114 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



The " stomach contents " of a considerable number of birds were pre- 

 served with the idea of gaining some knowledge of their food. Mr. F. S. 

 Millspaugh, of the Field Columbian Museum, who is probably more 

 familiar with the Yucatan flora than any other botanist, kindly under- 

 took for me the identification, in so far as possible, of the seeds and other 

 parts of plants included in these collections, and his determinations have 

 been inserted in each case under the notes on the species in question. 

 Although they are of interest now only in a general way, it is hoped 

 these observations may be of use when a study of the economic value 

 of these birds is made. 



In the identification of the specimens obtained I am very deeply 

 indebted to Mr. 0. Bangs, who has also given me much assistance in 

 other ways. Furthermore, I wish to express my thanks to Messrs. 

 E. W. Nelson, Robert Ridgway, and Witner Stone for the examination 

 and comparison of certain of the birds. 



LIST OF THE BIRDS OF CHICHEN-ITZA, YUCATAN. 



TINAMIDAE. 

 1. Crypturus sallaei goldmani Nelson. 

 Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 1901, 14, p. 169. 



Yucatan Tinamou. 



Maya name, no7n ; Spanish, perdiz. 



A single specimen was brought me by the Indians (March 12, 1904). It was 

 so badly mutilated that its sex could not be determined. The species appears 

 to be common over the whole of the northern part of the peninsula (Biol. 

 Centr.-Amer., 3, p. 456). The type specimen is from Chichen-Itza. 



Legs, when fresh, orange. 



With regard to the food, as determined from this specimen, Mr. Millspaugh 

 reports : 



" This bird is a very heterogeneous seed-eater, with an evident tendency 

 towards selecting those of a euphorbiaceous character. It is particularly 

 noticeable that so few seeds occur of many species that seed largely, the bird 

 strangely selecting but a few of each. The craw contained the following 

 euphorbiaceous seeds : 1 Tragia nepetaefolia : 1 Croton cortezianus : 1 Dale- 

 champia species ; 4 Croton lobatus ; 2 capsules Euphorbia astroitex (with ripe 



Kambles in Yucatan (New York, 1843). It is very conmion for the Indians in giving 

 the names of the birds to attach to them the feminine prefix s (Beltran x). Thus 

 pu-hui (p. 127) becomes spii-hiii ; tnut (p. 125) becomes stuut : ku-sam' (p. 134) becomes 

 sku-sam'; ta-pln (p. 142) becomes sta-pln, etc. 



