Description of a supposed new <I>Myrmeciza</I>

iSqi.l CiiKRRii': on (I Sii/'f'oscd Nc-c \fvrincclza. ^^QT

neck

white,

with

a yellowishtint

toward

the shoulders.

This

is

the

permanent plumage

of the oldest birds.

During

the

moult occur

transitions

between

the ditlerent

phases

of coloring.

DESCRIPTION OF A SUPPOSED NEW MYRMECIZA.

BY (JEORGE

K. CIIERRIE.

There

are in the collection of the

Museo Nacional twenty specimens

referable tothe

genus Myrmeciza. Thirteen

of these

come ^from

the eastern side of the great

mountain

range,

and

seven

from

the Pacific lowlands.

The form from

the Pacific side

I

suppose

to

be new. However, without

either

works

of refer-

ence

or authentically identified

specimens,

Ican feel

no

certainty

about which form

really is

M.

i/nmaciilaia. I

do

not

even know from what

locality the type

specimen

of

inimaculata came.

My

supposition that the Pacific foini is the

new one

is

based on Mr. Ridgway's

note

under Myrmeciza itmuaculata

ina

paper "On

a collection of birds

from

the

Hacienda

la

Pnlma, Gulf

of

Nicoya, Costa Rica," by C.

C. Nutting. (Proc.

U.

S.

Nat.

Mus., Vol. V,

1SS2, p. 39S.)

Mr. Ridgway

says:

"The

female from La Palma

^is referred doubtfully to this species. It differs

markedly from

three other

Costa Rican specimens, from

the Atlantic coast, in

having

the

jugulum and

breast bright chestnut instead ofdull chestnut

brown,

but I

am

una])le to detect

any

otherdifferences."

With

the small series of

specimens

I

have

before

me,

other slight differences are discernible in coloration, besides a decided' difference in size, as will

be shown

in the following descriptions

and

tables

of measurements.

In case the

western form may prove

to

be new,

^I

would

suggest the

name occidcntalis* and

characterize the

form

as follows:

Myrmeciza immaculata occidcntalis

suV)sp. nov.

Male

(No. 1352,

Museo

Nacional, PozoAziil, January, 1SS7, Jose

C

Zeliicion).

— Above:

whole head slate-black; back,arather darkvandyke brown,the wings and tail with a

more

duskyshading. Below: throat

*_Iemploythename occidentalismatthesuggestionofMr. )os6C. Zelcdon,as inui- cative of thelocality.

IQZ ^CuERRiE

^{071 a}

^Supposed

Ne-v Myrmeciza. [April

and breastslate-black, changinggraduallyposteriorly to slate-grayon the

abdomen;

flanksand under tail-coverts Vandyke brown, the latter

much

the brigliter; under wing-coverts brownish slate-gray; bend of

wing

white. "ISareorbital skin,cobalt-blue; iris, chestnut"; bill black.

The

feathers of the

crown

are

somewhat

elongated, but not in the formof a crest.

The

wingsare shortand rounded; thefirst primaiy isthe shortest;

thethird isaboutequal tothe eighth; the fointh,fifth and sixtharethe longest.

t'einale (No. 1351,

Museo

Nacional,

Pozo

Azul, January, 1SS7, Josd C. Zeledon).

— ^Above

^{: head} slate-blackwith a shadingof vandyke

brown commencing

on the

crown

anddeepeningposteriorly tothecervix where the blackish color entirelydisappears,giving place to the rich vandyke brcnvn of theback; wings,

rump

and upper tail-coverls a littlebrighter;

tail slightlydarker. Below: auricularsslatecolor; chin and throatslate- gray witha slightshadingofchestnut from the

jugulum; jugulum

bright chestnut,changingintohazel

brown

on the breast; sidesofbreast, sides, flanks,and undertail-covertsvandyke brown,^darkest on thesidesof the breast,and brightest

on

theundertail-coverts;underwing-coverts grayish vandyke brown.

"Bare

orbital skin,cobalt blue; iris, chestnut."

The

labelofanotherfemale (No. 330S) reads:

"Upper

mandibleblack; lower, blackish; feet and legs plumbeous; iris, brown."

The

remaining five

examples

show

considerable individual variation in color. All are atrifle

darker onthe back, but presentan unbroken seriesofvariations. Below,

in Nos. 1350,3308, and_4592, thereisonlyatraceof hazel on the breast, thevandyke

brown

of thesides takingitsplace. InNos.635and_{4590 the} hazel of the breastisreplaced

by

chestnutfrom the jugulum.

Specimens from^{the Atlantic} side

may

be

compared

with those from the Pacific side, and described,asfollows:

Male

(No

3419.

Museo

Nacional, Jiminez,

August

16, 1SS9,A. Alfaro) similarto the male described as

coming

from the Pacific side, differing principallyin the relative proportions; however,the backseems atrifle

darker; alsothe headashade blacker; butwithonlythe single specimen from thePacific side itis impossible to saywhetherthesediflerences are constant ornot.

.

Female

(No.3415,

Museo

Nacional, Jiminez,

August

S,1SS9, A. Alfaro) above, similarto thefemalesfrom the Pacific side,but with the head and backa trifledarker. Below,chinand throatablackish slate;restofunder- parts darkvandyke brown,asdarkasthe sidesof the breast of thePacific form. (Perhapsthe color of theunderpartswould be betterdescribed as darksepia brown.)

A young

male (No. 3417,

Museo

Nacional, Jiminez,

August

16, 1889, A. Alfaro) resembles

most

the female.

The

head, however, isvandyke

brown

like theback, onlythebases of the feathersbeingblackish.

The

wings are blackish, being edged onlywith the color of the back. Tail blackish,indistinctlybarred with narrowwhite bands,

showing

most from below. Below,chinand throat slate-gray, heavilywashed with the color of the breast, whichis

somewhat

lighter than in theadult bird.

Under

tail-covertsbarred with from twotothree black bands.

iSpi.] CiiERKiE ona Supposed Nc7v Myrincciza.

193 Measurements

⁽ⁱⁿinches).

M.

immaculata occidetitalis