulgens bloom, and at the commence- ment of autumn it retires to the south-eastward not to return till the following spring. M. Boucard says? that it is very common in Mexico in June and July and equally abundant at La Parada, where he resided for a long time. He obtained many specimens when they were feeding from the flowers of Carduaceew which grew in his garden. The species was first discovered by Bullock in Mexico, and his specimens were described by Swainson in 18271. A few years afterwards Lesson redescribed and figured the bird as 0. rivolit?1._ Lichtenstein’s uncharacterized name Trochilus melanogaster 78 was probably based on birds sent to the Berlin Museum by Deppe. Lesson figured and described a female of this species as a female of Celigena clemencie °. M. Boucard has very kindly lent us his type of Eugenes viridiceps which he described in 1878 from a single specimen found in a collection of bird-skins made near Coban in Vera Paz *4. The specimen is a very curious one, and may be, we think, an immature male. The upper surface resembles that of Eugenes fulgens, except that the crown is partially covered with glittering olive-green feathers, which in a young EL. fulgens would be rich violet-blue. ‘The under surface is sordid grey, darker on the flanks, which are also washed with golden green. The feathers of the throat are shaped like those of the male EL. fulgens, that is to say, they are squamose with rounded ends ; but the glittering colour is entirely gone, except in the case of a few on the left side, and these are glittering green. ‘The tail is peculiar, and differs from that of the female Eugenes fulgens in having wider white tips to the lateral rectrices, the bases of which are pale green, a male character. The bill is rather longer than the average in Z. fulgens. As the BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., September 1892. 42 330 TROCHILID~. glittering feathers of the crown are not quite uniform in colour, some being bluer than others, and as the bright colour has disappeared from the feathers of the throat, we are on the whole inclined to think that this bird is a specimen of Hugenes fulgens in an abnormal state of plumage, due probably to disease. ‘This view is further strengthened by the fact that it came from a country where birds have for many years been collected in tens of thousands, and no other has, so far as we know, been found like it. At the same time, in placing it under Hugenes fulgens, we must state that we shall welcome further evidence, in the form of additional specimens in more perfect plumage, which will prove Hugenes viridiceps to be a valid species. 2. Eugenes spectabilis. Heliomaster spectabilis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 472+; Salv. Ibis, 1868, p. 251 °. Eugenes spectabilis, Salv. Ibis, 1869, p. 316°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 304°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 121°; x. p. 140°; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 3157; Boucard, P.Z.S. 1878, p. 68°; Sharpe, in. Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 13 (April 1885) °; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121”. E. fulgenti similis, sed pectore nitenti-viridi nec nigro; rectricibus lateralibus ad apicem obscurioribus ; cauda minus profunde furcata distinguendus. (Descr. maris ex Irazu, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (A. C. Garcia, Endres+), Rancho Redondo (Carmiol*®, Zeledon), Volcan de Irazu (Arcé *, Boucard *, Rogers*, Zeledon 1°). Mr. Lawrence’s original description of this species was based upon a female which he assigned to the genus Heliomaster1; but Gould on seeing the type considered it a Eugenes, in which opinion he was undoubtedly right’. Salvin for some time hesitated to admit the distinctness of E. spectabilis from E. fulgens, being guided by an imma- ture male sent by Arcé from the Volcan de Irazu. Now that adult males have been received, there can be no doubt that the two birds, though closely allied, are really separated by fairly definite characters. E. spectabilis, like H. fulgens, doubtless frequents mountainous districts of consider- able elevation, being found, according to M. Boucard, at an altitude ranging between 6000 and 8000 feet above sea-level on the Volcan de Irazu, where it resorts to a parasitic plant resembling a mistletoe which bears a red flower®. Its range seems to be very limited and confined to the mountains of Costa Rica. f"". Rostrum breve; stria postocularis alba. ct, Rostrum modice curvatum ; cauda rectricibus lateralibus albo terminatis. COKLIGEN A. Celigena, Lesson, Ind. gén. Troch. p. xviii; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 304. The single species belonging to this genus, though closely allied to Delattria, which has as often as not been placed in it, is nevertheless a somewhat peculiar bird. The bill is slightly more curved than in the genera which follow, and none of them have CQLIGENA. 331 the wide terminal white spots to the outer rectrices. The range of the only species is given below, and includes the highlands of Mexico from Arizona to Oaxaca. 1. Celigena clemenciz. Ornismya clemencie, Less. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, pp. xlv, 216, t. 80°. Delattria clemencie, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 60 (May 1855)"; Scl. P. Z. S. 1858, p. 297°; 1859, p. 367°; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 100’. Coeligena clemencie, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 15°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 274"; Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141°; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 850°; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p- 250"; Brewster, Auk, ii. p. 85"; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 322%; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 8304. Supra nitenti-cupreo-viridis, dorso viridescentiore, uropygio saturatiore cupreo in purpurascentem transeunte, alis et cauda ejusdem coloris ; capite summo obscuro, stria postoculari elongata alba; tectricibus auricularibus obscuris: subtus grisea, gutture micanti-ceruleo, hypochondriis viridi lavatis, tectricibus subcaudalibus albo marginatis ; caude rectricibus lateralibus duabus utrinque late albo terminatis : rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 5°3, ale 3-1, caude 2-0, rostri a rictu 1:5. 2 mari similis, sed corpore toto subtus griseo, gula haud cerulea. (Descr. maris et femine ex Amecameca, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. NortH America, Arizona!!,— Mexico!®, Ciudad in Durango (A. Forrer 8), Guanajuato (Dugés*), Sierra de Valparaiso, Sierra de San Luis Potosi (W. B. Richardson 18), Las Vigas (F. Ferrari-Perez '*), Jalapa‘, Coatepec (de Oca‘), Cordova (Sallé, de Oca*), Mirador (Sartorius, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Orizaba (Sumi- chrast ), Valley of Mexico (de Oca*®, Herrera '2), Tetelco, Ixtapalapa, Hacienda Kslava in the Valley of Mexico (Ff. Ferrari-Perez), Ajusco (W. B. Richardson 1), Amecameca (/. D. G.1), Rio Frio Ixtaccibuatl (W. B. Richardson 13), Tehuacan (Boucard*), Omilteme in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith #8), Oaxaca (Boucard 37, Fenochio }*), Tia Parada (Boucard"). Lesson described and figured this species from a male specimen in the Rivoli collection from Mexico. The same author’s subsequent description and figure of the female belong not to this species but to Eugenes fulgens. C. clemencie is now known to occur over a considerable area in the mountains of Southern Mexico, and as far north as the Sierra of San Luis Potosi and the Sierra Madre of Durango, and even beyond the Mexican frontier in Arizona, where Mr. F. Stephens — obtained an adult male at Camp Lowell in May 188411. De Oca says® it is found in the neighbourhood of Jalapa, Coatepec, and Cordova in the State of Vera Cruz, but more rarely in the Valley of Mexico, where it stays from spring till the end of autumn. At Oaxaca, according to M. Boucard ’, it arrives in September, but leaves again early in November. He adds that it is a bird of the mountains, and, like Hugenes fulgens, capable of resisting a considerable amount of cold. This species has no very near ally; the colour of the throat is peculiar, and so also are the white tips to the lateral rectrices. ‘The elongated white postocular stripe it has in common with the members of Delattria and Oreopyra. 42* 332 TROCHILIDE. d*, Rostrum fere rectum; cauda fere uniformis. a, Cauda rotundata ; gula nunquam micanti-rosaceo-rubra. a®, Pileus micans. OREOPYRA. Oreopyra, Gould, P. Z. S. 1860, p. 312; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 305. The four species included in this genus all belong to the highlands of Costa Rica and the western mountains of the State of Panama adjoining. - In these countries they nearly take the place of Delattria, most of the species of which are found further north. From Delattria, Oreopyra differs in having the sexes widely distinct in coloration, and in having the top of the head of the males glittering in contrast to, instead of in uniformity with, the back. The tail in both genera is nearly uniform, the females only exhibiting pale tips to the outer rectrices. 1. Oreopyra leucaspis. Trochilus ( ?) castaneoventris, Gould, P. Z. S. 1850, p. 163°. Adelomyia? castaneiventris, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 203 (Sept. 1855) °. Oreopyra leucaspis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1860, p. 812°; Mon. Troch. iv. t. 264 (May 1861)*; Salv. P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 153°; 1870, p. 205°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 306"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. ix. p. 125°. Oreopyra castaneiventris, Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 153°; Ibis, 1869, p. 316”. Supra saturate gramineo-viridis, nitens, dorso medio cupreo tincto, capite summo micanti-ceruleo-viridi ; loris et tectricibus auricularibus nigricanti-viridibus, stria postoculari elongata et gula niveis, hujus lateribus et pectore nitide viridibus, abdomine medio cinereo, lateribus et tectricibus subcaudalibus viridi lavatis his quoque albo limbatis ; cauda chalybeo-nigra: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 4:0, ale 2°5, caude 1:4, rostri a rictu 0°95, © supra viridis, nitens; capite summo nitentiore: subtus cinnamomea; cauda viridi, tectricibus externis griseo- albo terminatis et fascia subterminali nigra notatis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Chiriqui, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Cordillera de Chiriqui (Warszewiez 1°), Volcan de Chiriqui (Arcé ®). Warszewiez was the discoverer of this species during his visit to the Cordillera of Chiriqui, where he obtained five specimens—a male and four females. The latter were described by Gould in 1850 as Trochilus (?) castaneoventris1, and subsequently figured in his ‘Monograph of the Trochilide’ as Adelomyia? castaneiventris?._ The male was not characterized until 1860, when Gould placed it in a separate genus as Oreopyra leucaspis*. ‘The real relationship between these birds was not suspected until we received a large series of skins from our collector Arcé, and the point was discussed by Salvin in 1870°. In point of priority A. castaneiventris is several years older than O. leucaspis; but as the former name was founded on female specimens, and as all the birds of this sex are exceedingly alike in the species of Oreopyra, the latter name based upon the male had better be used. OREOPYRA. 333 Though 0. deucaspis has a very restricted range, confined to the Volcano of Chiriqui and the higher hills in its vicinity, it appears to be a very common bird in its own home. Arcé sent us a large series of skins including fully adult birds and young in all stages of advancing maturity. It appears from the latter that the young males are not like the females in their first plumage, but resemble the older birds, the white throat and glittering head being assumed gradually. In some birds purple feathers appear at the edge of the white throat and even in the middle of it, and thus show the close relationship O. leucaspis bears to O. calolema, in which the whole throat is reddish purple. 2. Oreopyra cinereicauda. | Oreopyra cinereicauda, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 485"; ix. p. 125°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p- 68°; Muls. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, iv. p. 163, t.116*; Sharpe in Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 7 (April 1885)°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 307°. O. leucaspi similis, sed rostro forsan longiore, capite summo ceeruleo tincto et cauda grisea ad apicem obscuriore nec chalybeo-nigro distinguenda. (Descr. maris ex Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Garcia! *, Carmiol®), Navarro (Boucard *). This species was described by Mr. Lawrence from a specimen sent him from Costa Rica by Mr. A. C. Garcia !, but the exact place where it was procured was not recorded. All the specimens we have received are in the same condition, and the only precise recorded locality where the species occurs is Navarro, where M. Boucard obtained a single specimen in May®. Judging from what we find in O. leucaspis, O. cinereicauda is probably restricted to the forests of some of the higher mountains of Costa Rica in the vicinity of San José, the capital. As a species 0. cinereicauda is quite distinct from O. lewcaspis, though the two birds resemble each other in many respects. The females are probably not separable with certainty, and that sex of O. calolema is almost exactly similar. The bird we believe to be a female of O. cinereicauda has a longer bill than the others, and we place it under this name on that account. 3. Oreopyra calolema. (Tab. LIV. figg. 1,3; 2,9.) Oreopyra calolema, Salv. P. Z. 8S. 1864, p. 584°; 1867, p. 153°; 1870, pp. 205°, 206*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 307°; Salvad. Atti R. Acc. Tor. iv. p. 183°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 125"; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 316°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 69°; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 500"; Sharpe, in Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 6 (April 1885) ”. Oreopyra venusta, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 484”. | Anthocephala castaneiventris, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 124%; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 316™. Supra saturate gramineo-viridis, nitens, uropygio obscuriore ; capite summo cxruleo-viridi micante, stria post- oculari alba, loris et tectricibus auricularibus viridi-nigris; gula nitenti-rufo-purpurea, lateribus suis et pectore micanti-viridibus, abdomine medio cinereo, hypochondriis viridi lavatis, tectricibus subcaudalibus 334 TROCHILID 2. fuscis viridi tinctis et albo marginatis ; cauda chalybeo-nigra: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 4:0, alee 2°5, caudse 1°45, rostri a rictu 1-0. Q supra mari similis, sed dilutior ; capite summo dorso concolore: subtus cinnamomea; cauda ad basin viridi, rectricibus lateralibus albido terminatis, fascia lata subterminali chalybeo-nigra. (Descr. maris et femine ex V. de Cartago, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Volcan de Cartago (Arcé+), Rancho Redondo? & 14, San José, Dota (v. Frantzius, Carmiol, Boucard °), La Palma (Nutting }°), Peorsnada, Las Cruces de Candelaria? *® (v. Frantzius, Zeledon), Naranjo (Boucard®); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui*®, Cordillera de Tolé?, Cordillera del Chucu #, Calovevora®, Calobre * (Arcé). Eastern Costa Rica and thence southwards to the higher mountains of Western Panama are the homes of this species, which was discovered by Arcé on the slopes of the Volcan de Cartago!. The same collector subsequently obtained us a good series of specimens from various points in the mountains of Western Panama. According to M. Boucard this species is only met with in the forest 9°. | 4. Oreopyra pectoralis. Oreopyra pectoralis, Salv. Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1891, vii. p. 377'; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. pp. 308, 664°. O. caloleme similis, sed pectore (a fronte adspecto) nigro nec micanti-viridi distinguenda. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Endres 2). A single male in our collection and others in that of Gould, all apparently prepared by Endres, are all that we have seen of this species, which differs from the ordinary form in having a black instead of a glittering green breast. Though the types are marked as coming from Costa Rica, we have as yet no clue to which district the species belongs. . The female of this bird is probably undistinguishable from that sex of O. calolema. The female specimens we associate with the males of 0. pectoralis are made up by the same collector in a precisely similar way. b®, Pileus dorsum concolor. DELATTRIA. Delattria, Bonaparte, Consp. Av. i. p. 70; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 308. This genus, which was first separated by Bonaparte, has frequently been united to Ceeligena, with which it has several characters in common, but the bill is straighter and the lateral rectrices are of nearly uniform colour, and without the conspicuous white tips which distinguish Celigena clemencie. Delattria has also a close affinity to Oreopyra, but the style of coloration is different and none of the species have the glittering crown possessed by all the members of the latter genus. DELATTRIA. 335 With the exception of the somewhat abnormal Costa Rican D. hemileuca, all the species of Delatiria belong to the northern section of our region. Two occur in Mexico, one of which is also found in Guatemala, the latter country possesses a peculiar species, and the fourth occurs in the highlands of Nicaragua and probably of Honduras. 1. Delattria henrici. Ornismya henrica, Less. & Delattre, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 171. Delatiria henrici, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 62 (Oct. 1854)2; Sel. P. Z. S. 1858, p- 297°; 1859, pp. 367 *, 386°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 129°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 1967; 1862, p.96°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 308°; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 351"; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 322”. Ceeligena henrici, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 15; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 275; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 157“. Supra saturate cupreo-viridis, uropygio brunnescente, tectricibus supracaudalibus longioribus sicut rectricibus purpureo-nigris ; capite summo fusco nigricante, plumis singulis viridi limbatis; stria postoculari elongata alba, stria rictali fulva: subtus gula rosaceo-rubra, corpore reliquo griseo-brunneo, hypochondriis viridi lavatis, tectricibus subcaudalibus abdomine concoloribus albido marginatis, rectricibus lateralibus ad apicem pallidis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 4:5, ale 2°6, caude 1:6, rostri a rictu 1-0. Q supra mari similis, subtus pallidior, pectore rufescente, gula rosacea nulla, rectricibus lateralibus griseo- albido terminatis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Calderas, Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Valley of Mexico (Le Strange °, Herrera 1), Hacienda Eslava (F. Ferrari- Perez®), Jalapa (de Oca *, F. Ferrari-Perez +), Coatepec (Delattre!, M. Trujillo °), Cordova (F. Ferrari-Perez “4, Bowcard 8), Mountains of Orizaba (F. Ferrari-Perez *), Playa Vicente (Boucard '%), Sierra Nevada de Colima (W. B. Richardson ®), Toton- tepec (Boucard?°); Guatemana (Skinner ®), El Rincon in San Marcos, Cuipaché, San Martin, and Quezaltenango (W. B. R.°), Totonicapam °, Volcan de Fuego and Calderas on V. de Fuego® (0. S. & F. D. G.). Delattria henrict was one of Delattre’s discoveries during his journey to Mexico, and was described by himself and Lesson in 1839, and named after Henri Delattre, the brother of the traveller’. ‘The species appears to be fairly common in the forests of the slopes of the mountains of Vera Cruz, thence it passes inland to the Valley of Mexico, where, however, it is a comparatively rare bird, and across the country to the Sierra Nevada de Colima, where Mr. Richardson secured a male specimen in December 1889. This bird is not old, and is paler grey beneath than birds from Eastern Mexico; but a specimen from Cuipaché, in Quezaltenango, is similar, so that there can be little doubt that the Colima bird is really the same as that of the Valley of Mexico. Totontepec is the most southern place in Mexico where D. henrici is found 5, but it occurs in many parts of the main mountain-range of Guatemala in the upland forests as high as 10,000 feet above sea-level. Guatemalan specimens, of which we have a large series, are exactly like those of Kastern Mexico. On the ridge above Calderas (8000 feet) this bird was abundant in September, the flowers of an arborescent Fuchsia being the chief attraction. . 336 TROCHILIDA. 9. Delattria margarethz. (Tab. LIV.a. figg. 1,4; 2,2.) Delattria margarethe, Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1889, p. 239'; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 310°. D. henrici similis, sed gula violacea nec rosaceo-rubra facile distinguenda. Q femine D. henrict omnino similis. (Descr. maris et femine exempl. typ. ex Omilteme, Guerrero, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Omilteme in the Sierra Madre del Sur, Guerrero, Mexico (Mrs. H. H. Smith 2), The males of a series of specimens obtained by Mrs. Herbert Smith at Omilteme, in the high mountain-range called the Sierra Madre del Sur, all agree in having the throat violet instead of rosy red as in the well-known D. henrici. For this reason we separated this form under the name it now bears, calling the species after its energetic discoverer. Omilteme is a small hamlet situated at an elevation of about 8000 feet above the sea, where Mr. and Mrs. Smith spent the months of July and August 1888. 3. Delattria viridipallens. Trochilus viridipallens, Bourc. & Muls. Ann. Sc. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, ix. p. 821°. Delattria viridipallens, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 63 (May1855)*; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 129 °; Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 468‘; 1860, pp. 40°, 195°, 2637; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. pp. 310 *, 664’. Supra cupreo-viridis, pileo viridescentiore, uropygio magis cupreo, tectricibus supracaudalibus longioribus sicut rectricibus mediis purpureo-nigris, rectricibus lateralibus grisescentioribus ; stria postoculari elongata alba, tectricibus auricularibus viridi-nigris: subtus alba, plumis gule singulis macula discali micanti- viridi, hypochondriis viridi lavatis, tectricibus subcaudalibus fuscis albido marginatis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 4°4, alee 2°7, caudex 1°65, rostri a rictu 0°9. 2 mari similis, maculis gule viridibus absentibus, rectricibus lateralibus albido terminatis. (Descr. maris et feminee ex Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Guatemata (Skinner *), Coban 18 (Delattre), Chilasco *, Volcan de Fuego & (0. 8. & F. D. G.), Pie de la Cuesta in San Marcos, Santa Maria near Quezaltenango, Toliman (W. B. Richardson § °). This pretty species, distinguished by the delicate green colour of the throat, was described from specimens obtained at Coban in Vera Paz, where numerous specimens were subsequently secured by Skinner’s collectors and by ourselves. Most of our examples were, however, shot in the upland forests of the Volcan de Fuego, where the bird is common up to an elevation of about 7000 to 8000 feet. It frequents the same woods as Petasophora thalassina, never leaving the oak-forests, and is not found with Eugenes fulgens and other species in the more open plains. It probably occurs in all suitable places over the highlands of Guatemala, as we also met with it in the higher mountains of Vera Paz, and Mr. Richardson has sent us a series of specimens from the Altos of Guatemala, close to the frontier of the Mexican State of Chiapas. In Northern Nicaragua its place is taken by the next species. DELATTRIA. 337 4. Delattria sybille. (Tab. LIV. a. figg. 3, ¢; 4, 2.) Delattria sybille, Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1892, p. 3277; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 664°. D. viridipallenti proxime affinis, sed pectore et hypochondriis viridibus gula concoloribus, dorso imo vix cupreo tincto, rectricibus lateralibus griseis facile distinguenda: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 4:5, ale 2°6, caude rectr. med. 1°3, rectr. lat. 1-7, rostri a rictu 0°95. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Mus. nostr.) Q supra mari similis, subtus alba, gula leviter cervino tincta, cervicis lateribus et hypochondriis viridi punc- tatis, rectricibus lateralibus griseo-albis fascia angusta indistincta subapicali fusca notatis. (Deser. femine ex San Rafael del Norte, Nicaragua. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nicaracua, Matagalpa! 2, San Rafael del Norte (W. B. Richardson). Of this distinct species Mr. Richardson sent us in the first instance six adult males from Matagalpa, which place he visited in August 1891. During a second expedition to the same district in April and May of the following year he obtained examples of the young male and females at San Rafael del Norte, a place a short distance to the north-westward of Matagalpa, and nearer the Honduras frontier. Though clearly allied to D. viridipallens, this species has several points of distinc- tion. In the former bird the throat alone has green discal spots, whilst in D. sybzlle the green colour overspreads the whole under surface, leaving only the middle of the abdomen white. The tail, too, has the outer rectrices greyish white, the shafts alone being dark. 5. Delattria hemileuca. (lab. LIV. figg. 3, ¢; 4, 2.) Oreopyra hemileuca, Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 584+; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 125°; v. Frantz. J. £. Orn. 1869, p. 316°; Muls. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, iv. p. 167, t. 118°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 69°. Ceeligena hemileuca, Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 31°; Sharpe, in Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 5 (April 1885) 7; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121°. Delattria hemileuca, Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 311’. Supra nitenti-viridis, capite summo et genis vix letioribus, rectricibus mediis cupreo tinctis ; stria postoculari elongata alba: subtus alba, gula media lete micanti-violacea, lateribus micanti-viridibus, hypochondriis viridi lavatis, tectricibus subcaudalibus albis medialiter pallide fuscis; rectricibus lateralibus griseo- viridibus, fascia subterminali obscura, apicibus pallidioribus: rostro nigro. Long. tota 4:0, ale 2-4, caudee 1°5, rostri a rictu 0°9. Q supra mari similis, capite summo dorso fere concolore: subtus gule plumis medialiter viridibus, plaga violacea nulla, caude rectricum apicibus latiore pallidis. (Descr. maris et femine exempl. typ. ex Turri- alba, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Endres, Zeledon, Alfaro in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Turrialba, Tucurriqui _(Arcé'), Candelaria and Rancho Redondo (v. Frantzius *), Naranjo de Cartagy (Boucard°, Zeledon *). Little is known of this well-marked species, the first specimens of which were sent us by our collector Enrique Arcé, by whom they were obtained on the slopes of Turri- alba and near Tucurriqui, on the eastern side of the mountains of Costa Rica, BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., September 1892. 43 338 : TROCHILID&%. b°. Cauda furcata ; guia micanti-rosaceo-rubra. LAMPROLAIMA. Lamprolema, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 61 (May 1856) ; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 314. The coloration of Lamprolema rhami, the only member of its genus, is quite peculiar; this and the tail being forked render its separation necessary, though in many other points of structure it comes near Celigena and Delattria. ‘Lhe bill, however, is decidedly shorter than in any member of those genera. The range of Lamprolema is strictly confined to the higher mountains of Southern Mexico and Guatemala. 1. Lamprolema rhami., Ornismya rhami, Less. Rev. Zool. 1838, p. 315’; Less. & Delattre, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 13°. Lamprolema rhami, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 61(May 1856)*; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 129°; Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 468°; 1860, p. 196°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 3147; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 30°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 176°; de Oca, La Nat. in. p. 25 0; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250"; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xx. p. 275". Delattria rhami, Scl. P. Z. S. 1858, p. 297%; 1859, p. 367 ™. Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis, antice letior postice obscurior ; alis castaneis, tectricibus majoribus et secund- ariis anguste primariis quoque late nigricante terminatis ; cauda saturate rubro-purpurea: subtus gula nigra, medialiter rosaceo-rubra micante; pectore micanti-violaceo, abdomine fusco-nigricante, hypochon- driis viridi lavatis, tectricibus subcaudalibus purpureo-nigris: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 5:0, ale 3-2, caudee 2:0, rostri a rictu 0-8. @ supra mari similis, alis quoque eodem modo castaneo notatis: subtus griseo-brunnea, gula interdum plumis rosaceis irregulariter ornata, pectore et hypochondriis viridi lavatis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Calderas, Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico (Delattre+*), Cofre de Perote (MU. Trujillo"), Jalapa? !? 4, Coatepec 71° (de Oca, Boucard, Trujillo), Cordova (Sallé, de Oca '°), Orizaba (de Oca", F. Ferrari- Perez), Alpine region of Orizaba (Sumichrast +"), Omilteme in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith"), Tonaguia and Totontepec (M. Trujillo"), La Parada (Boucard 1), Oaxaca (Boucard 13, Fenochio"); Guatamata® (Skinner +), El Rincon in San Marcos, Santa Maria, and San Martin near Quezaltenango (W. B. Richardson"), Calderas on Volcan de Fuego °®’, Volcan de Agua, Chilasco’? (0. S. & F. D. G.), Cahabon ? (fide Gould’). This beautiful and very distinct species was discovered by Delattre in Mexico, and it is now known to have a wide range in the southern portion of that country, being found in the upland forests on both sides of the main mountain-range. Its name is included in Mr. White’s list of the birds of the Valley of Mexico 9, but its presence there is not confirmed by subsequent writers. According to de Oca it is common on the slopes of the Cofre de Perote near Coatepec, and in the neighbourhood of Cordova and Orizaba, but he never found its nest. The same writer says that it appears in these districts in the months of June and July, and is supposed to migrate to Guatemala LAMPROLAMA.