BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 9 



JACANA SPINOSA SPINOSA (Linnaeus). 



CENTRAL AMERICAN JACANA. 



Adults (sexes aWke). — Head, neck, chest, and extreme upper back 

 uniform black, with a faint greenish gloss; back, scapulars, tertials, 

 and wing-coverts plain bay or maroon, the rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 and tail darker and more purplish (dark maroon), the middle rectrices 

 tipped with blackish; under parts of body dull maroon laterally, 

 usually darker and duller (sometimes decidedly dusky) medially, 

 passing into grayish brown or soot}^ brown on lower abdomen, anal 

 region, and anterior under tail-coverts, the longer (posterior) uiider 

 tail-coverts darker, more or less tinged with maroon; axillars and 

 under wing-coverts uniform marooji, the coverts along edge of wing 

 (broadl}^ dark purplish brown or blackish maroon; remiges (except 

 tertials) dull gi-eenish yellow or yellowish green (nearest lime green), 

 margined terminally with black, most broadly on longer primaries; bill 

 (in life) yellow, the basal portion of maxilla whitish, and above this a 

 red or dusky space at base of frontal shield, the latter also yellow; iris 

 dark brown (sometimes yellow ?) ; legs and feet greenish (in life). 



Young. — Frontal shield rudimentary^. Pileum gra3ush brown, 

 bordered laterally by a broad superciliary stripe of buffy white, 

 extending from base of maxilla to occiput; beneath the posterior 

 portion of this a narrow postocular stripe of black or dusky, extending 

 from posterior angle of eye, along upper edge of auricular region, to 

 nape, which is also of the same color; general color of upper parts 

 (except remiges) light grayish brown, the feathers margined terminally 

 with buff in younger stages, the rump more or less tinged with 

 chestnut; sides of head, below dusky postocular stripe, and under 

 parts (except sides) buffy white or very pale buff, more strongly tinged 

 with buff on chest; sides, axillars, and under wing-coverts plain 

 blackish or fuscous, more or less tinged with chestnut in older indi- 

 viduals; primaries and secondaries as in adults; tail grayish brown. 



Downy young. — '^ Covered with down of a remarkable pattern. 

 The crown orange tawny; the nape and hind neck dusky black; 

 the mantle and back orange tawny, the back a little the darker and 

 having a line of black on each side of the central tract, this being 

 followed by a broad band of ochreous buff down the sides of the 

 back, this being again inclosed by a broad black band, which joins 

 at the tail; wings orange tawny, the manus white; a narrow frontal 

 line, sides of face and under surface covered with white down; a 

 black line extending from behind the eye and joijiing the black of the 

 hind neck; the downy wing with black edgings and a zigzag line of 

 black on the flanks, and the upper part of the thighs also black."** 



« Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Miis., xxiv, 1896, 87. 



