56 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 74 



Doctor Hellmayr has described the bird from the region of Caracas 

 as a new form, bessereri, on the ground of paler coloration as compared 

 with typical meridanus from Merida and Cumbre de Valencia. The 

 series studied in this connection do not seem to bear out the distinc- 

 tion. There is a slight average difference between birds from the 

 coast range and those from the Merida region, but it is so slight and 

 so inconstant, and perhaps in part seasonal, that I think it is not 

 worth while recognizing by name. 



Sj)ecwiens examined. — Venezuela : La Cumbre de Valencia, 10 ; 

 Guarico, 3; Anzoategui, 1; Silla de Caracas, 2; Guamito, 9; Heights 

 of Tabay, 1; Puerto Cabello (?), 2; Merida, 2; Galipan, 1; Cotiza, 

 Caracas, 6; El Liman, Valley of Puerto La Cruz, 1 ; Culata, 1. Total, 

 39. 



BASILEUTERUS TRISTRIATUS PUNCTIPECTUS Chapman 



Basilcuterus bivittatus (not Miisclcapa hivittata Lafresuaye and D'Orbigny) 



ScLATEB and Salvin, Proc Zwl. Soc. Loudon, 1879, p. 594, part (Simacu, 



Yuugas, Bolivia). 

 Basilcuterus auricularis Shakpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. 10, 1885, p. 386, 



part (Simacu, Bolivia). 

 Basilcuterus tristriatus (not Myiodioctcs tristriatus von Tschudi) Allen, 



Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 2, 1889, p. 79 (Mapiri, Bolivia). 

 Basileuterus tristi'iatus tristriatus Chapman. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 



vol. 30, 1917, p. 551, part (Inca Mine, Peru; crit.). 

 Basilcuterus tristriatus punctipectus Chapman, Amer. Mus. Nov. No. 143, 



1924, p. 5 (Yungas, Cochabamba, Bolivia; orig. descr. ; tyi>e in coll. A:ner. 



Mus. Nat. Hist.), p. 7 (Locotal, Incacliaoa, Roquefalda, Yungas, and 



Mapiri, Bolivia; Santo Domingo, Peru), p. 8 (meas.). 



Suhspecifc characters. — Similar to Basileuterus tristriatus tristri- 

 atus., but obviously darker above (nearer olive citrine) ; the light 

 stripes on the head paler, olive buff; the under surface paler, straw 

 yellow, and conspicuously although obscurely spotted with dusln' 

 olive. 



Measurements. — Male: Wing, 59-67 (average, 62); tail, 52-56 

 (54.5); bill, 9.5-10.5 (10); tarsus, 19.5-20.5 (20). Female (seven 

 specimens) : Wing, 56-61 (59) ; tail, lT-53 (50) ; bill, 9.5-10.5 (10) ; 

 tarsus, 19-20 (19.5). 



Range. — Subtropical Zone, Andes of Bolivia and southea.stern 

 Peru. 



Remarks. — A series of Basileuterus sent in to the Carnegie Mu- 

 seum from Bolivia a few years ago were recognized as a probably 

 new form of the B. tristriatus group, but without typical material 

 for comparison they could not be properly characterized at the time. 

 Moreover, in view of Doctor Chapman's remarks on specimens from 

 Inca Mine, Peru, as compared with tho.se from the Colombian Andes, 

 it seemed wise to go slowlv. In the meantime, however, Doctor 