—HELIODOXA. 339 to breed. This, however, is not the case, as Trujillo obtained specimens on the Cofre de Perote in November, and at Tonaguia and Totontepec in February. M. Boucard, who observed this species at La Parada and elsewhere, says that it feeds from the flowers of Bromeliacee. In Guatemala L. rhamié is a bird of the upland forests lying at an elevation of from 6000 to 10,000 feet above the sea-level. We found it to be tolerably abundant in September on the slopes of the Volcan de Fuego and the ridges adjoining, where the vegetation is dense, and in other similar places in the higher mountains of Guatemala. It flies amongst the undergrowth, and feeds from such trees and shrubs that happen to be in flower, f", Rostrum variabile, rectum aut modice curvatum ; tegule nasales omnino plumate ; remigum rhachides normales. eg". Rostrum robustum, rectum. HELIODOXA. Heliodowa, Gould, P. Z. 8. 1849, p. 95; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 317. Heliodoxa is the only representative of a small group of genera distinguished by their straight strong bills, some of which, as in Docimaster, are extraordinarily Jengthened. ‘The nasal covers are completely feathered, the tail forked, and the tail- feathers normal in the present genus. The under surface, especially the throat, is glittering green. This genus has a wide range in the Andes from Bolivia to Colombia and Venezuela, and occurs also in the highlands of Guiana. One species of Colombia also appears in the mountainous parts of Panama and Costa Rica, and is the only one found within our limits. 1. Heliodoxa jacula. Heliodoxa jacula, Gould, P. ZS. 1849, p. 96’; Mon. Troch. ii. t. 94 (Sept. 1858) *; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 22°; Salv. P. ZS. 1867, p. 154"; 1870, p. 207’; Ibis, 1869, p. 316°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 3197; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 122°; Boucard, P. Z.S. 1878, p. 69°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 121. Heliodoxa henryt, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 402". Supra saturate gramineo-viridis, capite summo fronte et corpore toto subtus micanti-viridibus, abdomine obscu- riore; plaga gulari micanti-violacea, tectricibus subcaudalibus brunneis medialiter viridi lavatis ; cauda chalybeo-cyanea, rectricibus mediis cupreo tinctis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 4°7, ale 2:8, caude rectr. med, 1°35, rectr. lat. 2-0, rostri a rictu 1-1. _@ supra mari similis, capite summo dorso concolore: subtus alba, plumis singulis macula discali micanti- viridi ornatis, rectricibus lateralibus albo terminatis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Cordillera de Tolé, Panama. Mus. nostvr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Angostura, Juiz (Carmio/ *!"), Birris de Cartago (Zeledon '°), Tucur- 43* 340 TROCHILIDA. riqui (Arcé’), Naranjo and Volcan de Irazu (Boucard °), Talamanca (Zeledon, in U. S. Nat. Mus.); Panama, Boquete de Chitra, Cordillera de Tolé *, Castillo °, Calovevora®, Santiago de Veraguas 4, Calobre (Arcé).—CoLomBia '. Gould’s description of this species was based upon specimens from Colombia, where this bird is not common, but is occasionally represented in the trade collections sent from Bogota. It is apparently absent from the low-lying lands of the Isthmus of Panama, but occurs in the more mountainous parts of that State and thence north- wards into Costa Rica, where its range terminates. In Ecuador its place is taken by H. jamesoni, an allied but distinct species. Hardly any difference can be traced between Colombian and more northern speci- mens, but the former have, as a rule, rather more bronze colour on the central rectrices; but this of itself is a variable feature, being absent altogether in some specimens and just visible in others, so that it is not available as a differential character. H. henryi was described by Mr. Lawrence from a young male specimen from yi uiz in Costa Rica 11, in which the bright spot on the throat and the bright crown had not been developed. The receipt of fully adult birds from Costa Rica has proved that H. henryi is a synonym of H. jacula. h'". Rostrum debile, decurvum. FLORISUGA. Florisuga, Bonaparte, Consp. Av. i. p. 73; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 328. Florisuga stands as a rather isolated genus in the Trochilide, having no near allies. It comes, perhaps, next to Lafresnaya. As in Heliodowa, the nasal covers are feathered, but the bill is much more slender and decidedly curved ; the tail is barely forked. This latter character, its normal instead of lengthened under tail-coverts, and the rounded ends to the rectrices separate it from Lafresnaya. The range of the genus extends over a large portion of Tropical South America, one species occupying the lowlands from Southern Mexico to the Amazons Valley, a second species being found in South-eastern Brazil. 1. Florisuga mellivora. Trochilus mellivorus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 193°. Florisuga meilivora, Bonaparte, Consp. Av. i. p. 73°; Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 118 (Nov. 1851) *; Moore, P.Z. 8. 1859, p. 53°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 128°; P.Z.S. 1864, p. 365°; 1870, p. 887"; Salv. P. Z. 8. 1867, p.155°; Ibis, 1872, p. 819°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p- 829°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vil. p. 292"; ix. p. 122”; Pr. Bost. Soc. N. H. xiv. p- 284°°; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. 11. p. 291; Sumichrast, La Nat v. p. 250°; Berl. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 561 °°. ° Florisuga sallet, Boucard, The Humming Bird, 1. p. 18”. [< Tuis ] FLORISUGA.—ABEILLIA. 341 Supra saturate nitenti-gramineo-viridis, cervice postica ad basin alba, capite toto et cervice usque ad pectus saturate nitenti-cyaneis, cervice postica viridi tincta, abdomine albo, hypochondriis viridibus; caude rectricibus mediis ceruleo-viridibus, lateralibus albis, apicibus omnibus et marginibus externis anguste (rectrice extima excepta) purpureo-nigris: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 4-0, ale 2-6, caude 1-4, rostri a rictu 0:9, @ supra omnino viridis, plaga cervicali alba nulla: subtus albida, plumis plaga magna discali saturate viridi notatis, abdomine medio fere albo, tectricibus subcaudalibus nigricantibus albo marginatis ; caude rectri- cibus lateralibus ad basin viridescentibus, fascia subterminali chalybea, apicibus albis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Choctum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Orizaba (Sumichrast ); British Honpuras, Belize (Leyland *), Western district (F. Blancaneaua); Guatema.a (Skinner >), Choctum !, near Peten (0.8. & F. D. G.); Honpuras, San Pedro (G. M. Whitely’) ; Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt °), Rio San Juan (Rovirosa, in U.S. Nat. Mus.) ; Costa Rica (Endres 1° 1), Bebedero de Nicoya (Arcé) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui!°, Cordillera de Tolé 8, Santiago de Veraguas § (Arcé), Lion Hill (Md‘Leannan® 1"), Paraiso (Hughes !°).—SoutH America from Colombia to Guiana, Trinidad, Tobago, the Amazons Valley, and Ecuador. Florisuga mellivora is a very common species of the lowlands of the northern portion of South America, from the Valley of the Amazons to the Caribbean Sea, occurring also in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Within our limits it is equally abundant in the State of Panama, and thence northwards through Costa Rica to Eastern Nicar- agua, and keeping to the eastern side of the Cordillera to Guatemala and the State of Vera Cruz. In Mexico, however, it must be a rare bird, as we have no skins of it from that country, and its presence there rests upon Sumichrast’s statement that it occurs near Orizaba ®. M. Boucard’s description of F. sall@i was taken from a speci- men shot by himself in Southern Mexico". This last-mentioned bird appears to be a stained specimen, either through damp or exposure, of the ordinary form. At one time F. mellivora was stated to be found in the Tres Marias Islands on the authority of Xantus 314; but Count Berlepsch }6 has shown that this and other Humming-Birds stated to have come from the same islands were included in the list of their birds by some oversight. Their presence there was not confirmed by Grayson or by Mr. Forrer. So far as our own observations go, F. mellivora is a forest-loving bird, and in Guate- mala its vertical range probably does not exceed 2000 feet. b!. Minores: cauda rotundata ; rostrum debile ; tegule nasales celate ; caput haud cristatum. ge". Rostrum parvum, breve ; caput dorsum concolor. ABEILLIA. Abeillia, Bonaparte, Consp. Av. i. p. 79; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 358. This genus and the next belong to a section of Humming-Birds which are of small 342 ° TROCHILIDA. size, with small feeble bills, the tomia of both maxilla and mandible being decidedly rolled inwards towards the tip; the nostrils are concealed by feathers, which, however, do not extend so far along the culmen as in some of the other genera. The tail is rounded and the rectrices normal; the head is uncrested. Abeillia differs from HKlais in having a smaller, shorter bill, and in the crown being green like the back. ‘The sole species of the genus extends from Southern Mexico and the highlands of. Guatemala to those of Nicaragua. 1. Abeillia typica. Ornismya abeillei, Delattre & Less. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 16°. Abeillia typica, Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 79°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. pp. 358, 666°; Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1892, p. 827%. Myiabeillia typica, Bp. Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 253°; Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 211 (Oct. 1854) °; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 128"; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 195 *, 262°, 263*°; de Oca, La Nat. lll, p. 205”. Baucis abeillei, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 72”; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xxii. p. 23”. Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis, plaga postoculari magna alba, tectricibus auricularibus nigris; mento et gula antica micanti-viridibus, infra nigro marginatis; corpore reliquo subtus fusco, cervicis lateribus, hypo- chondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus medialiter viridibus ; caude rectricibus mediis cupreo-viridibus, lateralibus chalybeo-cyaneis ad basin viridescentibus, apicibus griseis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 3-2, alee 1°85, caudex 1°15, rostri a rictu 0°6. @ mari similis, sed corpore toto subtus fusco-griseo, hypochondriis viridi lavatis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Coban, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Jalapa (Delattre 1, de Oca"), Cordova (Boucard *); Guatemata 12, Coban (Skinner ", O. S. & F. D. G.8°), Volcan de Fuego (0. S. & F. D. G9 10). Pie de la Cuesta in San Marcos, Toliman in Solola (W. B. Richardson*); Nicaracua, Mata- galpa (W. B. R.? 4). This distinct species was discovered by Delattre at Jalapa in Mexico !, where, however, he says that it is very rare in the forests, seeking its food from the wild flowers of that district. De Oca confirms this statement of its occurrence near Jalapa 1, but in none of the large Mexican collections we have recently examined have we found an example, nor does its name occur in the original list of de Oca’s collections (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 367). In the British Museum are three skins of this species which were supposed to have reached Gould from Floresi, and we believe they once formed part of his collection. From the mode of preparation of these skins we now think that they were made up by Delattre, and therefore perhaps typical specimens. On the other hand, if they were from Delattre, they may have been shot in Coban and not in Mexico at all. In Guatemala A. typica is a characteristic species of the upland forests, being abun- dant at certain seasons in the ravines of the volcanoes amongst the second-growth woods. Near Coban it was found in all the mountain hollows, feeding from the Salvie in flower in November. ABEILLIA.—KLAIS. 348 The most southern locality reached by A. typica is Matagalpa in Nicaragua, whence Mr. Richardson has recently sent us two specimens which, though females, seem undoubtedly referable to this species ° +. h". Rostrum longius ; pilews cyaneus, micans ; gula concolor. KLAIS. Klais, Gould, Mon. Troch. iv. t. 110 (Sept. 1857) ; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 359. Though closely allied to Adeiliia, this genus may be distinguished by its longer bill and in having the crown glittering blue like the throat. Its sole species has a wide range in South America from the valley of the Upper Amazons northwards. It enters our fauna at Panama, and spreads thence as far north as Nicaragua. 1. Klais guimeti. Trochilus guimeti, Bourc. & Muls. Ann. Sc. Phys. et Nat. vi. p. 38, t. 27. Kilais guimeti, Gould, Mon. Troch. iv. t. 110 (Sept. 1857) ?; Boucard, P. Z.S. 1878, p. 69°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 122*; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. pp. 359, 666°. Clais guimeti, Salv. P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 155°. Mellisuga merrittiz, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 1107; Gould, Ibis, 1860, p. 309 °. Clais merritti, Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 209°; Ibis, 1872, p. 319”. Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis ad nucham saturatior ad uropygium ceruleo lavata ; capite summo late micanti- violaceo ; plaga postoculari magna alba: subtus fusco-grisea, gula violacea, cervicis et pectoris lateribus et, hypochondriis czeruleo lavatis; caude rectricibus mediis ceruleo-viridibus, lateribus ad basin viridibus ad apicem chalybeo-nigris: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 3°4, ale 2:0, caudee 1-2, rostri a rictu 0°6. 2 supra mari similis, capite summo micanti-cyaneo: subtus omnino grisea ; hypochondriis viridi lavatis ; caude rectricibus lateralibus griseo terminatis. (Descr. maris et feminse ex Chepo, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nicaracua, Chontales (Belt }°), La Libertad in Chontales (W. B. Richardson)? ; Costa Rica (Endres*), Navarro (Boucard 3, Cooper, in U. S. Nat. Mus., Zeledon*) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui®, Bugaba®, Laguna del Castillo °, Castillo °, Chitra 9, Calovevora °, Santiago de Veraguas®, Santa Fé® (Arcé), El Mineral (Dr. J. K. Merritt), Chepo (Arcé*®).