go BANGS — NEW SANTA MARTA BIRDS [eae 
ol. 
On the morning of Feb. 27, 1899, while Mr. Brown was out 
shooting on the Pass of Chiruqua, at the great height of 15,000 ft., 
a flock of small birds flew past him. He fired into it and killed 
one individual, an adult female. This curious little bird bears a 
striking superficial resemblance to the pine siskin (Spimus pinus) 
in its full autumnal plumage. Its feathers are exceedingly long, 
and the whole plumage has the soft, dense look of a bird adapted 
to extreme cold. I was wholly unable to identify it at the time, 
but, because it was a female, refrained from naming it. It cannot, 
however, be referred to any known species. I have examined 
many specimens, including Lafresnaye’s types, of Catamenia ana- 
Joudes, from all of which the Santa Marta bird differs enormously ; 
I am not even sure that it is a true Catamenia. 
The Santa Marta Mountain bird, differs from the female of C. anxaloides in 
being rather larger, with much weaker bill —shorter and narrower, with the cul- 
men straight and less bulging above nostril. The plumageis much more striped 
both above and below — especially so on top of head and on breast. There 
is no gray on back or rump. The plumage is very much longer, denser and 
looser. 
The type may be described as follows: Head and back soft wood brown, 
shaded with russet on interscapulum, heavily streaked with dark blackish 
brown, the streaks on top of head and interscapulum very broad and conspic- 
uous, On cervix narrower and less intense in color; rump and upper tail cov- 
erts broccoli brown, faintly streaked with darker; wings dusky, all the feathers, 
except primaries, broadly edged with russet; primaries narrowly edged with 
isabella color; no white spot at base of primaries, the inner webs very nar- 
rowly bordered with grayish; sides of head and whole under parts isabella 
color, darkest on throat, breast, sides and under tail coverts (approaching on 
these parts to wood brown), and palest on middle of belly, heavily streaked 
throughout with broad stripes of dusky brown, except a small area in middle 
of belly, which is plain, pale isabella color; tail dusky, the outer rectrices 
narrowly tipped with white on inner webs, all the rectrices with white cen- 
tral spots on inner webs, except the middle two pairs which are plain; outer 
edges of rectrices narrowly fringed with isabella color; bill (in dried skin) pale 
horn color, yellowish at base of lower mandible ; foot and tarsus blackish. 
Measurements. — Adult female, type: wing, 66.; tail 52.; tarsus, 18.; 
exposed culmen, 8. mm. 
