386 Mr. G. N. Lawrence on new American Birds. 



over my colleetion he noticed the black crown of this bird, and 

 thought it differed from a specimen of Orchilus ecaudatus in his 

 possession. Since his return home I wrote, calling his attention 

 to it, and requesting him to inform me if he thought the two 

 differed ; he replied as follows : — " I have looked at my spe- 

 cimen of O. ecaudatus (said to be from Bolivia), and find it 

 has a grey head, as I imagined ; this being the case, the Costa- 

 Rica bird is undescribed." 



In referring it to 0. ecaudatus, I was misled by its general 

 resemblance to that species, and especially by its abnormally 

 short tail, in which character they agree. On a hasty com- 

 parison with D'Orbigny^s figure they look much alike ; but on 

 comparing with the figure more carefully, aided by his de- 

 scription, the two birds are shown to be clearly distinct. 

 Besides some minor differences, the most marked are the 

 black crown of the present species, the white line through the 

 lores, the ash-colour on the sides of the head, on the hind 

 neck, and on the breast, and in its clear yellow abdomen. In 

 0. ecaudatus the crown is cinereous, there is no white in the 

 lores, the hind neck is uniform in colour with the back, and 

 "the underparts are whitish, tinged with yellowish green on 

 the belly and flanks." 



The specimen from Angostvira, collected by Mr. J. Carmiol, 

 is not in very good condition ; but another, in a collection 

 from Prof. Gabb, of the Talamanca Expedition, has aided me 

 in making out some of the characters. 



Both specimens belong to the National Museum, Wash- 

 ington, U. S. 



Empidonax nanus. 



Above dull greenish olive, darker on the crown, and brighter 

 on the rump ; tail dark brown, the outer web of the lateral 

 feather pale fulvous ; smaller wing-coverts the colour of the 

 back ; the middle and larger coverts are brownish black, end- 

 ing Avith white, forming two bars aci'oss the wings ; the quill 

 feathers are dark brown, the third and fourth primaries are 

 narrowly edged with greyish white, the inner quills just per- 

 ceptibly edged with light rufous ; uiuler lining of wings very 



