188 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



Jacana nigra Elliot, Auk, V, 1888, 296 ("Santa Marta " ; crit.). — Allen, 

 Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XIII, 1900, 126 (Cienaga). — Chapman. Bull. 

 Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XXXVI, 1917, 226 (" Santa Marta "; crit.). — Ridgway, 

 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, VIII, 1919, 15 (Santa Marta localities and 

 references; meas.). 



Jacana melanopygia Brabourne and Chubb, Birds S. Am., I, 191 2, 45 (ref. 

 orig. descr., range). 



Seven specimens : Cienaga, Mamatoco, Don Diego, and Fundacion. 



This species has had an eventful nomenclatural history, having been 

 described under at least three specific names at different times. Al- 

 though Gmelin (Systcma Natures, I, 1788, 708) erroneously ascribes it 

 to Brazil, it is clear both from his description and some of the refer- 

 ences he quotes that he bad in mind this species and no other, which 

 is now known to be confined to the Caribbean coast-region of Colom- 

 bia, ranging thence northward into Panama. The species remained 

 unrecognized for many years, until it was figured by Gray (Genera of 

 Birds, III, 1846, 589, pi. 159) under the name Parra hypomelcena. In 

 1857 Sclater, in the course of a review of the genus, described speci- 

 mens from the Verreaux Collection, and purporting to • come from 

 Santa Marta, as a new species, Parra melanopygia, which he distin- 

 guished from P. hypomelcena mainly by the purplish brown color of 

 the interscapular region. It is significant that Sclater records both 

 hypomelcena and melanopygia from Santa Marta, while Salvin (Pro- 

 ceedings Zoological Society of London, 1870, 218) records both from 

 Veragua, and remarks that probably a larger series of specimens would 

 serve to connect the two forms, not only with each other, but also 

 eventually with P. intermedia Sclater. In his review of the group pub- 

 lished in 1888 Elliot refers melanopygia to nigra as a synonym without 

 hesitation, but it is clear from his remarks that he did not have before 

 him a specimen representing the former. Dr. Chapman seeks to keep 

 the two forms distinct, saying that all his specimens from the Cauca 

 Valley are melanopygia and all from Santa Marta are nigra, and in- 

 timating that probably the type of the former did not come from 

 Santa Marta at all. He admits, however, that a specimen from Cala- 

 mar, near the mouth of the Magdalena River, is intermediate between 

 the two forms, while two other specimens from the same locality are 

 nigra. 



We have one specimen (No. 9,027, Bonda) which clearly represents 

 melanopygia, having the scapulars and interscapulars deep maroon, al- 



