Notes on some Costa Rican birds

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

10979. Adelarushempriclii.

10980. Ictbyaetus^{pallasi. (Jiiv.)} 10981. Chroicoceplialus ridibundus.

10982. capistratus.

10983. bruDueiceplialus.

11001. HydrocoljBusmiuiitus.

11002. Gelastesnovse-liollaudiai.

11004. audersoui.

Siibfara.STERNIN.E(III, p. 117).

11030. Sterua longipeunis.

11034. frontalis.

11044. Actochelidon cantiaca.

11045. affinis.

11057. Thalassensbergii.

11059. noviB-hollandiae.

11062. Stornulamiuuta.

11071. Pelodes hybrida.

11078. albistriata.

. vittata. (Kergueleu Isl- and.)

11081. Haliplanalunala. (Type.) 11082. Thalassiporainfuscata._(?) 11083. Gygisalba.

11089. Procellosternaciuerea.

Fam.

PHAETONTID^

(III, p.124).

11098. Phaetonrubricaudus.

Fara.PLOTID.E(III, p. 125).

11102. PlotusuovaB-hollandia3.

Fam.

PELECANID^.

Subfam.Guaculix/E(III, p. 126).

11114. Graculusiiova?-bol]andiae.

11120. cristatus.

11124. glaucus.

11134. Hypoleucusvarius.

11135. leucogaster.

11137. caruucnlatus.

11140. Stictocarbopuuctatns.

11142. Microcarbopygmasus.

11144. melanognatbos.(?)

11146. brevirostris.

11149, sulcirostris.

Subfam. Pelecanin^(III, p. 129).

11151. Pelccauus onocrotalus.

11152. crispus.

11153. mitratns.

11154. javauicus.

11158. Catoptropelicauuscouspicillatus.

Subfixm.AxAGENiXiE.

111G2. Atageuminor.

NOTES

OIV SOIVIE

COSTA

RI€AIV

BIRDS.

By ROBEKT RIDGWAY.

The

followingbirds, all»ofgreateror lessinterest,Lave recentlybeen receivedat the Xatiojial

Museum

fromSr.

Don

Jose C.Zeledon, of

San

Jose:

1. Catharus fuscater (Lafr.)Scl. (?)

What

seems to be a

somewhat

immature example of this species appears at first sight to be quite adifferentbird from two fullyadult specimens, a male

and

afemale,fromthe

same

country. In these adults the throat

and jugulum

are entirelyuniform dull ash-gray, while the entire

abdomen

is white.*

The

specimenin question,however, has the

*Themale istheexample mentioned byMr.Lawrence(Ann. Lye. N.^{Y.,ix, -p.} 90) ashaving been compared withLafresnaye's typeof thespecies,and foundtodifferin having the "centre of the breast and abdomen pale yellowish fulvous instead of Avhite", and the bill mainlybright orange instead of yellowish white. Now, how-

ever, after a lapse of thirteen years, I tind the same specimen withthe abdomen white andthebillpale yellowish,showingthat thedifferencewastheresultoffading oftheoldertype specimen,asMr.Lawrencehimself suggested.

334 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

chill

and

throat indistinctly streaked with dingy whitish

and

dusky, wliile the jugnhmi

and

entire sides aredark shite, very

much

darker than in the other suecimens, only the centre of the

abdomen

being

"whitish.

Some

of the feathers of the breast

show

indistinctwhitish shaft-streaks,while the entire under surface ispervaded

by

a greater orless

amount

of fuliginous wash.

The

entire upperparts are aper- fectly uniform bhick, the other specimenshaving a decidedly shite-col- ored cast.

The

bill andfeetof this siiecimen still retain their brilliant hue, the entire mandible

and

edges of the maxilla being an intense orange-red,while the legsand feetareadeeporange-yellowcolor.

The

collector's notes ujion thelabel are asfollows: "_Iriswhite; billorange- red, withupper mandible black; tarsi

and

feetorange- yellow".

This specimen

was

obtained at Cuscua,

La

Palma, September 25, 1881,

by

Mr.

Juan

Cooper.

2. Thryothoriis hyperythrus Salv.«fcGodni. (Biolog. Centr.-Am. Aves,i,p. 91).

A

single specimen from Carrillos, Alajuela (October, 1879;

Juan

Cooper), agrees exactly with examples from

Veragua and Panama.

3. Troglodytes (?)ochraceus, sp.nov.

Sp. ch.

— Above bright tawny-brown, duller posteriorly, theforehead and lores more ochraceous; avery conspicuous superciliary stripe of bi'ight ochraceous, most distinct posteriorly by reason of its strong contrast with a broad post-ocular stripe of dusky brown. Entire side of head (except as described), with whole lower parts, bright tawny- ochraceous, paler, but by no means inclining to white, on the throat and abdomen (the last deep buff), liemiges and wing-coverts nar- rowly barred orvermiculated with dusky, their inner webs uniformly of this color; tail dull brown, narrowly and irregularybarred, or ver- miculated, with dusky. Crissum bright ochraceous-biiff with a few ratherindistinct barsofdusky. Lining ofwing plain pale ochraceous;

inner

webs

^of remiges edged with grayish white.

