SPERMOPHILA. 353 
J.f. Orn. 1869, p. 301"; Dugés, La Nat.i. p. 189; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. 
p- 91"; Sennett, Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. v. p. 393"°; Boucard, P. Z.S. 1883, p. 44477; 
Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 392. 
Sporophila moreleti, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 150”; J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 4”. 
Spermophila albogularis, Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N.Y. v. p. 124” (nec Spix). 
Supra nigra; uropygio, speculo, alari et tectricum alarum marginibus albis, cervicis lateribus et corpore subtus 
albis, torque jugulari nigro; rostro nigro, pedibus fuscis. Long. tota 3°6, ale 2°0, caude 1:6, tarsi 0°56. 
(Descr. maris ex San Pedro, Honduras. Mus. nostr.) 
© olivacea, alis et cauda obscurioribus, tectricum alarum marginibus rufescentibus, rostro pallide fusco. 
(Descr. feminz ex Belize, Brit. Honduras. Mus. nostr.) 
Hab. Norrn America, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas !° 1°18 —Mextico 1°, San Diego 
in Nuevo Leon and Monterey (Couch *®), Guanajuato (Dugés 1), State of Vera Cruz 
(Suméichrast 12), Orizaba (Botteri?), Jalapa (de Oca*), Playa Vicente (Boucard *), 
Merida in Yucatan (Gaumer 1"); British Honpuras, Corosal (Roe), Belize (0. 8."); 
Guatemata ! (Constancia'), Peten (Morelet), San Gerénimo, Totonicapam, Retal- 
huleu, Duefias® (0.8. & F. D. G.); Honpuras?, San Pedro and Medina (G. M. 
Whitely®); Costa Rica (v. Frantzius°?°), San José (Hoffmann*, Carmiol 1), 
Grecia (Carmiol 11), Turrialba (Arcé), Irazu (Rogers). 
This is the common Spermophila of Central America, being generally distributed 
from the Rio Grande valley to Costa Rica, and is specially abundant in the lowlands 
of British Honduras and Guatemala on both sides of the great mountain-range. Here 
it also occurs as high as Totonicapam in the Altos, and at Duefias, where it breeds. 
In Mexico, too, it ascends the mountains from the hot and temperate regions ; 
it is found also in the plateau, and Sumichrast only excepts it from the Alpine region 
with doubt !?. 
S. moreleti, like the rest of its congeners, frequents open grassy ground where 
scattered bushes grow, and in tall reeds such as surround the edge of the lake at 
Duefias. Its food consists chiefly of small seeds. Its nest is a neat structure of fine 
roots and fibre, woven together into a delicate network, and lined with horsehair. This 
is suspended to twigs. The eggs, three or four in number, are pale greenish white, 
thickly spotted and blotched with several shades of brown, especially at the larger end. 
The young are hatched in July. 
This species was first described by Bonaparte from specimens in the Paris Museum, 
brought from the neighbourhood of Peten by the French traveller Morelet, who visited 
that district in 1847, and returned to France in the early part of the following year. 
In 1848 also specimens were sent by Constancia to Strickland 1°. 
The first notice of this bird in Texas is given by Mr. Lawrence, who identified it 
with Lowia albigularis of Spix, the specimen examined being evidently a young male. 
Young birds were also obtained by Mr. Sennett at Lomita in Texas, no adults having 
been seen nor any nests found. 
BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. I., December 1885. 45 
