A NEW KINGFISHER FROM PANAMA 

 By E. a. GOLDMAN 



Among- the birds obtained in the course of the Smithsonian Bio- 

 logical Survey of Panama ' are 28 kingfishers of the Ceryle americana 

 group. Comparison of tliis large series, and examination of the 

 birds from numerous localities in northern South America and within 

 the wide distribution area (Panama to southern United States) 

 originally assigned to Ceryle septentrional is Sharpe, show that two 

 well-marked races have been united under this name. One of these 

 ranges northward through Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and 

 Honduras to Guatemala, passing thence into the form which reaches 

 the southern border of the United States. 



When Ceryle septentrionalis Sharpe was originally described no 

 type specimen or type locality was mentioned, but Mr. C. Chubb, of 

 the British Museum, has very kindly written me, under date of Octo- 

 ber 13, igii, the following: "In reply to yours respecting Ceryle 

 septentrionalis Sharpe, I have much pleasure in saying that the 

 types of the original descriptions of the male and female were col- 

 lected at Teapa, Mexico, in March, no year or day of month given, 

 by D. W. S., who is the wife of H. H. Smith; these form a part 

 of the Salvin-Godman Collection." Teapa, Tabasco, Mexico, must 

 therefore be accepted as the type locality of C. a. septentrionalis. 

 Fortunately this locality is within the geographic range of the most 

 northern form of the group, so that the name is well applied. 



This disposal of C. a. septentrionalis leaves the hitherto unsepa- 

 rated form of the southern part of Middle America without a name. 

 It may be characterized as follows : 



CERYLE AMERICANA ISTHMICA, new subspecies 



Type irom Rio Indio (near Gatun), Canal Zone, Panama. No. 

 207628, male adult, U. S. National Museum (Biological Survey 

 collection) , collected by E. A. Goldman, February 2Z, 191 1- Origi- 

 nal number, 13820. 



'This paper is the fourth dealing with the results of the Smithsonian Bio- 

 logical Survey of the Panama Canal Zone. 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 56, No. 27 