Wing,

1.80; tail, 1.25; ciilmen, .65; tarsus, .70; middletoe, .50. 3d, 4th, and 5tliquills ejiualand longest; 2(1 equal to 7th; 1st

much

shorter than the second- aries(.60 shorterthanlongest primary). Tailgraduated,lateralfeather .25 or .30 shorter than middle pair; rectrices verynarrow.

Culmen

regularly and very decidedlycurved from thebase.

Type, jSfo. 85547, coll. U. S. Ifat. Mus. Volcan de Irazu, Costa Rica, October 10, 1880;

Juan

Cooper.

This diminutive

and

very pretty

Wren

^{is very different both} in proportions

and

coloration from anyother species with which I

am

acquainted. In sizeit is aboutequal to AnorfIntra troglodytes,butitis

otherwise notto be

compared

with that sjiecies, the bill being

more

curved thanin

any

other

member

of thegrou]) thatI haveseen (except, perhaps, CVopsi/d leucogastra,ofwhich the only specimen ofwhich, that I have beenable to examine,has the billbroken). Itis withconsider-

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 335

able doubttliut I refer it to Tvoglo(hjtesat all, aiul I do soonlybecause

Ido uot

know

whereelse toi^lace it, while 1

am

leluctaut to institutea

uew

genus for its special reception.

Comparing

itwith specimens of typical Troglodiites {T. ai'don, T. farms, ^T. tesselatus, T. hnoiiieicollis,

»&c.),Anorthura troglodytes,and Uropsila leucogastra,1 lindthatitagrees best with the latter in pattern of coloration

and

in general form, but the wing is

much

less rounded, the tarsi shorter, and thenostrils very different; those of Uropsila being(in the specimenbefore me) broadly oval, withverylittle

membrane

above them,while the present birdhas a narrow, longit^^dinal or slit-likenostril overhung bya broad scale. I

am

inclined to believe, however, that extreme caution is necessary in using theshapeofthenostrilindried skinsasa genericcharacter, since itsexternalappearanceisso easilymodifiedbyaccidentalcircumstances attending the preparation of a specimen.

For

tliei)resent, therefore, I referthe species to Troglodytes, and leave further consideration^of the question of its generic relationship in abeyance.

As

tothe coloration ofthis species,itismostlike T.hrunncicolUs,but the tint whichprevails over the entirelower partsand the greater part of the head in T. ochraceus ^is decidedly brighter

and more

yellowish than thelightrufous colorof T. hrunneicollis,which,moreover, has this color restricted to the throat,jugulum, and breast. Furthermore, in T.ochraceus there is not the slightestindication of barsorother mark- ings onthesides or flanks.

Genus ACANTHIDOPS,

nobis.

{'AKr^v^ig, i(hc

=

AcantJiis, and ij}p=fades.)

Gen.

^ch.

— Most nearly related to Automolus, PlaccUodromus, and

allied genera in structure of thefeet, &g., but very different inform of

bill,

and

othercharacters. Bill aboutas longas the middletoe, cune- ate in allitsprotiles,

somewhat

swollenbasally, theculmen and lateral outlines decidedly concave in the middle portion; mandibular tomin- very strongly inllexed, with aprominent angle near thebase, anterior toAvhichthe edge isdecidedlyconcave^; maxillarytomiawith a decided notch near the base, immediately above the mandibular angle; gonys verylong (about equalto the exposedportion of the culmen); nostrils exposed, small, longitudinal, occupying lessthan tlielowerhalf of the nasalfossa^. Tarsusalittlelongerthantliemiddletoeandclaw,divided intoabout six plates, butthese entirely fused on the outer side,except the lowerone, whichis distinct; lateral toes equal, the points of their clawsfalling short of the base of the middle chiw; innertoe entirely separatedatthebasefrom the middletoe,

and

outer with onlyits first

phalanxunited; hallux about equalin length to the lateral toes, l)ut

much

stronger, its claw decidedlylarger than that of the middle toe.

OOO PROCEEDINGS OP UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

Wings

decidedly longer tlian the tail, very concave beneatb,tlie 3d, 4tli,

and

5tliquills nearly equal

and

longest, the 2d verylittle shorter, the1staboutequaltothe7th. Tailaboutequaltothe

wing

measuredto the ends of thesecondaries, nearlyeven orvery slightlyrounded, con- sisting of twelve rectrices, which are acute but not stiffened at the points; theouter

web

of theintermedia) broaderat the base than the innerweb.

Type, A.bairdi, sp. nov.

This remarkable genus is sovery distinct from anyother hitherto described that it isquite difficult todecide wheretoplace it. Itevi- dently belongs, however, to the Synallaxiue group, on account of the structure of the feet,but the bill is so widelydifferentfrom that of

any

other

member

of the family {^''Bendrocolaptidw^') as to suggest certain Fringillineforms, as Cardiielis

and

Chrysomitris. Infact,the bill is so similar inform to that of thegenera

named

that the collector

had

re- ferredit tothe latter genus.

