Todd-Carriker : Birds of Santa Marta Region, Colombia. 509 



above described, but darker about the head, the forehead and throat 

 being indeed almost slaty. 



Three other female examples (possibly not fully mature) differ 

 from the type in being more strongly suffused throughout with brown- 

 ish, particularly evident on the back and under parts, while the edgings 

 of the wing-coverts and tertiaries are decidedly buffy. In juvenal 

 dress, represented by No. 45,197, April 2, 1914, the species is rich 

 Dresden brown above, duller and more grayish on the pileum and 

 nape, the wings with wide external margins of deep clay-color ; below 

 the ground-color is dull buffy, deepening into clay-color on the lower 

 abdomen and sayal brown on the under tail-coverts ; and both upper and 

 under parts are streaked with dusky black, except on the rump and 

 under tail-coverts. The rectrices also are margined with Dresden 

 brown. 



Measurements. 

 No. Sex. Locality. Wing. Tail. Bill. Tarsus. 



3,7722 [$] San Lorenzo 62 56 9 21 



377 2 3 ? San Lorenzo (Type) 64 60 9 20 



37927 5 San Lorenzo 62 56 9 19-5 



42531 <$ vix ad. San Lorenzo 61 56 10 20 



42565 5 San Lorenzo 62 58 9.5 19.5 



45 J 97 J'juv. Cerro de Caracas 64 61 10 19.5 



This species seems to find its nearest allies in Idiospiza inornata 

 minor (von Berlepsch) and /. homochroa (Sclater), with both of 

 which it has been carefully compared. Unfortunately it has been 

 necessary to draw up the detailed description from the female, the only 

 male specimen available being probably (but not certainly) not quite 

 adult. That the present bird is distinct from both of these allied 

 forms can scarcely be questioned in view of the differences in color 

 and proportions which obtain. The tail is relatively longer, with 

 broader rectrices, while the bill is less turgid than in /. inornata minor, 

 and shorter than in /. homochroa. I. oreophila is moreover not nearly 

 so heavily streaked above as either of these forms, and is intermediate 

 between them in color (females alone considered), being paler than 

 /. homochroa and darker than /. inornata minor. 



The three forms under consideration, together with Linaria inornata 

 Lafresnaye, have usually been referred to the genus Catamenia of 

 Bonaparte, but that this is a mistake is evident on a merely casual 



