492 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



PIRANGAIFLAVA DEXTRA Bangs 



Eastern Hepatic Tanager 

 HABITS 



Outram Bangs (1907) described this eastern race as: "Similar to 

 true P. hepatica, but smaller; the adult cf much more richly colored; 

 back much redder, less grayish; pileum darker, more intense red — 

 dull scarlet — vermilion; under parts, darker, deeper red — deep 

 orange — vermilion (flame-scarlet in true P. hepatica), Adult $ darker 

 in color throughout with the back decidedly less grayish." 



The range of this race extends from southwestern New Mexico and 

 western Texas through eastern Mexico to Guatemala. 



Nothing seems to have been published on the habits of this race, but 

 we have no reason to suppose that they differ materially from those of 

 the better known western form. 



DISTRIBUTION 



The eastern hepatic tanager breeds from the mountains east of the 

 Continental Divide from north-central New Mexico (Willis, Mesa 

 Yegua), through western Texas (Guadalupe, Davis, and Chisos 

 Mountains), Nuevo Leon (Cerro de la Silla), Tamaulipas (Realito), 

 and Puebla (Huauchinango) to central Veracruz (Las Vigas, Jalapa, 

 Jico) eastern Oaxaca, and Chiapas (San Crist6bal 28 miles east- 

 southeast of Comitan). It winters from central Nuevo Leon (Mesa del 

 Chipinque) and northern Tamaulipas (Matamoros) south to western 

 Guatemala (Chanquejelve, Momostenango, Chichicastenango), and is 

 casual in southern Texas (Flour Bluff). 



PIRANGA FLAVA HEPATICA Swainson 



Western Hepatic Tanager 



Plate 34 



HABITS 



Two races of this species are now currently recognized as occurring 

 north of Mexico, and at least two others have been described and 

 named. For a full discussion of the claims of these races for recogni- 

 tion and their ranges, the reader is referred to a paper on the subject by 

 Sutton and Phillips (1942), based on the study of a large series of 

 specimens. The subject is too complicated to be discussed here. 

 This western race is the form that breeds in Arizona, in parts of north 

 central New Mexico, and in western Mexico. 