As

characters additional to those given in the above diagnosis, it

may

bestated thatthe bill is slightlynotched near thetip; that the rictalbristles are so minuteas to be hardlyperceptible,

and

that the posterior face of the tarsus, on both sides, is entirelyundivided, in which latterrespectthe present bird differs from Synallaxis

and

Placel- lodromus,but agreeswithAiitomolus.

4. Acanthidopsbairdi, sp.nov.

Sp. ch.

—

^{adultf):

Above

dull olive-brown, the back

washed

with rusty_; wings dusky, the middle

and

greater covertstipjiedwith pale rusty, forming twodistinct bands, the inner secondaries broadly

edged

withdarkerrusty; remaining secondaries narrowlyskirtedwith dark umber-brown, the primaries with light, dull ochraceous or yellowish olive. Taildusky, the outer

webs

slightlygreenisholivaceous. Pileum indistinctlystreaked with dusky; sides ofthehead

and

neck dulloliv- aceous, lighter than the

crown and

nape ; chin

and

throat still paler, thefeatherspaleashy beneaththesui-face;restoflower])arts dull,light olivaceous, tinged with deeper olive across the breast

and

along the sides. Maxillablackish,paler along the edge; mandiblewhitish; legs

and

feetlightbrownish (in dried skin); "iris paleblue."

Wing,

2.50;

tail, 2.20; culmen, .58; commissure, .65; tarsus, .80; middle toe, .CO.

Type, iSTo. 85549, coll. U. S. Nat. Mus., Volcan de Irazu, Costa Eica, Oct. 10, 1880;

Juan

Cooper.

5. Nyctibusjamaicensis(Gin.)Gosse.

Two

veryfinespecimens,bothfemales,from Sarchi,Alajuela (altitude 3,000 feet),

August and

September, l&Sl,agree with examples from Co- lombia

and

EasternPeru,inrichdarkcolors.

The two

skinsdiffer

much

inproportions,however, thoughevidently l)oth adults;

and

aftercom- paring with a considerable series of specimens from Jamaica, Mirador

PEOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 337

(Eastern Mexico),

Panama,

Bogota,

and

EasternPern, I

am

unable to detectdifterencesotherthan

what

appearto bechieflyof anindividual character, thoughthereis

much

variation bothinsize

and

colors

among

thedifferentspecimens.

OCSCRIPTIOIV OF A NEW FLY-CATCHER AND A

SIJPJPOSED

NEW PETRFL. FROm THE SANDWICH

ISIiANDS.

By ROBERT RID01%^AY.

Chasiempis sclateri, sp. nov.

Sp. ch.

— Above dull ferruginous,more umber onthe back, moreru- fesceut on the rump and upper tail-coverts; sides of head andneck, chin, throat, and breast bright ochraceous- rufous; restof lower parts pure white, the sides tinged with rufous; wings and tail dusky, the middleand greatercoverts tippedwith paleferruginous,producingtwo

distinct bands; secondaries edged with pale dull rusty^; inner

webs

of rectrices (except middle pair) tipped with white, thisabout .40Df

an

inch wide onthe lateral pair

and

decreasingin extenttowardthe inner feathers.

Wing,

2.70; tail,2.70-2.75; tarsus, .95-1.00; middletoe,.45.

Types, Nos. 41955

and

4195C, coll. U. S. Nat. Mus.,

Waimea

Kaui,

Sandwich

Islands; V. Knudsen.

Although I have been unable to compare the specimensdescribed above with either C. sandwichcnsis (Gin.) or G. dimidiata (Hartl.

&

Finsch), I

am

^satisfied, from reference to the descriptions of these in Sharpe's catalogue of the Muscicapidw ("Catalogue of the Birds in the British

Museum,"

vol. iv),pp. 231-233, that it is quite distinct spe- cifically.

The

formeris described as having the ^"wing-covertsblack, tipped with white spots," the ^"underwing-coverts white," the cheeks and throatwhite,thetailonly2.15inchesin length,

and

the tarsus only .85 long; while thelatter isstillmore differentboth inproportions

and

colorations.

Cymochorea cryptoleucura,sj), uov.

Sp. ch.

—

Adult: Uniformfuliginous,theheadand uppersurface

more

slaty, the greater wing-coverts and outer

webs

of tertials paler, inclin- ing todullash-gray; remiges

and

rectrices dull black,thelatter(except middle pair) white at the base; upper tail-coverts white, the loyiger feathers broadly tipped with Uaclcish (as in Procellaria pekuiica); anal region

mixed

with white, and white of the upper coverts extending laterally tothesides of the crissum. Tail onlysliglitlyforkedoremar- ginated, the outer feathers being only about .20-30 ofan inch longer than themiddlepair. Bill, legs,

and

feet (including webs) deepblack;

wing,5.80-6.30; tail,3.00-3.15_; bill (measuredinstraightlinefrombase of culmentopoint ofthemaxilla),_.00; tarsus, .85-.90; middletoe,with daiv, .85-.90.

Proc. l!^"at.Mus.81 22

March 29,

1

8 83.