LANIO. 305 
2. Lanio leucothorax. 
Lanio leucothorax, Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 581°; Ibis, 1872, p. 3177; Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1865, 
p- 171°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. ix. p. 100‘; v. Frantz. J. £. Orn. 1869, p. 299°; Scl. & Salv. 
Ex. Orn. p. 63 (partim), t. 32, 9°. 
L. aurantio similis, sed thorace maris albo primo visu distinguendus. 
Hab. Nicaracva, Chontales (Belt?) ; Costa Rica (v. Frantzius®), Tucurriqui (Arcé 1 6); 
Pacuar and Angostura (Carmiol 3 +). 
The original type of the male of this species, received from Arcé from Tucurriqui 
in Costa Rica, is in bad condition; and this led to its being imperfectly described in 
the first instance, as regards the colour of the lower back. On the receipt of well- 
prepared specimens from the State of Panama, these were supposed to belong to the 
same species, and the lower back was described as black. One of these latter birds was 
figured in ‘ Exotic Ornithology’ as the male of Lanio leucothorax. It now proves that 
the Panama bird belongs to a distinct species, and that the true LZ. leucothorax has the 
lower back as well as the crissum yellow. 
The range of this bird seems confined to the eastern forests of Costa Rica, whence it 
passes northwards into the Nicaraguan province of Chontales. The allied species has 
a more southern habitat, extending from Western Costa Rica to about the middle of 
the State of Panama. 
3. Lanio melanopygius. 
Lanio leucothorax melanopygius, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. 18837. 
Lanio leucothorax, Salv. P. Z. 8. 1867, p. 1389; 1870, p. 188°; Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. p. 63 (partim), 
t. 32,34 
Similis preecedentibus, sed dorso postico nigro et crisso plerumque nigro distinguendus ; thorace sicut in 
L. leucothorace alba. (Descr. maris ex Bugaba, Panama. Maus. nostr.) 
Hab. Costa Rica, Piris (Zeledon !); Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui?, Bugaba 3, Cordillera 
del Chucu *, Chitra *, Cordillera de Tolé?, Santiago de Veraguas 2, Calovevora 3, 
Santa Fé? (Arcé). 
To Mr. Ridgway is due the discrimination of this species from Lanio leucothorax, with 
which it had been confounded, owing chiefly to the imperfection of the type of that 
bird. Mr. Ridgway was inclined to place it as a variety of L. leucothorax ; but we think 
there can be no difficulty in distinguishing the adult males with the greatest certainty 
now that their distinctive characters have been pointed out. In younger birds a few 
rusty feathers appear on the lower back; but these would certainly have disappeared 
with the next moult. Regarding the colour of the crissum, we are not quite certain 
whether it is fully black in adult birds, or whether the feathers are still edged with 
golden yellow. We have birds apparently adult in which the crissum is plain black in 
BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. [., December 1883. 39 
