382 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



11. Micropogon altipinnis Giinther. 



7010. A young specimen, in bad condition. 



12. Gerres peruvianus C. & V. 

 5717. One specimen. 



Two species allied to the present one occur in tlie West Indies, and 

 all three have been called Gerres rliomheus by authors. One of these, 

 evidently the Gerres rliomheus C. & V., has but two anal spines; the 

 other, Gerres rliomheus, or Mojarra rhomhea Poey {= Gerres oUsthostoma 

 Goode & Bean Mss.), has the ovate groove for the reception of the pre- 

 maxillary processes completely covered with scales. In Gerres peruvi- 

 anus, as in most species of Gerres, this region is entirely naked. There 

 are also minor differences in the length of the fins. We have never seen 

 a specimen with two anal spines on the Pacific coast of tropical America, 

 but the two-spined species [rliomheus) is common at Aspinwall. 



13. Citharichthys spilopterus Giintlier. 



3099G. Three specimens, in poor condition. 



United States National Museum, June 30, 1882. 



OIV A COr.r.ECTIOIV of BIRS!^ FROITI the HACIFIVDA "liA PAI.IWIA," 

 GUr.F OF NICOYA, COSTA RICA. 



By C. C. CUTTING. 



[With critical notes by R. Eidgway.*] 



Costa Rica, the southernmost of the Central American States, lies 

 between the eighth and eleveuth degrees north latitude, quite a consid- 

 erable portion being actually south of Panama, owing to the peculiar 

 curve of the continent between Costa Rica and Sonth America proper. 



Like all the Central American States, Costa Rica is characterized by 

 comparatively low coast regions, with a rugged interior composed of 

 mountains which reach an altitude of nearly 11,000 feet, as is the case 

 with the volcanoes of "Irazu" and "Turrialba," and elevated valleys 

 sometimes of considerable extent, as the valleys of San Jose and Car- 

 tago. 



These physical characteristics render the region a most fertile one for 

 the naturalist, who finds in this favored field vegetable and animal 

 life varying with the altitude of his collecting ground, and embracing 

 both tropical and temperate forms. 



On the 13th of February, 1882, I landed in Punta Arenas, the only 

 important point on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Although my in- 

 structions were to direct my efforts principally to the region of the 



*The editor of this paper is responsible for the determination of the species, the 

 nomenclature adopted, and all critical notes. — R. R. 