—CotomBia; VENEZUELA; Ecuapor; Upper AMAZONS®. This little species was described by Bourcier and Mulsant in 1843 !, but the locality whence the type came was not recorded. We now know that it is not an uncommon bird in the north-western portion of the South-American continent, being found in the valley of the Upper Amazons as well as in Ecuador and Venezuela. It is also frequently represented in trade collections from Bogota. Though not included in M‘Leannan’s collections trom the Line of the Panama Rail- way, we have little doubt that it occurs throughout the low-lying lands of the State of Panama and spreads thence northwards through Eastern Costa Rica to Eastern Nica- ragua. From the latter country we have specimens from Belt’s collecticn and others recently sent us by Mr. Richardson. 344 TROCHILIDA. Dr. Merritt, who found this species in the district of Veragua called El Mineral, says that it is very pugnacious, seeking its food from the flowers of the guava. The specimens sent by this collector to Mr. Lawrence were described as Mellisuga merritti"; they were, from the characters given, evidently females. Males have since reached us, and though Gould at one time considered this Central-American form to be distinguish- able from the true K. guimeti, in which opinion he was followed by Salvin, we are now convinced that no such distinction exists. b. Minores: cauda plerumque abnormalis vie unquam regulariter rotundata aut furcata sed valde variabilis, rectrice utrinque eatima sepe attenuata ; gula plerumque rubra, micans, interdum violacea ; caput cristatum aut simplex, cervix nonnunguam plumis elongatis ornata; dorsum uniforme, aut fascia transversa albida ornatum. ec. Cauda variabilis, sed haud cuneata aut spatulata; gula plerumque micanti-rubra, interdum violacea; fascia dorsalis nulla. i’. Cauda elongata, furcata haud transfasciata ; rostrum longum et arcuatum ; gula micanti-rubra. violaceo tincta. DORICHA. Calliphlox, 8. Doricha, Reich. Autz. d. Col. p. 12. Doricha, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 94; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 380. Though this and the following genera are very varied as to their structural details, they all seem to be more nearly allied to one another than to the other members of the family. Doricha is distinguished by the long tail of all its species, the outer feathers having no transverse bands as in Zi/matura. The throat is usually of a ruby-red colour, with shades of violet and sometimes, as in D. enicura, of an amethystine-purple. The tail, though long, varies considerably in this respect, and diagnostic specific characters are to be found in the way in which the outer rectrices are edged with rufous. The range of Doricha is peculiar, inasmuch as all the species except two are peculiar to Southern Mexico and Central America. The exceptions are closely-allied species restricted to certain groups of the Bahama Islands, no species being found in the larger intervening Antilles. Of the three species found in our country, D. elize is peculiar to Southern Mexico, including Northern Yucatan, D. enicura to Guatemala, and D. bryante to Costa Rica and the adjoining portion of the State of Panama. DORICHA. 345 1. Doricha enicura. Trochilus enicurus, Vieill. N. Dict. d’Hist. N. xxiii. p- 429*; Temm. Pl. Col. 66. f. 37. Thaumastura enicura, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 157 (Oct. 1852) °; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 129*; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 196°, 264°. Doricha enicura, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 957; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. pp. 381, 667°. Doricha henicura, Salv. Cat. Strick]. Coll. p. 365°. Ornismya heteropygia, Less. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, pp. xxi, 72, t. 15%; Suppl. p. 97". Trochilus swainsoni, Less. Hist. Nat. Troch. p. 167, t. 66”. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis ; capite summo obscuriore, capitis lateralibus et mento nigris vix viridi tinctis, gula micanti-amethystina ; pectore cervino-albo ; abdomine medio albicante ; hypochondriis et tectricibus sub- caudalibus aureo-viridibus ; rectricibus sex intermediis dorso concoloribus, duabus utrinque externis pur- pureo-nigris ea extima proxima in pogonio interno rufo limbata: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 4:7, ale 1:3, caude rectr. med. 0°37, rectr. lat. 2°4, rostri a rictu 0°8. Q supra mari similis, capite summo obscuriore, dorso medio cupreo tincto: subtus pallide rufescens, loris et area infra oculos nigricantibus; rectricibus quatuor mediis dorso concoloribus, reliquis ad basin rufes- centibus, apicibus albis et fascia subterminali lata nigra notatis. Long. caud. rectr. med. 0°6, rectr. lat. 1:0. (Descr. maris et feminz ex Duefias, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Guatema.a (Constancia ®, Skinner ?), Duefias 4%, Coban 5 (0.8. & F. D. G.), Atitlan and Panajachel (W. B. Richardson §). The male of this species was described by Vieillot under the name of Trochilus enicurus 1, and subsequently figured by Temminck with the same title?. Lesson also described and figured the same bird, his drawing being a reproduction of that of Temminck, and proposed that the name should be changed to O. heteropygia ©. The same author subsequently described and figured the female as Trochilus swainsoni 12. None of these writers give any trustworthy account of the origin of their specimens. Doricha enicura is now known to be a common bird in the highlands of Guatemala, beyond the limits of which country we have no certain evidence of its occurrence. It is true that de Oca says that it is found in Yucatan, but in default of any direct evidence on this point we believe that he mistook D. elize for the present bird *. The name is also included, with doubt, in Mr. Henshaw’s paper accompanying Wheeler’s Report +, but the specimen now proves to be a female of Calothorax lucifer f. This species is one of the most familiar of the whole family of Humming-Birds at Duefas and its vicinity, and during our visits there we had constant opportunities of watching its habits. In 1858 a large portion of the hacienda was under cactus- cultivation for rearing cochineal, and during the month of May the flowers of the cactus were much sought by Humming-Birds, especially this species, both males and females flying together. During the winter months the females were much more frequently seen than the males, which no doubt associated apart in more secluded places. In August 1859 three nests were found: one of them was placed on the cup- shaped top of a fruit of the cactus and fastened most dexterously to the clusters of * La Nat. iii. p. 203. ~ Wheeler’s Expl. west of the 100th Merid. v. Zool. p. 381. t Ridgway, Rep. U. 8. Nat. Mus. for 1890, p. 360 (1892). BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IT., September 1892. 44 346 TROCHILIDA. prickles of the fruit, the whole structure being thus held firmly in its place; this nest was very shallow, not being subject to oscillation by wind. Another nest was in a coffee-tree. The third was placed on the upper shoots of a dahlia which grew in the garden of the house. The hen bird seemed to have the entire duty of rearing the young, as no male ever approached the nest. When the hen was sitting she would allow an observer to go quite close and even to hold the branch still from being swayed by the wind without evincing any alarm. But it was only when a hot sun was shining that she would allow so close an inspection; on dull and rainy days four or five yards was the nearest approach permitted. After being disturbed she would soon return, bringing a small piece of lichen in her bill, which, after settling in her nest, she would attach to the outside. When sitting, the whole cavity of the nest was filled with her puffed-out feathers, the wings, except their tips, being entirely concealed by the feathers of the back. When the young were first hatched they looked little black shapeless things with long necks and hardly any bill; they soon, however, grew and entirely filled the nest. The old bird was never observed to sit after the young were hatched; she seemed to leave them alike in sun and rain. When feeding them she would stand on the edge of the nest with her body nearly upright. One of the young ones first flew on 15th October. It was standing on the edge of the nest and, being alarmed, attempted to fly, but fell amongst the flowers below ; on being replaced in the nest it essayed again to fly, nothing daunted by its first failure—the second time with better success, for it flew over a wall close by and settled on a tree on the other side. The same day the old bird was seen feeding it, and it was observed to fly again with increased vigour to an orange-tree, where it tried at first to rest on one of the fruit, but failing, found a more fitting perch on the edge of a leaf. It was not seen again. The other young one flew two days later. The down of the seeds of the willow and bulrush are favourite materials for the lining of tlie nest of D. enicura, whilst lichen is freely used outside. Willow trees grow plentifully near Duefias, especially on the borders of the lake. About the latter males were sometimes noticed to congregate in some numbers; but the special attraction to these trees was not apparent. 2. Doricha elize. Trochilus eliza, Less. & Delattre, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 20°. Thaumastura elize, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 155 (May 1857) *; de Oca, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 552°; La Nat. iii. p. 17, t. —*. Doricha elize, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 94°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xxii. p. 22°; P. ZS. 1883, p. 451"; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 157°; Salv. Ibis, 1889, p. 365 °; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 382”. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis ; capite summo obscuriore: subtus gula micanti-rosaceo-rubra, plaga infra oculos fusca, pectore albo, abdomine medio et tectricibus subcaudalibus albidis, hypochondriis aureo-viridi lavatis; caude rectricibus quatuor mediis dorso concoloribus, reliquis (tribus utrinque) purpureo-nigris, DORICHA. 347 omnibus, extimis exceptis, in pogonio interno cinnamomeo marginatis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 3:9, ale 1:45, caude rectr. med. 0:4, rectr. lat. 1:5, rostri a rictu 0°9. $ supra mari similis, sed dilutior: subtus alba cervina vix tincta, hypochondriis leviter viridi lavatis ; caude rectricibus utrinque tribus ad basin cervinis albo terminatis et fascia lata subterminali nigra notatis. (Descr. maris et femine ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. Brit.) Hab. Mexico, Jalapa (Delattre!, de Oca, Ferrari-Perez 8), Barranca de Jico near Jalapa (de Oca? *), Mirador (Sartorius, in U.S. Nat. Mus.), Cordova, Llano de Camerones near Vera Cruz (Sallé), Progreso (Gaumer), Sisal (Schott !°), Merida in Yucatan (Schott, in U. 8. Nat. Mus.), Northern Yucatan, Holbox Island (G. F. Gaumer 91°), This species was discovered by Delattre between Vera Cruz and Jalapa, where he says it is very rare, living in societies, flying early and resting during the day from 9 o'clock in the morning to 4 o’clock in the afternoon 1. Delattre obtained specimens of both sexes, as well as young birds and the nest and eggs. De Oca gives a similar account of its habits? +. He says that it is one of the rarest of Mexican Humming-Birds. It is very shy, flying very early in the morning and never seen between 8 o'clock in the morning and 5 o’clock in the afternoon, when it flies again till dusk, frequenting the same flowers day after day, those of the tobacco being favourites. De Oca also found it at the Barranca de Jico, about thirty miles from Jalapa, and here he discovered its nest, which he describes as very small, round, and flat at the bottom, being neither so deep nor so thick on the lower part as in those of the generality of Humming-Birds. The nest is covered on the outside with moss and lined on the inside with Tule, or cotton from the seeds of Cyperus. Other collectors have met with this species in this part of the State of Vera Cruz, but always in sparing numbers. On the north coast of Yucatan and on some of the adjoining islands D. elize appears to be more common, and we have seen specimens from there from several collectors. | The female is very like that sex of D. enicura, but is much whiter on the under surface. 8. Doricha bryante. Doricha bryante, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. viii. p. 483°; ix. p. 123°; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p- 316°; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p.209*; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 384°; Boucard, P.Z.S. 1878, p. 70°; Gould, Mon. Troch. Suppl. t. 33 (Jan. 1881)"; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 122°. ; Supra saturate nitenti-aureo-viridis: subtus gula micanti-rubra, pectore albicante, abdomine medio albido, hypochondriis antice viridi lavatis, postice cinnamomeis ; tectricibus subcaudalibus rufescentibus viridi lavatis ; caude rectricibus mediis olivescenti-nigricantibus, proximis externe ejusdem coloris interne pur- pureo-nigris, reliquis purpureo-nigris, omnibus pogonio interno cinnamomeo limbatis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 3°7, ale 1°6, caude rectr. med. 0°45, rectr. lat. 1-4, rostri a rictu 0°7. Q supra mari similis, subtus pallide rufescens; gula, hypochondriis, et tectricibus subcaudalibus saturatioribus, pectore et abdomine medio pallidioribus; rectricibus lateralibus ad basin et apicibus rufescentibus, fascia subterminali lata nigra notatis. (Descr. maris et feminz ex Castillo, Panama. Mus. nostr.) 44* 348 TROCHILID &. Hab. Costa Rica (Endres, Carmiol}), Dota (Carmiol 7), San José, Volcan de Irazu (Boucard ®), Las Cruces de Candelaria *, Naranjo de Cartago ® (Zeledon); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui, Cordillera del Chucu, Castillo, Laguna del Castillo (Arcé *). Doricha bryante was described by Mr. Lawrence from specimens sent by Julian Carmiol from Costa Rica to the United States National Museum. The precise loca- lities where these specimens were procured was not stated in the first instance; but in his List of Costa-Rica birds Mr. Lawrence gives Dota and Las Cruces de Candelaria as places where this bird is found. In parts of the State of Panama it appears to be a very common bird, as our collector Arcé sent us a large series of specimens, mostly obtained at Castillo. Mr. Lawrence compared D. bryante with D. evelyne of the Bahama Islands, and no doubt the two birds have some characters, such as the colour of the apices of the lateral rectrices of the females, in common. But D. bryante@ is the only species of the genus which has all the outer rectrices edged on the inner webs with rufous—a small but significant character. j'. Cauda elongata, furcata, rectricibus lateralibus transfasciatis. TILMATURA. Tryphena, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 158 (nec Ochsenheimer). Tilmatura, Reichenbach, Aufz. d. Col. p. 8; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 385. The single species constituting this genus is a very peculiar bird as regards the coloration of the outer rectrices of the tail; these are conspicuously tipped and banded with white in a way not found in any other Humming-Bird. The outermost rectrices are peculiarly shaped, being reduced in width towards the end and then slightly expanded to form an incipient spatula. In other structural characters Tilmatura seems to come next to Doricha. The range of the genus extends over Southern Mexico and Guatemala to Northern Nicaragua. 