Todd-Carriker : Birds of Santa Marta Region, Colombia. 533 



Careful search was made by the writer for this species, already well 

 known to him, during the whole of his collecting in the Sierra Nevada, 

 but only one individual was ever certainly identified. This was shot 

 on the mountainside to the east of Taquina, at about 7,000 feet. Mr. 

 Brown procured a single example on the Paramo de Macotama, at 

 9,000 feet. Mr. Smith took two specimens, which were labelled as 

 coming from Bonda. They were doubtless taken on the grass-covered 

 hills above that village, at an altitude of 2,000 feet or more. The spe- 

 cies normally belongs to the Tropical Zone, but is one of those which 

 tends to push its range upward whenever suitable conditions of habitat 

 obtain. 



511. -Spiza americana (Gmelin). 



Spiza americana Bangs, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, 1898, 140 (" Santa 

 Marta"). — Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XIII, 1900, 164 (Bonda). — 

 Allen, Auk, XVII, 1900, 365 (Bonda and Santa Marta; winter range). 



Additional records: Cincinnati (Carriker). 



Nine specimens : Buritaca, Mamatoco, Rio Hacha, and Tucurinca. 



No. 38,796, Mamatoco, April 23, sexed as a female, and agreeing 

 with other females in size, has a decided although rather small black 

 throat-patch, while the wing-coverts are almost as " solid " cinnamom- 

 eous as in the average male. This is undoubtedly a case of excessive 

 development. 



An abundant winter resident from sea-level up to 5,000 feet, wher- 

 ever open country is found. It prefers the lowlands to the hills, how- 

 ever, and often occurs in flocks of a hundred or more individuals, 

 sometimes associated with the Bobolink, but more often alone. Ex- 

 treme migration dates recorded are September 17 and May I. 



512. Astragalinus psaltria columbianus (Lafresnaye). 



Chrysomitris mexicana (not Carduelis mexicanus Swainson) Bangs, Proc. 



Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, 1898, 139 ("Santa Marta"). 

 Chrysomitris columbiana Bangs, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, 1898, 139 



(" Santa Marta "). 

 Astragalinus psaltria columbianus Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XIII, 



1900, 165 (Bonda, Onaca, and Minca). 

 Astragalinus psaltria croceus Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, I, 1901, 



118 ("Santa Marta," in range). 



Fourteen specimens : Cincinnati and Minca. 



After an examination of this fine series (most of which are males) 



