Descriptions of three new birds from Cuba and the Bahamas

Vol. XV, ^pp. 33-34

March

5, 1902

PROCEEDINGS

OFTHE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE NEW BIRDS FROM CUBA AND THE BAHAMAS.*

BY WILLIAM PALMER AND

J. H.

RILEY.

Owing

^{to the} continuation of our

work

in

Cuba

^it has been

thought

^{best to} postpone the publication of the entire resultsof ourexpedition there ⁱⁿ 1900.

Meanwhile

it seemsdesirable to publish the descriptions of the threefollowing ^birds:

Zenaidura

macroura

bella subsp. nov.

Type.

—

_{No. 172,537, U.} S. National Museum, $ ad., Mariel, Cuba.

Collected

May

^9, 1900, by^WilliamPalmerandJ. H._Riley.

Characters.

—

_Similar to macroura of the eastei'ii United States but smaller.

Remarks.

—

_{Six adult males from Cuba average,}

—

_{wing, 137.5; tail,}

123.5; exposed culmen, ¹³

mm.

_Eight adult males from the eastern UnitedStates average,

—

_{wing, 150.5;tail,140.5;}exposed culmen, ¹⁴

mm.

The

bandontheuppersurfaceofthe tailislessdistinct inourCuban birdsthaninthosefromthemainland, and^{there are}otherslight differ- encesin color, butthesizealoneissufficient ground^forseparation.

Columbigallina passerina^afJavida subsp. nov.

Type.

—

No. _171,194,U. S. National Museum, $ ad., San Diego de^los Banos, Cuba. Collected April 10, 1900, by WilliamPalmer andJ. H.

Riley.

*Published here by permission ^of the Secretary ^of the Smithsonian Institution.

7—BIOL. Soc. Wash. Vol. XV,^1902. (33)

34 Three

New Hirds from Cuba and

^the

Bahamas.

_\

Characters.

—

_{Similar topasserina}of Jamaica, but ^thebillblackwith alittleredatthe base; plumageslightlygrayer.

EemarJcs.

— _The

ground dove from Cuba differs from the

Bahaman

ground dove ⁱⁿbeing^darker, aboveandbelow, withlesswhitishonthe belly and crissum.

The

ground dove from Jamaica* ^{isverj'similarto} theCubanforminsize, but hasa reddish cast to the plumage, and^the base of the bill is yellow (orangeⁱⁿlife); thebilloftheCubanbirdis

whollyblack, except ^{at the baseof the lower}mandiblewhere it isred inlife.

The

bird from the

Bahamas

^is said to have thebillwholly black in life.

The

bird from Florida, ^C. passerina terrestris, ^is the largest of the four forms underconsideration, andtheplumage^isofa grayer ^cast than in either passerina or aflavida, but notas light as in baliamensis_; thebaseofthebill isred inlife, drying^outtoyellowishⁱⁿ theskin.

Riccordia seneoviridis _sp. nov.

Tyf)e.

—

_{No. 108,572,U.} S. National Mviseum, $ ad., Abaco, Bahamas.

CollectedMarch 27, 1S8G, by^{U. S. Fish} Com. ^Str. Albatross.

Characters.

—

_{Above and} below _bright bronze-green; wings purplish black; ^tail above bronze, deepening^intoblack, with bronzyreflections

on thetwoouterpairsoffeathers; tailbelow deep^steelblue; upper^tail coverts bronze; crissum and lower _{belly white;} a white _{spot a} little

above and behind the eye; upper mandible, ⁱⁿ the dried skin,black;

lowermandibleyellowish, tippedwithblack.

Measurement _{of type.}

—

_{Wing, 53; tail, 43.5;} exposed culmen, ^17: mid- dle tailfeathers, 22.5

mm.

Remarks.

—

_{ThebirdfromAbaco} isofamorecoppery green both above and below than the bird from Cuba. In the Abaco bird the bill is slenderer, the fork of the tail less pronounced, and ^the middle tail feathers broader than in Cuban birds; also the tail of ricordii is not coppery bronze^{as in}Abaco birds. Fourteen males fromCuba_average:

wing,52.5; tail, 44; middle tail feather.?, 21: exposed culmen, ¹⁸

mm.

Fifteen males from Abaco _{average: wing,} 52.5; tail, 42; middle tail feathers, 23; exposed culmen, ¹⁷

mm.

The

_type of Lawrence's bracei came from

New

Providence and isa

mummy.

Comparing ^{the bird from}Abacowith this type, showsitto beadifferentbird or else thecolorshave changed ^{in bracei.}

The

_type

of braceiisofamorecopperygreen,andthe throatisof a brighter, and altogether ^difl'erent shade of green than ^{in the series of} Abacobirds before us. The bill of braceiis longer than ineitherAbacoorCviban birds.

The

_typeof

6ram

measures: _wing, 45; exposed culmen,¹⁹

mm.

*We

are indebted to Mr. Outram _Bangs, for the loan of a series of Jamaican ground doves ^{in the}collection of the

Museum

of Compara-

tiveZoologv.