1. Tilmatura duponti. Ornismya dupontii, Less. Suppl. Ois.-Mouches, p. 100, t. 17; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 103 * Tryphena duponti, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 158 (June 1849)°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p-. 129°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 266°; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 360°; Herrera, La Nat. (2) 1. p. 3227. Tilmatura duponti, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 59°; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 157°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. pp. 385, 667"; Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1892, p-. 827". Ornismya ceelestis, Less. Traité d’Orn. p. 276”. Ornismya zémés, Less. Rev. Zool. 1838, p. 315”. Tilmatura lepida, Reich. Aufz. d. Col. p. 8"; Troch. Enum. t. 711. ff. 4610-4". TILMATURA, 349 Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis : subtus gula nigra, plumis singulis saturate violaceo marginatis; pectore albo, abdomine dorso concolore, tectricibus subcaudalibus viridibus albo limbatis ; ; caude rectricibus quatuor mediis viridibus, duabus proximis purpureo-nigris, extrorsum viridi marginatis et albo terminatis, pogonio externo quoque macula alba notato; rectricibus utrinque duabus externis purpureo-nigris ad -basin, deinde fascia rufa, deinde fascia alba, altera obscura et apicibus albis; duabus externis prope apicem constrictis: rostro nigro. Long. tota 3:8, ale 1:4, caude rectr. med. 0-35, rectr. lat. 1°9, rostri a rictu 0-6. ? supra mari similis, aureo magis tincta, loris et corpore toto subtus cinnamomeis, infra oculos, hypochondriis et tectricibus subalaribus saturatioribus ; caude rectricibus mediis viridibus, lateralibus purpureo-nigris, apicibus rufo (in rectrice utrinque extima fere albo) terminatis. Long. caudve rectr. med. 0-55, rectr. lat. 0°85. (Descr. maris et femine ex Amula, Guerrero, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico! ?, Jalapa (de Oca?, F. Ferrari-Perez°, M. Trujillo °), Los Cerillos, Cuesta de Misantla (12. Trujillo), Coatepec (de Oca?), Valley of Mexico (de Oca ?, Villada °, F. Ferrari-Perez®, Herrera’), Volcan de Colima (W. B. Richardson 1°), Amula, Chilpancingo in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith!) ; Guatemana (Skinner °), Coban, San Gerdénimo (0. S. & F. D. G.>), Volcan de Santa Maria near Quezalte- nango (W. B. Richardson ); Nicaracva, Matagalpa (W. B. £1), Lesson, who first described this species under the name of Ornismya duponti, was also the author of two of its synonyms, O. zémés and O. celestis, and referred in each case to the plate accompanying his first description. According to de Oca? 7. duponti is found during the summer in the vicinity of Jalapa and Coatepec, and it also occurs, though rarely, in the Valley of Mexico. We have no specimens from the latter locality, but from Jalapa and its neighbourhood we have several shot in the months of May and June by Mateo Trujillo. Mr. Richard- son secured specimens in January on the Volcan de Colima, and Mrs. Herbert Smith an interesting series of nicely prepared specimens on the Sierra Madre del Sur in August. The species has long been known as an inhabitant of Guatemala, but we only met with an occasional specimen during our stay in that country, and only in the depart- ment of Vera Paz. Mr. Richardson, however, seems to have found it in numbers near Santa Maria, in the department of Quezaltenango, whence he sent us many specimens, all of them shot in the months of August and September. The same collector also met with it in the mountains near Matagalpa in Northern Nicaragua 1° 1, This singular bird has no near ally, the peculiar shape and coloration of the tail rendering it quite unlike any other member of the family. 350 TROCHILIDA. k". Cauda brevior sed plus minusve irregulariter constructa, rectricibus mediis haud abnormaliter brevibus. i", Rostrum elongatum, decurvum ; plume gulares laterales elongate. CALOTHORAX. Calothorax, Gray, List Gen. B. p. 18 (1840) ; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 390. In this and the following genera the tail is not deeply forked asin Doricha, but is more or less irregularly formed, some of the rectrices being peculiar either for their attenuated width or for their comparative length. The central rectrices are, however, not abnormally short, as is the case in Chetocercus and other allied South-American forms. Calothorax differs from Selasphorus and its allies in having a longer more arched bill. ‘Two allied species are included in Calothorax—one of them ranging over North- western Central Mexico to Puebla and Orizaba; the other occurring in the State of Oaxaca. 1. Calothorax lucifer. Cynanthus lucifer, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 442°. Calothorax lucifer, Gray, Gen. Birds, i. p. 110°; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iti. p.55°; Scl. P. Z.S. 1856, p. 288*; 1864, p. 177°; Salv. Cat. Strick]. Coll. p. 864°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p- 390"; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250°. Trochilus lucifer, Finsch, Abh. nat. Ver. zu Bremen, 1870, p. 324°; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 822°. Ornismya cyanopogon, Less. Hist. Nat. Ois. -Mouches, PP. xvi, xlvi, 50, t.5°'; Suppl. pp. 117, 119, tt. 9, 10”. Trochilus cyanopogon, Sw. Birds Brazil & Mex. t. 777°. Calothorax cyanopogon, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 143 (Sept. 1857) “ , Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 357"; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 104*°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, Xxii. p. 21, Trochilus simplex, Less. Hist. Nat. Col. p- 86, t. 23°. Trochilus corruscus, Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vog. p. 1 (ef. J. £. Orn. 1863, p. 55). Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, capite summo obscuriore, uropygio magis aurescente: subtus gula micanti-lilaceo- rubra, pectore, abdomine medio et tectricibus subcaudalibus albis, hypochondriis pallide fulvis viridi lavatis ; caude rectricibus quatuor mediis dorso concoloribus, reliquis purpureo-nigris, lateribus albo ter- _ minatis, extima angusta acuta: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 3°5, ale 1:5, caude rectr. med. 0°6, rectr. longissimi 1-2, rostri a rictu 1:0. Q supra maris similis, subtus pallide rufescens, abdomine medio albicantiore, plaga infra oculos fusca; rectrici- bus lateralibus ad basin fulvis, apicibus albis fascia lata subterminali nigra. (Descr. maris et femina ex Ajusco, Valley of Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Muxico? ¢ (7. Mann ®), Sierra Madre of Sinaloa (Grayson, fide Finsch °), Sierra de San Luis Potosi, Bolafios and Lake Chapala in Jalisco, Ajusco in the Valley of Mexico (W. B. Richardson"), Temiscaltepec (Bullock), Valley of Mexico CALOTHORAX. 351 (White, de Oca , Sumichrast 8, Herrera 1°), San Antonio Coapa, Hacienda Eslava, Tetelco and Ixtapalapa in the Valley of Mexico (F. Ferrari-Perez"), Tupataro in Guanajuato (Dugés, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Puebla, San Andres Chalchicomula (Boucard "), Orizaba (Sumichrast *), Cordova (Sallé*). The Mexican highlands seem to be the chief resort of this species, its range extending from the Sierras of the north-west to the Valley of Mexico and the country imme- diately adjoining. It is also recorded in the first list of M. Sallé’s collections made when he resided chiefly at Cordova. The birds then obtained were probably from the neighbouring mountains, De Oca says !° that C. lucifer, is peculiar to the valley of Mexico, where it lives from the commencement of spring to the end of autumn. He adds that it is never seen near Jalapa. We have seen specimens from the Valley of Mexico shot in January, so that this bird is probably in that neighbourhood throughout the year, shifting its ground according to the florescence of the vegetation. M. Boucard 1’, who observed this species at Puebla and elsewhere, says that it feeds chiefly from the flowers of a Convolvulus which grows in the upland cold country. Like so many of its family it is a very quarrelsome bird. 2. Calothorax pulcher. Calothorax pulchra, Gould, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1859, iv. p. 97*; Mon. Troch. iii. t. 144 (May 1860) *; Scl. P. Z. 8. 1859, p. 386°; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 105*; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xxii. p. 22°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 391°. C. pulchri: similis quoad colores corporis gule plumis lateralibus minus elongatis, rostro breviore et minus robusto, caude quoque rectrice utrinque extima normali ad apicem vix angustiore et nullo modo acuta, distinguenda. @ minor et rostro breviore. Hab. Mexico, Venta de Zopilote in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith®), Putla (Rébouch *), Oaxaca (Boucard 12°, Fenochio®), Tehuantepec (W. B. Richardson ®). The discovery of this species is due to M. Boucard, who first found it at Oaxaca, as he tells us, on 28th June, 1857°. He forwarded his specimens to M. Sallé, who sent them on to Gould, who described ! and figured? them. According to M. Boucard . this bird feeds from the flowers of a cactus which is used to form the hedges surrounding the properties of the Indians of Oaxaca. Female specimens sent us by Mrs. Herbert Smith from Guerrero we believe belong to this species, and according to M. Boucard it is found at Putla, whence examples were forwarded to him by M. Rébouch>. The southern limit of its range extends to Tehuantepec, whence Mr. Richardson sent us two males in abraded plumage, which were shot in February °. 392 TROCHILIDA. j'". Rostrum brevius, rectius ; cauda rectricibus mediis abrupte acutis. et. Aut remex ale extimus aut caude rectrices laterales ad apicem filiformes. SELASPHORUS. Selasphorus, Swainson, Faun. Bor.-Am. ii. p. 496 ; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 391. This genus is closely allied to Trochilus, both having the bill in all their species shorter and straighter than in Calothorax. In Selasphorus either the outermost primary is reduced to a filiform end as in 8. platycercus, or the outer rectrices are so reduced, as in the other members of the genus. The throat of the males of all the species is glittering red. In one section of the genus the lateral gular feathers are elongated, in the others they are not so. Selasphorus contains eight species, all of which, except the Californian 8. alleni, occur within our limits. Of these, S. rufus, S. platycercus, and the little-known S. floresit pass beyond our northern frontier—the first named wintering only in Mexico. The other four species are all peculiar to the mountains of the southern section of our country. 1. Selasphorus floresii. Selasphorus floresii, Gould, Mon. Troch. ii. t. 139 (Sept. 1861)*; de Oca, La Nat. ii. p. 101, t. — *; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 392°. Trochilus floresti, Bryant, Forest & Stream, xxvi. p. 426*; Chapman, Auk, 1888, p. 396’. Trochilus rubromitratus, Ridgw. Auk, 1891, p. 114°. “‘Capite summo et gula micanti-rubris violaceo tinctis preecipue in pileo et gule apicibus ; pectore et abdomine medio griseo-albis ; corpore supra et tectricibus supracaudalibus cupreo-viridibus, hypochondriis ejusdem coloris sed pallidioribus, caude rectricibus duabus mediis viridibus purpureo tinctis, rectricibus lateralibus in pogonio externo purpureis, in pogonio interno rufescenti-cervinis ; alis purpureo-brunneis : rostro nigro.” (Ex Gould.) Hab. Cauirornta 4°.— Mexico, Bolafios (Pores: 1). Very little is known of this bird, which for many years remained in obscurity, the only specimen seen having been described by Gould in 1861, in his well-known ‘ Mono- graph of the Trochilide’!. This specimen was obtained, it was said, at Bolafios, in the State of Jalisco, by Floresi, and sent to Loddiges, in whose collection it, we believe, still remains. In 1886 another specimen was secured in California, and recorded by Mr. Bryant + and subsequently by Mr. Chapman ®. Partly with a view to the redis- covery of this species, Mr. Richardson made two visits to Bolaiios, and though he secured good collections of birds on both occasions, no trace of Selasphorus floresit appeared. As the greatest uncertainty prevails regarding the localities of Floresi’s specimens, none of them being marked in any way, it is very possible that S. floresit may not be a Mexican bird at all, but belongs exclusively to California. SELASPHORUS. 353 2. Selasphorus rufus. Trochilus rufus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 4971. Trochilus (Selasphorus) rufus, Sw. Faun. Bor.-Am. ii. p. 324”. Selasphorus rufus, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 187 (May 1852)*; Scl. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 177°; Baird, Brewer, & Ridgw. N.!Am. B. ii. p. 459 (partim) *; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p.99°; Sumi- chrast, La Nat. v. p. 2507; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 322°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XVi. p. 392°, Selasforus rufus, Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141°; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 855". Selasphorus henshawi, Elliot, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, ii. p. 102%; Syn. Troch. p. 111™. Supra (cervice postica et tectricibus supracaudalibus inclusis) cinnamomeo-rufus, capite summo obscure aureo- viridis, plumis singulis cinnamomeo limbatis: subtus gula micanti-rubra, pectore et abdomine medio albis, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus cinnamomeis; cauda saturate cinnamomea nigro ter- minata, rectricibus medianis proximis ad apicem profunde excavatis in pogonio interno, minus profunde in pogonio externo: rostro nigro. Long. tota cirea 3-5, ale 1-6, caudex 11, rostri a rictu 0°75. ? supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis, capite summo obscuriore: subtus alba, gula maculis discalibus fuscis notata, et plumis micanti-rubris irregulariter ornata, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus cinnamomeo lavatis ; cauda ad basin cinnamomea, rectricibus mediis nitenti-viridibus saturatioribus et cerulescentiori- bus ad apicem, lateralibus late albo terminatis et fascia subterminali nigra notatis. (Descr. maris et feminse ex Zacatecas, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Nortu America, western portion from British Colombia to Arizona.—MeExico, Guanajuato (Dugés !°), Zacatecas and Xeres in Zacatecas, Plains of San Luis Potosi, Sierra de Valparaiso, Ajusco in the Valley of Mexico (W. B. Richardson ®), Valley of Mexico (White*, Villada™, de Oca®, Sumichrast’, Herrera’), Tetelco, Valley of Mexico (/. Herrari-Perez®), Patzcuaro (F. D. G.°), Volcan de Colima (W. B. Richardson ®), La Parada, Oaxaca (Boucard), Mirador (Sartorius, in U.S. Nat. Mus.). Selasphorus rufus is a winter visitor to the highlands of Mexico, where it arrives in August and remains until the following spring. The remainder of the year it spends in the Western States of North America, reaching British Columbia in its northern migration. Its breeds during the summer months, and it is only in males from the north that the full beauty of its plumage is seen. All specimens of that sex from Mexico are in more or less faded and worn plumage. According to de Oca ° it is abundant in the Valley of Mexico in autumn, at which time Villada says it breeds 11; but this statement, we think, requires confirmation, The highlands of the State of Oaxaca are the extreme southern limit of the autumn migration of this species. It is quite unknown in the highlands of Guatemala. 