Description of a new <I>Telmatodytes</I>

Vol. XVI, pp. 149-150

November

12, 1903

PROCEEDINGS

OFTHE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

DESCRIPTION OF A NEW TELMATODYTES.

BY HARRY

C.

OBERHOLSER.

Two

long-billed

marsh wrens

recently collected

by

^{the writer}

atSabine,

Texas, were

atfirstreferred,

with

_{a query,} to

Telma-

todytes palustris palustris.

In

_light of material, particularly

from

Louisiana,

which Mr. Ridgway ^has brought together

^for use in

connection with

his

work on

the

genus,

^these

two

_speci-

mens _prove

to

belong

^{to the}

new

^race

which

is

here

described.

Telmatodytes

palustris thryophilus, subsp. nov.

Subspecific characters.

—

Similar to Telmatodytespalustris marianw, but

much

paler,

more

_grayish

brown

above, the pileum with

much

less black, oftenwith almostnone, theupper tail-covertsobsoletely^ornotat all barred; chest not spotted.

Geographical distribution.

—

_{Coast region} of Louisiana

and

eastern Texas.

Description.

—

_Type,

male

adult, No. _184,769, United States National

Museum,

Biological Survey Collection; Sabine, Texas,

September

^3,

1902;

H.

C. Oberholser.

Pileum

sepiabrown,laterally

and

posteriorlywith_{a slight}admixtureof blackish; remainderof upper^surface

mummy

brown, ^the

back

withan irregularlytriangular area^ofblack streakedwith_white; tailbrown, with black bars that

on many

^of the feathers are confluent; wings fuscous, barred withblack, brown,

and

_buff; awhitesuperciliarystripe that is

extended posteriorly ⁱⁿ a chain of white streaks encircling the hind 39— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash.Vol. XVI, ^1903. (149)

150

Oberholser

—

Description

of a New

Telmatodytes.

neck; postocular streakdark brown; sides ofneck

brown

likethecrown, but _paler; cheeks

and

lores

mixed

white

and

brownish; lower surface white, thesidesandflanksbrownishochraceous, ^also the breast tinged with this color; crissum brownish ochraceous, terminally whitish,

and

narrowly^barredwith dusky; lining^of

wing

^white.

This

new form

ismostclosely allied to Telmatodytespalustris palustris, from

which

itsrangeis,however, widelyseparated,butit

may

^bedistin- guished

by

^its decidedlyinferior size (beingapparently ^{a little}smaller than even T. p. mariance), duller, lessreddish

brown

upperparts, besides havingthebrownishof sides

and

flanks spread over the breastandother- wise

more

extended.

The

_type of thryophilus ^{is in} perfectly fresh

autumn

plumage, the condition

which

seems most _nearlyto resemble palustris, for

summer

specimens^are paler,

more

_grayish,

and

_{present a}

stronger contrastto palustris ofeven corresponding^season.

The

subjoined^millimeter

measurements

of males of the three forms concerned in thiscomparison were taken

by

Mr. Ridgway, and he has courteously offered

them

forinclusion here.

Number

of

specimens.