BIRDS OF TTORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 557 



Bill small and relatively very narrow, feathered on top as far as 

 nostrils, or slightly farther. Nostril (apparently) narrowly oval, 

 semitubular, opening laterally. Wing rather long and pointed, the 

 longest primaries exceeding distal secondaries by one-third the length 

 of wing; seventh and eighth primaries longest, the ninth very slightly 

 shorter, the tenth (outermost) slightly shorter than sixth. Tail 

 seven-eighths as long as wing, or slightly more, slightly rounded, the 

 rectrices widening distaUy, with broadly rounded or obliquely sub- 

 truncate tip. Tarsus as long as middle toe with claw. 



Plumage and coloration. — Prefrontal feathers erect, those on meso- 

 rhi Ilium short and without bristly tips; rictal bristles extremely long 

 but very slender and but slightly if at all iacurved termiaaUy; 

 feathers of pHeum rather narrow, narrowly rounded at tip; feathers 

 of loral and superciliary regions not erect, not formiag a projecting 

 ridge along sides of pUeum; latero-occipital feathers somewhat elon- 

 gated but not pointed, without bristly tips, and not forming distinct 

 "ear-tufts"; feathers of chest elongated, forming a conspicuous 

 erectile lappet or "apron," the posterior edge of which is abruptly 

 defined against the much shorter and differently colored plumage of 

 the breast; plumage in general very soft, with velvety surface. Gen- 

 eral color chestnut-brown, much broken by dusky mottliags, ver- 

 miculations, and streaks, the scapulars with conspicuous angular or 

 cuneate spots of black; pUeum streaked with black; a white band 

 across lower throat; rectrices (except middle pair) tipped with white; 

 primaries banded or spotted with cinnamon-buff and dusky. 



Range. — Southeastern Mexico (Yucatan and Campeche). (Mono- 

 typic.) 



NYCTAGREUS YUCATANICUS (Hartert). 



YTJCATAN POORWU-L. 



Adult male (brown phase) ? ^ — General color of upper parts rather 

 deep grayish brown (nearest sepia or bistre), the lateral portions of 

 pileum (broadly) , more decidedly grayish, nearly everywhere miautely 

 vermiculated with dusky and with more or less distiact mesial streaks 

 of black, these broader and sublanceolate on median portion of pileum, 

 and on scapulars (especially the more posterior ones) still broader, 



a The specixaen from which the description is taken is not sexed, but I assume that 

 it is a male from the difference in pattern of the white tip to the two outer rectrices 

 from that of a female, this difference corresponding with the sexual difference in 

 Phalasnoptilus, a closely related form. The difference in general coloration, assumed 

 to represent a "grayish phase" and a "rufescent phase," respectively, may be in 

 reality merely a sexual difference. 



[Since the above was put in type an adult male, collected by G. F. Gaumer, at 

 Xbac, Yucatan, has been examined. This is in the grayish brown plumage described 

 above, thus confirming the suggested sexual difference in coloration.] 