8. Selasphorus scintilla. Trochilus (Selasphorus) scintilla, Gould, P. Z. S. 1850, p. 162". Selasphorus scintilla, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 188 (May 1852)*; Cab. J. £. Orn. 1862, p. 165° ; Salv. P. ZS. 1867, p. 155°; 1870, p. 209°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 395°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p, 1237; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 315°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 70°. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. II., September 1892. 45 304 TROCHILID ZA. Supra (tectricibus supracaudalibus inclusis) nitenti-aureo-viridis ; capite summo paulo obscuriore, loris et regione circum oculos cinnamomeis: subtus gula micanti-rubra, pectore albo, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcau- dalibus cinnamomeis illis viridi lavatis, abdomine medio pallide cinnamomeo; caude rectricibus mediis cinnamomeis medialiter stria longitudinali purpureo-nigra, lateralibus purpureo-nigris, pogonio interno fere ad rhachidem cinnamomeo: rostro nigro, mandibule basi carnea. Long. tota circa 2°7, ale 1°3, caude 1:0, rostri a rictu 0°55. . © subtus alba, gula cervina maculis discalibus fuscis notata, cauda cinnamomea fascia lata subterminali nigra. (Descr. maris et feminew ex Volcan de Chiriqui, Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Barranca, Cervantes (Carmiol’), Rancho Redondo, Las Cruces de Candelaria’, San José (Zeledon, in U.S. Nat. Mus.), Irazu (Rogers®), 'Tabacales (v. Frantzius *®), Tucurriqui (Arcé®), Cartago and Volcan de Irazu (Boucard *); Panama, Chiriqui (Warszewiez !), Volcan de Chiriqui (Arcé°). This beautiful little species was discovered by Warszewiez during his visit to the Volcan de Chiriqui, and his specimens were described by Gould in 1850, and figured in his ‘ Monograph of the Trochilide’ two years afterwards *. It was next discovered in Costa Rica by Von Frantzius’*® and other collectors, and subsequently Arcé sent us a good series of examples from Chiriqui>®. In some respects S. scintilla is like 8. allent of California on a small scale, but it may readily be distinguished by the flesh-coloured base to the mandible. M. Boucard, who observed this species in Costa Rica ®, says that it flies as high as 10,000 feet on the Volcan de Irazu, and feeds from the flowers of small low-growing plants, making little noise with the vibration of its wings. He thought that by its silent low flight it escaped the notice of other Humming-Birds frequenting the same places. 4, Selasphorus torridus. (Tab. LVI. figg. 2,3; 8,9.) Selasphorus torridus, Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 208'; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 395°; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vii. p. 14°; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 122°. Selasphorus flammea, Nutting (nec Salv.), Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 497°. Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis, loris cinnamomeis: subtus gula micanti-lilacino-rubra plumbescente tincta, plumis ad basin cervinis, pectore, abdomine medio et tectricibus subcaudalibus albis, hypochondriis viridi lavatis; caude rectricibus mediis saturate nitenti-viridibus ad basin cinnamomeo limbatis, lateralibus purpureo-nigris, macula cinnamomea in pogonio interno ad apicem: rostro nigro, mandibula ad basin carnea. Long. tota circa 2°7, ale 1:6, caude 1-1, rostri a rictu 0°65. Q capite summo obscuriore: subtus alba, gule plumis singulis macula discali fusca, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus cervino lavatis, caude rectricibus lateralibus ad basin cinnamomeis, apicibus albicantibus et fascia subterminali nigra notatis. (Descr. maris et femine exempl. typ. ex Volcan de Chiriqui. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica (Van Patten*), Volcan de Cartago (Nutting 5 Zeledon*); PANAMA, Volcan de Chiriqui (Arcé 1). The colour of the throat of this species is very peculiar, being of a lilac tint overcast with a leaden hue. It has all the appearance of being faded, but from the number of specimens we have seen this can hardly be so. Its nearest ally is no doubt S. scintilla, from SELASPHORUS. 355 which it differs not only in the colour of the thorax, but also in that of the tail, the inner web of the outer rectrices being wholly purple-black instead of nearly wholly rufous. All the specimens of this species that we have seen were sent us by our collector Arcé from the Volcan de Chiriqui. It has also been found by several collectors on the Volcan de Irazu in Costa Rica 3 45, 5. Selasphorus platycercus. Trochilus platycercus, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 441'. Selasphorus platycercus, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 140 (May 1852)°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 129°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 196‘; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 364°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p- 396°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 1777; Baird, Brew., and Ridgw. N. Am. Birds, ii. p. 462°; de Oca, La Nat. iti. p. 204, t. —°; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250"°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xxii. p. 19"; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 322. Selasforus platycercus, Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141%; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 352 ™. Ornismya tricolor, Less. Suppl. Ois.-Mouches, p. 125, t. 14”. Trochilus montanus, Less. Ind. gén. Troch. p. xxxiv'*; Sw. Birds Brazil & Mex. t. 74... Supra nitenti-olivaceo-viridis : subtus gula micanti-rosaceo-rubra, pectore albo, abdomine medio et tectricibus subcaudalibus albidis, hypochondriis viridi lavatis ; caudex rectricibus mediis dorso fere concoloribus, reliquis purpureo-nigris, sublateralibus ad basin cinnamomeo limbatis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 3°3, ale 1°95, caudee 1°3, rostri a rictu 0°8. ? supra magis aurescens: subtus pallide cervina, gula et pectore albicantioribus, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus magis cinnamomeis, gula maculis discalibus fuscis notata; caude rectricibus lateralibus ad basin cinnamomeis, medialiter nigricantibus, apicibus albis. (Deser. maris et femine ex Ajusco, Valley of Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab, Nort America, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona.—MeExtco (Bullock }, Mann*), Micoba in Sonora (W. Lloyd), Sierra de Valparaiso, Sierra de Calvillo, Sierra de Bolafios, Volcan and Sierra Nevada de Colima, Real del Monte, Tenango del Valle, Ajusco (W. B. Richardson ®), Hacienda Eslava in the Valley of Mexico (f. Ferrari-Perez®), Patzcuaro (Dugés 13), Rio Frio Ixtaccihuatl (W. B. &.°), Pinal Puebla (/. D. G.°), Puebla (Boucard"), Tonaguia (M. Trujillo 6), Valley of Mexico (de Oca°, White’, Sumichrast 1°, Herrera 2), Mirador (Sartorius, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Alpine region of Orizaba (Swmichrast !°); Guatemata (Skinner ?), Quezal- tenango (0. S. & F. D. G.4, W. B. Richardson®), Chuipache and San Martin in Quezaltenango, Rincon in San Marcos (W. B. R.°), Mountains above Totonicapam, Paramos (0. 8. *). This species was first described by Swainson in his paper on Bullock’s Mexican collection ', and subsequently figured by the same author in his ‘ Birds of Brazil and Mexico’ !”, when he suppressed his original name in favour of Lesson’s Trochilus montanus, which had been bestowed on a bird supposed to have come from Brazil 1, From Mexico it has been traced northwards across the frontier as far as Utah, and it appears to be found, at least in the summer months, in all the South-western States of America from May to August. 45* 3956 TROCHILIDA. In Mexico it seems to be essentially a bird of the highlands, being common in the Valley of Mexico. According to de Oca ®, it feeds from the flowers of Centaurea mexi- cana during the months of May and June. It then, according to that observer, ascends the mountains to the southward, remaining there two mcnths, during which time it breeds. M. Boucard says !! it is very common in the environs of Mexico from June to August, and passes on to the State of Oaxaca from September to November. Its presence in the State of Vera Cruz is probably confined to the mountains at the edge of the plateau ; and though specimens are recorded from Jalapa and Mirador, there can be little doubt that they came from the lofty mountains in the neighbourhood of those places. In Guatemala we believe Selasphorus platycercus to be restricted to the Altos of San Marcos and Quezaltenango, and thence southwards to the edges of the plain of Chimaltenango which lies at an elevation of 6000 feet above the sea. On one occasion, in February, many of these birds were noticed in the mountains above the town of Totonicapam as high as 10,000 feet above sea-level. The peculiar formation of the outermost primary in the male of this bird is charac- teristic of the species. The inner web is much reduced in width so that the feather has a filiform point. It is this structure that no doubt produces the shrill sound when the bird is in flight. This was very noticeable in birds that frequented the gardens of the town of Quezaltenango, especially when alarmed they flew rapidly away. 6. Selasphorus ardens. (Tab. LVI. fig. 1.) Selasphorus ardens, Salv. P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 2091; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 398°; Sharpe, in Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 31 (Jan. 1888)*; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vii. p. 14°. S. platycerco similis, sed minor, supra saturatior, loris et tectricibus auricularibus rufis his nigro intermixtis ; caude rectricibus mediis purpureo nigris ad basin cinnamomeo limbatis, rectricibus lateralibus purpureo- nigris, in pogonio interno ad basin cinnamomeis et macula subterminali ejusdem coloris notatis : rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 2°8, ale 1°55, caude 1°15, rostri a rictu 0°65. Q juv. gula maculis fuscis aut rosaceo-rubris notata; caude rectricibus lateralibus ad basin cinnamomeis medialiter viridibus, apicibus pallide cervinis fascia subterminali obscura, rectricibus mediis nitenti- viridibus ad basin cinnamomeis, apicibus obscuris. (Descr. exempl. typ. ex Castillo, Panama. Mus. nostr. ) Hab. Costa Rica (Van Patten +), Volcan de Poas (Alfaro, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Las Cruces de Candelaria (Zeledon, in U.S. Nat. Mus.) ; Panama, Calovevora, Castillo (Arcé +). Selasphorus ardens was discovered by our collector Arcé, who sent us two specimens —one from Castillo, the other, a young male, from Calovevora in the State of Panama!. Other specimens have been since obtained in Costa Rica by several collectors, and identified as belonging to the species by Mr. Ridgway 4. Like S. placycercus, S. ardens belongs to the section of the genus in which the lateral gular feathers are not elongated. It differs from that bird in having the outer- most primary normal, and from S. fammula in the colour of the central rectrices. SELASPHORUS.—TROCHILUS. 307 7. Selasphorus flammula. Selasphorus flammula, Salv. P. Z.S. 1864, p. 586"; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 398*; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 123°; v. Franiz. J.f. Orn. 1869, p.815*; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 70°; Sharpe, in Gould’s Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 31 (Jan. 1883) °. S. ardenti similis, sed gula magis rosacea; caude rectricibus mediis nitenti-viridibus cinnamomeo limbatis, rectricibus lateralibus purpureo-nigris, apicibus albis in pogonio interno ad basin stricte cinnamomeo limbatis : rostro nigro, mandibule basi carnea. (Descr. maris exempl. typ. ex Volcan de Cartago, Costa Rica, Maus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Volcan de Cartago (Arcé}, Boucard®, Zeledon, in U. S. Nat. Mus.) Rancho Redondo (Zeledon, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Candelaria Mts. (v. Frantzius*). A single male specimen sent us by Arcé from the Volcan de Cartago in Costa Rica formed the type of this species!. It is in rather faded plumage, but, when freshly moulted, males show a throat as brilliant as that of Selasphorus platycercus. Other collectors have since obtained specimens of this species, which appears to be restricted in its range to the higher mountains of Central Costa Rica. M. Boucard says® that it feeds from the flowers of mistletoe growing on small alpine trees near the summit of the Volcan de Cartago at an elevation of 10,000 feet and upwards above sea-level. ft, Nec remex extimus nec rectrices laterales ad apicem filiformes. TROCHILUS. Trochilus, Linnzus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 189; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 398. Neither the primaries nor the outer rectrices are filiform in the members of this _genus, and in this respect it differs from Selasphorus, to which it is otherwise closely allied. Thus restricted, Zrochilus contains two well-known species, and a third is included in it which we have not seen. Trochilus colubris, the best-known member of the genus, performs an extended annual migration from the British Provinces of North America to the Isthmus of Panama. T. alexandri is a more western bird, and its migrations are not so wide, and in winter do not pass the tablelands of Mexico. 1. Trochilus colubris. Trochilus colubris, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 191*; Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 131 (May 1858) *; Sel. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 129°; Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, pp. 367*, 386°; 1864, p. 176°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 195", 263°, 266°; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 208%; 1889, p. 365 “; Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 8364"; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. pp. 399, 667"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p.123"; Bull. U.S. Mus. no. 4, p. 32”; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 315“; Villada, La Nat. il. p. 352 MS; Baird, Brewer & Ridgw. N. Am. Birds, ii. p. 448"; de Oca, La Nat. ii. p. 22"; Boucard, 358 TROCHILIDZ. P. Z.S. 1878, p. 70”; 1883, p. 451 *'; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 250”; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 394”; Ridgw. Pr. U. 8. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 573”; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 157”; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 322”. Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis ; capite summo obscuro, uropygio magis nitido: subtus abdomine medio sordide albo, pectore albo, hypochondriis viridi lavatis, gula micanti-rubra, mento et regione infra oculos nigris ; caudee rectricibus mediis dorso concoloribus, reliquiis chalybeo-nigris: rostro nigro. Long. tota 3°5, ale 1°5, caude rectr. longissimis 1°1, rectr. med. 0°65. Q supra mari similis: subtus alba, caude rectricibus lateralibus ad basin griseis, apicibus albis et fascia sub- terminali nigra notatis. (Descr. maris et feminw ex Ajusco, Valley of Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Eastern Nortu America from Canada southwards.