Vol. XXI, pp. 43-46 February 29, 1908 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



ON SOME RARE AND NEW BIRDS FROM BRITISH 



HONDURAS. 

 BY OUTRAM BANGS AXD MORTON E. PECK. 





The following short descriptions of four new birds from British 

 Honduras and records of a few others so rare as to be worthy 

 of special notice are here given in advance of a complete list of 

 the birds of British Honduras soon to be published by Mr. Peck. 



The specimens upon which these notes are based were col- 

 lected by Peck in the last year or two and from time to time 

 were sent with many others to Bangs for comparison and iden- 

 tification. 



Mr. E. W. Nelson of Washington has most kindly compared 

 many skins for us with Mexican material under his charge in 

 the collection of the Bureau of Biological Survey of the U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture. 



Rallus pallidus Nelson. 



( toe adult female, apparently referable to this distinct form of Clapper 

 rail, was taken at Ycacos Lagoon, May 14, 1VI07. 



This specimen (No. 19,747 Bangs coll. ) is we believe the second recorded 

 example of Rallus pallidus, the type from Rio Lagartos, Yucatan, col- 

 lected in April, 1893, by W. W. Brown, Jr., being in the Field Colum- 

 bian Museum. The under tail-coverts in our bird differ a little from those 

 of the type, being white blotched and barred with dusky, whereas the type 

 had white under tail-coverts with narrow shaft streaks of dusky brown. 

 We find, however, considerable individual variation in the under tail- 

 coverts of Clapper rails generally, and do not consider this a difference of 

 any great importance. 



Another specimen was taken, ami several seen, in 1900, in a swamp at 

 the mouth of Manatee River, and the bird is not uncommon, but inhabiting 

 the thick, low mangroves is very difficult to secure. 



Limnopardalus maculatus insolitus subsp. nov. 



Type (and only specimen ) from Ycacos Lagoon, British Honduras, adult 

 (sex not determined), No. 16,029, Coll. of E. A. and O. Bangs, taken in 

 June, 1907 (by a friend of Peck's who sent it to him). 



Characters. — Similar to true L. maculatus (Bodd.) of South America, 



8— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash.. Vol. XXI. 1908. (43) 



