280' BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



SITTASOMUS SYLVIOIDES SYLVIOIDES Lafresnaye. 



MEXICAN SITTASOMUS." 



Adults (sexes alike). — Pileiim and liiiidiicck plain grayish olive, the 

 sides of head and under parts (except under tail-coverts) similar but 

 lighter; back and scapulars uniform russet, sometimes slightly tinged 

 with olive, passing on rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail into clear 

 deep cinnamon-rufous; wing-coverts similar in color to back and 

 scapulars, but with an indistinct central area of grayish olive; secon- 

 daries deep cinnamon-rufous, with a large subterminal area (not cross- 

 ing outer web) of dull black or dusky, this sharply defined anteriorly 

 against a basal area of clear buff orochraceous-buff on inner web ; proxi- 

 mal (shorter) primaries similarly colored, but dusky subterminal area 

 not so dark (more sooty brownish), cinnamon-rufous tip narrower and 

 duller, and basal portion of outer web duller (dull ochraceous or cin- 

 namon); distal (longer) primaries with outer web cinnamon, the 

 three outermost with inner webs wholly dusky; alula and primary 

 coverts grayish brown; axillars buff; under wing-coverts and broad 

 oblique band across inner webs of remiges deep cream-buff or light 

 ochraceous-buff; under tail-coverts cinnamon-rufous, the flanks 

 sometimes tinged with the same; maxilla dusky horn color, paler 

 along tomium; mandible paler with terminal portion dusky; iris 

 brown; legs and feet horn color or dusky (in dried skins). 



a The utter impossibility of inventing English names for all of the thousands of 

 species and subspecies of birds found in Tropical America necessitates the occasional 

 use of the Greek or Latin generic name in cases where there is no native vernac- 

 ular name to take the place of an English one. Unfortunately the native language 

 is often very poor in bird-names, many diverse kinds being often grouped under one 

 term, as c6me-maiz (corn-eater) for sparrows in 'general, or else the names in general 

 use are borrowed from extremely different European birds. In Costa Rica, for 

 example, the Spanish name gorridn (sparrow) is universally applied and practically 

 restricted to hummingbirds, that of caMwdria (lark) to the three-caruncled bell-bird, 

 and that of jilgulro (linnet) to the Myadestes of that country. 



The author is well aware that there are persons who imagine that the English 

 language is equal to any emergency and resent the use of anything" else; but the 

 views of such would surely change were they to attempt the task of naming in Eng- 

 lish terms all of the American birds alone that are not already thus nameC?-. 