—Mexico, Sierra de Victoria, Escandon, Tamesi, Tampico (W. B. Richardson 8), Misantla (Ff. D.G.13), Coatepec 1°, Jalapa* (de Oca, Herrari-Perez®), Mirador (Sartorius, in U. S. Nat. Mus.), Orizaba (Bottert, Sumichrast **), Playa Vicente (M/. Trujilio'*), Ajusco in the Valley of Mexico (W. B. Richardson '*), Valley of Mexico (White ®, de Oca ®, Sumichrast 22, Herrera), Puebla (W. B. R.1%), Amecameca (Ff. D. G.13), Volean de Colima (W. B. &.*), Chilpancingo, Venta de Zopilote, Amula, Acaguizotla (Urs. H. H. Smith'*), Tonaguia (M. Trujillo *), La Parada, Tuxtla, Oaxaca > (Boucard), Santa Efigenia (Swmichrast * *°), Chimalapa and Tehuantepec (W. B. Richardson '8), Northern Yucatan (Gawmer *), Merida in Yucatan (Schoté), Progreso, Holbox I. 14, Cozumel I.1! (Gaumer) ; Guatema.a (Constancia 1”), Santa Ana in Peten, Coban? 9, San Gerénimo %, Duefias‘ °, Acatenango (0. 8.3 & F. D. G.), Rincon in San Marcos, Panajachel (W. B. Richardson); Nicaragua, Omotepe I. (Nutting 2%); Cosra Rica 1° 16, Bebedero de Nicoya (Arcé!*), Las Cruces de Candelaria (v. Frantzius 16, Zeledon*), San José (Boucard ?°); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Arcé 1°). This well-known bird is very common in Mexico and Central America during the winter months, all or nearly all the specimens migrating to North America in the spring, and remaining there to breed. In September and October de Oca says! T. colubris is very common at Jalapa and Coatepec as well as in the Valley of Mexico, where it may also be seen in November. M. Boucard also speaks of its abundance in Mexico, but he says that a few individuals remain to breed. This statement is confirmed to some extent by specimens obtained by Mr. Richardson in the State of Tamaulipas in the successive months of March, April, and May, at which time it also occurs on the north side of the mouth of the Rio Grande in Texas. Villada 17 also says a few individuals remain to breed in the Valley of Mexico, and he describes the nest in some detail. In its southern migration it spreads to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Chiriqui, but in much diminished numbers, and it does not seem to pass beyond the last-mentioned district. During its stay in the south, 7. colubris is found at all altitudes from the sea-level at Tampico and in Yucatan to as high as 8000 feet in the Valley of Mexico. TROCHILUS. 309 2. Trochilus alexandri. Trochilus alexandri, Boure. & Muls. Ann. Sc. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, ix. p. 330’; Gould, Mon. Troch. il. t. 182 (Sept. 1851) *; Scl. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 177°; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 351+; de Oca, La Nat. iii, p. 102°; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 322°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 4027, Tf. colubri similis, sed gula antica cum mento nigra, gula postica micanti-violacea facile distinguenda. femine 7’. colubris persimilis, sed rostro longiore forsan distinguenda. Hab. Norta America, from California and Utah southwards to Arizona.—MEx1co, Montemorelos, Sierra Madre, and Monterey in Nuevo Leon (F. B. Armstrong"), San Diego in Chihuahua (Robinette, in U.S. Nat. Mus.), Nuri in Sonora( W. Lloyd’), Xeres in Zacatecas, Plains of Colima (W. B. Richardson"), Valley of Mexico (White >, de Oca®, Boucard, Herrera®), Venta de Zopilote in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith"). Trochilus alexandri is a close relative of T. colubris and appears to take its place in the Western States of America in the breeding-season, but the two mingle in the same localities in the winter months, which are spent in Mexico. It probably breeds in the more northern parts of Mexico, as we have specimens of both sexes shot in the State of Nuevo Leon in May and at Nuri in Sonora in April. According to Villada* and de Oca®, it visits the Valley of Mexico at the beginning of autumn, but is rare there—a statement confirmed by M. Boucard, who says that during his sojourn in Mexico he never met with this species except in the environs of the city *. * The following species of Calypte have usually been attributed to Mexico, but we have not succeeded in obtaining any well-authenticated specimens of either of them from that country. Both are well-known Californian species :— Calypte anne. Ornismyu anna, Less. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, p. 205, t. 74. Calypte anne, Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 403. According to Gould and others this species is found in Mexico, but his specimens obtained from Floresi may well have come from California. M. Boucard (Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xxii. p. 20) says that it is very rare in Mexico, but gives no authority for its occurrence there, and he does not seem to have met with it himself. Herrera mentions it as found in the Valley of Mexico, but gives no particulars (‘ La Naturaleza,’ (2) i. p. 322). It certainly occurs near our northern frontier at Camp Grant, Arizona. Calypte coste. Ornismya coste, Bourc. Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 294. Calypte coste, Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 404. This species has likewise been attributed by Gould to Mexico, apparently on the authority of Floresi’s speci- mens, all of which probably came from California. M. Boucard, however, states (Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xxii. p. 20) that it is very rare in Mexico, but, as in the case of C. anne, gives no authentic instance of its occurrence. Mr. Belding, also, gives its name in the list of birds he observed at Guaymas (Pr. U.S. Nat. Muse vi. p. 348). 360 TROCHILID. l". Cauda fere normalis, rotundata aut furcata. Kk". Cauda rotundata, albo terminata; plume gulares laterales elongate. ATTHIS. Trochilus, §. Atthis, Reichenbach, Aufz. d. Col. p. 12. Atthis, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 89; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 411. In Atthis the tail, though short, is nearly normal and rounded, the lateral rectrices being of full width and tipped with white. The lateral gular feathers are elongated and wholly glittering rosy red with a slight purple tinge. Two closely-allied species inhabit Southern Mexico and Guatemala. ‘They resemble each other in colour, but may be distinguished by the shape of the outermost primary, which in the northern form (A. heloise) is attenuated towards the extremity. 1. Atthis heloisz. Ornismya heloisa, Less. & Delattre, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 15°. Selasphorus heloise, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 141 (Oct. 1854) *; Scl. P. Z.S. 1859, p. 386°; 1864, p. 177*; de Oca, La Nat. i. p. 19, t. —’. Tryphena heloise, Scl. P. Z. 8. 1858, p. 297°; 1859, p. 367’. Atthis heloise, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 89°; Dugés, La Nat. i. p. 141°; Villada, La Nat. u. p. 857”; Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. i. p. 10"; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 411”. Trochilus heloisa, Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 822”. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis : subtus gula micanti-rosaceo-rubra purpureo leviter lavata, pectore, abdomine medio et tectricibus subcaudalibus albis, hypochondriis pallide cinnamomeis maculis discalibus aureo-viridibus notatis ; caude rectricibus mediis dorso concoloribus, lateralibus ad basin cinnamomeis, apicibus albis fascia subterminali lata nigra: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 2°9, ale 1:4, caudee 0-9, rostri a rictu 0°55. Q capite summo obscuriore, gula tota alba maculis discalibus aureo-viridibus notata. (Descr. maris et femine ex Cuesta de Misantla (Jalapa), Mexico. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, Guanajuato (Dugés®), Sierra de San Luis Potosi (W. B. Richardson 1), Cofre de Perote (MU. Trujillo”), Jalapa (Delattre}, de Oca®", C. F. Hoge, M. Tru- jillo 12), Cuesta de Misantla (MZ. Trujillo '*), Cordova, Orizaba, San Andres Tuxtla (Boucard), Valley of Mexico (White*+, Villada 1°, de Oca®, Herrera’*), Patzcuaro (Dugés°), Tepic(W. B. Richardson *), Totontepec (Boucard *), Oaxaca (Boucard °, Fenochio }*). Delattre discovered this species during his sojourn at Jalapa!, where it has since been found by nearly every collector who has visited that district. Most of our specimens came from this neighbourhood, but the species ranges far beyond the limits of the State of Vera Cruz, for we have received specimens from the Sierra de San Luis Potosi in Central Mexico, from Tepic near the west coast, and also from the State of Oaxaca. Villada says !° that it is only found in the Valley of Mexico in the months of June and July, seeking its food chiefly from the flowers of Lythrum vulnerarium. ATTHIS.—STELLULA. 361 At one time A. heloise was supposed to have occurred in Southern Texas, but this statement, we believe, has now been found to have been based upon a wrong identi- fication. 2. Atthis ellioti. Selasphorus heloise, Scl. & Salv. This, 1859, p. 129; Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 4687; 1860, pp. 195°, 271°; 1862, p. 96 (nec Less. & Del.) *. Atthis ellioti, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. i. p. 9°; Elliot, Syn. Troch. p. 1147; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. pp. 412, 667 °. A. heloise similis, sed rectrice extima integra haud ad apicem attenuata distinguenda. Hab, Guatema.a (Skinner 1), El Rincon in San Marcos, Chuipaché and Volcan de Santa Maria in Quezaltenango, Atitlan (W. B. Richardson’), Volcan de Fuego 35, Chilasco and Coban (0. 8S. & F. D. G.8). This species was long considered to be the same as A. heloisw, and passed as such until Mr. Ridgway discovered a curious difference in the shape of the outermost primary, whereby the male of the Mexican and Guatemalan birds can always be distin- guished®. This feather in the Mexican form is attenuated towards the end by the reduction in width of the inner web—in a similar way, but not tc the same exteut, as in Selasphorus platycercus. The Guatemalan form has this feather of the normal width throughout. A, ellioti occurs in many parts of the uplands of Guatemala, but is much more com- mon in the outskirts of the forests of the Altos and of the great volcanoes than in Vera Paz. We found it in some numbers on the ridge above Calderas, which forms a spur to the Volcan de Fuego. Here it sought a large thistle which grew in some profusion on the hill-side. It was also observed on the upper part of the Volcano near to where the two chief peaks unite. At certain seasons it has a cheerful song. I". Cauda subfurcata ; plume gulares laterales elongate, albe, macula terminali rubra notate. STELLULA. Stellula, Gould, Intr. Troch. p. 90; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 413. Stellula is closely allied to Atthis, but has a slightly forked tail, the outer rectrices being without white tips. The coloration of the throat is somewhat peculiar, inasmuch as the glittering red terminal spots of the feathers are so reduced in size as to show the white of the rest of the feathers amongst them. Stellula calliope is the only member of the genus, its range extending from Oregon southwards to the tablelands of Mexico. BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. IJ., November 1892. 46 362 TROCHILIDA. 1. Stellula calliope. Trochilus (Calothorax) calliope, Gould, P. Z. 8S. 1847, p. 11°. Calothorax calliope, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 142 (Sept. 1857)*; de Oca, La Nat. iii. p. 27°. Stellula calliope, Gould, Intr. Troch. p.90*; Elliot, B. N. Am. i. t. 23°; Villada, La Nat. ii. p. 859°; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 413”. Trochilus calliope, Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 322°. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, capite summo obscuriore: subtus alba, gule plumis lateralibus valde elongatis, macula ovali rosaceo-rubra terminatis, colore ad basin albo (pracipue in mento) obvio, hypochondriis pallide cinnamomeis et viridi lavatis ; caude rectricibus mediis dorso concoloribus, lateralibus nigricantibus haud albo terminatis sed ad basin stricte cinnamomeo limbatis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 2°9, alz 1:5, caude 0:9, rostri a rictu 0-65. (Descr. maris ex Ajusco, Valley of Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 2 subtus alba, gula maculis discalibus aureo-viridibus notatis, hypochondriis et tectricibus subcaudalibus cinnamomeo lavatis ; caude rectricibus lateralibus ad basin griseis, albo terminatis et fascia lata subtermi- nali nigra notatis. Hab. Nortu America, Western States from Oregon southwards to Arizona.—MExIco 1, Valley of Mexico (de Oca, Herrera®), Tetelco in the Valley of Mexico (F. Ferrari- Perez), Ajusco in the Valley of Mexico, Calvillo in Aguas Calientes (W. B. Rich- ardson'), Amula in Guerrero (Mrs. H. H. Smith’), Cerros de Guadalupe Pedregal (Villada®). Stellula calliope is by no means a common bird in Mexico, where it appears to be strictly confined to the highlands, from the mountains of Guerrero and the Valley of Mexico northwards. Within the United States it would appear to be much more numerous, at least during the summer months, when no doubt it breeds. The colour of the throat readily distinguishes this species, no other showing the white bases of the feathers of the throat amongst the glittering rosy spots at their ends. The female much resembles that sex of Atthis heloise, but may be recognized by its longer bill and by the bases of the lateral rectrices being greyish rather than cinnamon. d'. Cauda rotundata aut furcata haud cuneata; dorsum posticum JSascia transversa albida notatum; cervix interdum plumis lateralibus elongatis ornatis. m'. Cauda rotundata vic furcata ; plume cervicales laterales elongate. LOPHORNIS. Lophornis, Lesson, Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, p. xxxvii; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 419. Telamon, Muls. & Verr. Class. Troch. p. 75. Paphosia, Muls. & Verr. Class. Troch. p. 75. Diaha, Muls. Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xxii. p. 228. Lophornis is one of the most remarkable genera of Humming-Birds, on account of LOPHORNIS. 363 the development of the feathers of the head and neck and their diversity of shape and colour. These peculiarities have suggested the division of the genus into no less than six genera; but as there are only eleven species in Lophornis as a whole, and as the characters for its subdivision are all drawn from one set of modifications, it is perhaps as well to treat the subdivisions as sections of one genus. The most distinct from Lophornis is Polemistria, which contains three species, none of which occur in Central America. All the species of Zophornis are very small birds, the males distinguished by the development of their lateral cervical plumes. In some of the species the head is conspicuously crested. All the species have rounded or slightly forked tails, and the rectrices are all of normal width. The lower back is crossed by a transverse white or whitish band. Three of the eleven species occur within our limits. L. helene, the type of Mulsant and Verreaux’s genus Paphosia, ranges from Southern Mexico to Costa Rica. L. adora- bilis, the type of Mulsant’s Dialia, occurs in Chiriqui and also in Costa Rica; and L. delattrii, the type of Mulsant and Verreaux’s Telamon, is found in the State of Panama and also in more southern parts of Colombia. In South America the genus ranges over the greater part of the forest-region as far as South-eastern Brazil. 