Todd-Carriker : Birds of Santa Marta Region, Colombia. 535 



Chrysomitris spinescens var. capitanea Dubois, Syn. Avium, I, 1901, 591 



("Santa Marta," in range; ref. orig. descr.). 

 Spinus capitaneus Sharpe, Hand-List Birds, V, 1909, 229 (ref. orig. descr.; 



range). — Brabourne and Chubb, Birds S. Am., I, 1912, 372 (ref. orig. descr.; 



range). 



One specimen : Macotama. 



The single female sent agrees well with others in Mr. Bangs' 

 collection. Dr Chapman calls attention to the duller coloration of the 

 males of this form as compared with those of true spinescens — a dif- 

 ference which, taken in connection with its slightly larger bill, may 

 be considered as of subspecific value. There is no difference in gen- 

 eral size, however, as claimed by Mr. Bangs. 



Simons collected three specimens of this Siskin in August and Sep- 

 tember, 1879, at San Sebastian and some other point on the south slope 

 of the Sierra Nevada. Mr. Brown got three adult males at San 

 Miguel, on the north slope, and later on secured seven more specimens 

 at San Sebastian. It appears to be a species of the Temperate Zone, 

 but must be rare, or at least of erratic occurrence, on the north slope 

 of the mountain, since it was not met with by the writer there until 

 near the end of his collecting, when three were seen together on April 

 20 in the narrow, shrub-covered floor of the Macotama Valley, at 

 9,000 feet, one of which was fortunately secured. It was not en- 

 countered on the San Lorenzo, although a constant lookout was kept. 



Family CATAMBLYRHYNCHID^. Plush-capped Finches. 



514. Catamblyrhynchus diadema diadema Lafresnaye. 

 Catamblyrhynchus diadema Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XII, 1888, 142 (San 

 Sebastian). 



Simons seems to be the only collector to have met with this species 

 in the Santa Marta region, securing a single specimen at San Sebas- 

 tian, on the south slope of the Sierra Nevada, at an altitude of 8,000 

 feet. Here, as elsewhere throughout its range in Colombia, as well as 

 farther south, it appears to be a bird of the Subtropical Zone, and it 

 is entirely likely that further research on this neglected south slope will 

 show that the present outlying record is not a merely accidental occur- 

 rence, isolated though the locality is from the main Andean chain by 

 the intervening low country. 