1. Lophornis delattrii. Ornismya (Lophornis) delattrii, Less. Rev. Zool. 1889, p. 19°. Lophornis delattrii, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 121 (Sept. 1861)?; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 465°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 865+; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 207°; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 423°; Tacz. Orn. Pér, i. p. 2997. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, uropygio et tectricibus supracaudalibus saturate purpureo-cupreis, fascia transversa dorsali cervino-albida ; capite summo cinnamomeo, plumis valde elongatis angustis, acutis, punctis minutis nigris terminatis, loris et gutture toto micanti-viridibus illius plumis lateralibus ad basin cinnamomeis ; pectore plumis paucis albis notato; corpore reliquo subtus viridi, subcaudalibus cinnamomeis; cauda cinnamomea, rectricibus mediis ad apicem viridibus, reliquis pogonio externo viride nigricante limbatis: rostro carneo, apice nigro. Long. tota circa 2°7, ale 1:5, caude 0°9, rostri a rictu 0°5. Q supra aureo-viridis, fronte cinnamomea plumis elongatis nullis: subtus gula cervina fusco maculata, gutture imo fascia lata nigra notato et infra eam plaga albida; abdomine viridi, hypochondriis posticis et tectri- cibus subcaudalibus einnamomeis; cauda cinnamomea fascia subterminali nigra, rectricibus mediis medialiter viridibus. (Deser. maris et femine ex Panama. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Panama, Castillo, Laguna del Castillo (Arcé5), Lion Hill (M‘Zeannan3 4), Line of Railway and Chepo (Arcé *).—Cotomsia?® ; Peru’. This beautiful species was discovered by Delattre, and described by him in conjunction with Lesson}, but the exact locality where it was found was not stated. We now know it as a not uncommon bird in the trade collections from Bogota. It is also far from rare in the State of Panama as far westwards as Castillo, whence Arcé has sent us many specimens®. Beyond this point, however, it does not seem to occur, as we have 46* 364 TROCHILIDA. no trace of it at Chiriqui, the country of Z. adorabilis, nor from Costa Rica, where L. helene is found. L. delattrit has two near allies in L. regulus and L. stictolophus, but it differs from both in its narrow crest-feathers, hardly any of which have a trace of a dark terminal spot. 2. Lophornis helene. Ornismya helene, Delattre, Echo du Monde Sav. 1843, p. 1068'; Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 133”. Lophornis helene, Gould, Mon. Troch. iii. t. 123 (Sept. 1855) °; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 180°; Salv. Ibis, 1860, pp. 194°, 196°, 2677; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 425°; de Oca, La Nat. il. p. 300, t. —°; Boucard, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, xxii. p. 15. Paphosia helene, Boucard, P. Z. 8S. 1878, p. 70”. Supra nitenti-aureo-viridis, uropygio et tectricibus supracaudalibus rufo-purpurascentibus, fascia dorsali trans- versa cervino-albida; capite summo saturate viridi, plumis utrinque valde elongatis, longissimis angustis, plerumque nigris ad apicem filiformibus auricularibus nigris: subtus gula micanti-aureo-viridi, margine suo distali rotundato et undique nigro marginato, plumis lateralibus elongatis nigro et cinnamomeo intermixtis, pectore aureo-viridi, abdomine albo, plumis singulis macula magna aurea rotunda notatis ; tectricibus subcaudalibus cinnamomeis medialiter aureo-viridi vix tinctis; cauda cinnamomea, rectricibus mediis viridibus ad apicem saturatioribus, reliquis viridi extrorsum limbatis: rostro carneo, apice nigro. Long. tota circa 3:0, ale 1:6, caude 1:0, rostri a rictu 0°6. 2 supra nitenti-aureo-viridis ; capite summo fere unicolore, plumis elongatis nullis; gutture albo, plumis singulis macula discali aureo-nigricante notatis; cauda cinnamomea, fascia subterminali nigra, rectricibus mediis quoque medialiter viridibus. (Descr. maris et femine ex Coban, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Mexico, environs of Cordova, Santecomapam, Catemaco (Boucard 10), Chiapas (de Oca®); GuatTema.a, “ Petinck” (? Peten) (Delattre!2), Coban (Skinner 4, O. 8. & F. D. G."); Honpuras, San Pedro Sula ( Witthugel, in U. S. Nat. Mus.); Costa Rica, Turrialba (Arcé', Boucard"), Tucurriqui (Arcé*), San Carlos (Boucard 14), El Naranjo (Zeledon, in U. 8. Nat. Mus.). The range of Lophornis helene extends much further north than that of any other species of the genus, and even reaches the middle of the State of Vera Cruz, where so many purely neotropical birds find the northern limit of their distribution. It was not in Mexico, as it has been sometimes stated, that Delattre discovered this bird, but in Vera Paz, the only Department of Guatemala where it is found. In the month of November it is not uncommon near Coban, feeding from the flowers of the Salvie, the favourite resort of so many species of Humming-Birds. The flight of LL. helene is very rapid, and hardly to be followed by the eye as it darts from flower to flower. Its cry is peculiarly shrill and unlike that of any other Humming-Bird, so that its presence in any place may at once be detected by a skilled ear. ‘The females are either very much rarer than the males, or, which is probably the case, less in evidence. During a month spent at Coban only one female was secured to seventeen males. M. Boucard observed this species during his residence in Mexico at several places near the town of Cordova, The same traveller subsequently met with it in Costa Rica. LOPHORNIS.—PRYMNACANTHA. 369 3. Lophornis adorabilis, (Tab. LVII. fig. 1,¢; 2,2.) Lophornis adorabilis, Salv. P. Z. 8.1870, p. 207+; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 4257; Gould, Mon. Troch., Suppl. t. 85 (Aug. 1880)*; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 122°; Ridgway, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 542°. Dialia adorabilis, Muls. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, iii. p. 208, t. 91. fig. 1°. Supra aureo-viridis, fascia dorsali transversa albida, uropygio et tectricibus supracaudalibus purpureis; capite summo medio pure albo, plumis lateralibus elongatis acutis antice divergentibus postice confluentibus, fronte, loris et capitis lateribus micanti-cupreis, plumis ad basin albis: subtus gula micanti-viridi, plumis ad basin albis, plumis lateralibus valde elongatis et acutis postice retractis, plaga magna pectorali alba, abdomine et tectricibus subcaudalibus cinnamomeis; cauda cinnamomea, rectricibus mediis apicibus et omnium marginibus viridi nigricantibus: rostro carneo, apice nigro. Long. tota circa 2°8, ale 1:5, caude 1:0, rostri a rictu 0°5. (Deser. maris exempl. typ. ex Volcan de Chiriqui. Mus. nostr.) Q capite summo nigricante, fronte cupreo lavata, genis nigricantibus: subtus gutture toto cum pectore albis, hujus plumis omnibus macula discali aurea notatis; cauda fascia subterminali nigra, rectricibus mediis quoque medialiter viridibus. (Descr. feminz ex Bugaba, Panama. Mus. nostvr.) Hab. Costa Rica, San José (Zeledon*®); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui!, Bugaba2, Bibalaz ? (Arcé). Our collector Enrique Arcé, who worked so diligently in the western portion of the State of Panama, discovered this remarkable species. The first specimen sent was a female which he shot near Bugaba, but it was only when the male arrived that it was described by Salvin, and subsequently figured by Gould and Mulsant in their respective works. ‘The further extension of the range of the species is proved by a specimen having been obtained near San José, as recorded by Mr. Ridgway and Mr. Zeledon 4. Lophornis adorabilis has no near allies, so much so that Mulsant proposed a new generic name, Lvalia, for it. This we think hardly necessary, and prefer to let this species and also L. helene stand in Lophornis in sections by themselves. n’. Cauda elongata profunde furcata, rectricibus lateralibus angustissimis acutis, mediis brevissimis ; plume cervicales haud elongate. PRYMNACANTHA. Gouldia, Bonaparte, Consp. Av. i. p. 86 (nec Adams). Prymnacantha, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. iii. p. 64; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 428. The absence of any peculiar development of the lateral cervical feathers and the deeply-forked tail consisting of very narrow pointed rectrices, the median pair being very short, the outermost very long, and the general green colour of all the species distinguish Prymnacantha from Lophornis, which it resembles in the small size of its component species, and in the common character of a transverse white dorsal band. It differs from Discura in the absence of the large spatules which terminate the outer rectrices of that genus. Four species are contained in Prymnacantha, all of which belong to South America, one only, P. conversi, extending northwards to the State of Panama and to Costa Rica. 366 TROCHILIDA.—CYPSELID&. 1. Prymnacantha conversi. Trochilus conversi, Bourc. & Muls. Ann. Se. Phys. et Nat. Lyon, ix. p. 313". Gouldia conversi, Gould, Mon. Troch. i. p. 129 (May 1854) *; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. vii. p. 319°; ix. p. 123‘; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 154°; 1870, p. 208°. Prymnacantha conversi, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. i. p.65"; Salv. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 430°. Supra nitenti-gramineo-viridis, fascia transversa dorsali alba, tectricibus supracaudalibus purpureis: subtus gutture toto nitenti-viridis, plaga pectorali cyanea, abdomine viridi plumis ad basin nigris, tectricibus subcaudalibus viridibus; cauda chalybea, rhachidibus supra pallide fuscis, subtus albis: rostro nigro. Long. tota circa 3°5, alee 1:6, caude rectr. med. 0°35, rectr. lat. 2°4, rostri a rictu 0°55. © mari similis: subtus gula nigra utrinque albo marginata, pectore et hypochondriis viridibus plumis ad basin nigris, abdomine medio nigro utrinque macula magna albo notato; cauda chalybea, rectricibus lateralibus rhachidibus subtus albis, pogonio externo et apicibus quoyue albis. Long. caude rectr. med. 0:5, rectr. lat. 0°95. (Descr. maris et femine ex Tucurriqui, Costa Rica. Mus. nostr.) Hab. Costa Rica, Tucurriqui (Arcé+*), Angostura (Carmiol®), Naranjo de Cartago (Zeledon, in U. S. Nat. Mus.); Panama, Calovevora®, Santa Fé 5, Cordillera del Chucu (Arcé), Lion Hill (Af Zeannan *).—CotomsBia! 27; Ecuador ®. The original specimen of P. conversi described by Bourcier came from Colombia, and was sent thence by M. Convers, who lived for some time at Bogota!. The presence of the species within our limits was first noticed by M‘Leannan, who obtained a single male specimen in the dense forest near the Line of the Panama Railway, and sent it to Mr. Lawrence ?. It was subsequently found in Costa Rica by Arcé, and also at several places within the limits of the State of Panama. Its southern range reaches Ecuador, where specimens have been obtained by several collectors. Stolzmann’s examples from that country were described by Von Berlepsch and Taczanowski as Gouldia conversi equatorialis, but they hardly differ from the typical Colombian form. The head and throat are perhaps a little brighter, and in this respect the Central- American birds agree with those of Western Ecuador. Suborder CYPSELI. Fam. CYPSELIDZ. This suborder is spread over the whole of the temperate and tropical portions of the globe, and comprises about 78 species, the American Continents claiming about one- third of these. Recent authors divide the Cypselide into two sections, based upon the number of phalanges in the third and fourth digits of the adult bird. The first of these sections forms the subfamily Cypseline, in which the second, third, and fourth digits have each three phalanges. In the second section the toes are of normal structure, the third toe AERONAUTES. 367 having four and the fourth toe five phalanges. This section is again divided into Cheeturinee and Malcopterygine, the latter being restricted to the Indo-Malayan region and New Guinea. We have therefore here only to do with the Cypseline and Cheturine, which are differentiated by the structure of their toes. This curious feature has long been known, but its development has only recently been examined by Herr L. Zehntner (‘ Zoologischer Anzeiger,’ No. 319 (1889), and ‘Ibis,’ 1890, p. 196) in embryos of Cypselus melba. ‘The result shows pretty conclusively that in the intermediate stages of development the embryo of that species possesses the normal number of phalanges, but that as growth advances one phalange in the third toe and two in the fourth are lost by absorption into adjoining joints. The exceedingly rapid flight, often at a great height in the air, of the Cypselidee generally, is a reason for their being seldom represented in collections of bird-skins, few native collectors being able to shoot them. It is only by resorting to their nesting- or roosting-places that any number of specimens can be obtained. Subfam. CYPSELINA. To this subfamily belong the genera of Cypselidee which have an abnormal number of phalanges to the middle and outer toes, the middle toe having only three phalanges instead of four and the outer also three instead of five. The true Swifts of the Old World all belong here, and two South-American species are comprised in the same genus Cypselus. It includes Aéronautes and Panyptila, both peculiar to America, and also one of the Palm-Swifts of the genus Tachornis and its ally Claudia. Of the twenty-four or twenty-five known species of Cypseline only seven or eight occur in the New World, and of these only one, Aéronautes melanoleucus, a bird of our country, is found north cf Mexico. Panyptila is represented within our limits by all its species. Cypselus itself (in the New World) is confined to the Andes of South America, neither Zachornis nor Claudia occurring at all. With Yachornis, a genus represented in some of the larger Antilles by 7. phenicobia, Mr. Hartert associates the Palm-Swifts of the East, and assigns a new generic name (Claudia) to Cypselus squamatus of South America. AKRONAUTES. Aéronautes, Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 459 (1892). Panyptila (partim), Baird et auctt. This genus is very closely allied to Cypselus on the one hand and Panyptila on the other, so much so that the single species it contains has been placed sometimes in one 368 CYPSELIDA. genus and sometimes in the other. Its position is best recognized under a distinct name and placed between the two above-mentioned genera. From Cypselus, Aéronautes may be distinguished by the toes as well as the tarsi being feathered and in having the outermost tail-feather on either side shorter than the next. Aéronautes agrees with Panyptila in having feathered toes, but the tail is much less deeply forked, the feathers wider, less acute at their ends, and the outermost pair shorter than the next. The outermost primary is shorter than the second and equal to the third, and is thus shorter as. well as blunter than the same feather of Panyptila. In nidification