1885.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 25 



DESCRIPTION or THREE SUPPOSED NEW HONEY CREEPERS 

 FROM THE LESSER ANTILLES, WITH A SYNOPSIS OF THE 

 SPECIES or THE GENUS CERTHIOLA. 



By ROBERT RIDOi;VAT. 



^ Certhiola finschi, ep. nov. 



Sp. char. — Similar to C. martinicana, Eeich., but smaller, the super- 

 ciliary stripe for the greater part bright yellow, and the upper parts 

 (except head) decidedly i)aler. 



Adult $ (type No. 90610, " Dominica " ; C. J. Mayuard & Co.) : Pileum 

 and entire side of head, including sides of throat, blackish slate, the 

 pileum bordered on each side by a very sharply defined superciliary 

 stripe, extending- from the forehead to the end of the auriculars, of 

 bright yellow, the anterior and posterior extremities, however, white ;^ 

 a small white spot on each side of the nape, about .10-.15 of an inch 

 below the end of the superciliary stripe. Upper parts uniform dull 

 slate-color, the lower part of the rump crossed by a narrow band of yel- 

 lowish olive-green. Wing-coverts narrowly and indistinctly tipped with 

 light grayish. A broad stripe on the middle of the throat, extending 

 nearly to the angle of the chin, and about .40 of an inch' wide poste- 

 riorly, grayish white. Lower parts olive-yellow, nearly pure yellow on 

 the jugulum, paler and more grayish on the flanks ; anal region and 

 crissum dull white, the lower tail-coverts grayish basally. Inner web 

 of lateral tail-feathers broadly tipped with white, the white extending 

 about .30 of an inch from the tip ; second feather with a smaller white 

 terminal spot, and third feather with a narrow terminal margin of white. 

 Wing, 2.30; tail, 1.65; culmen, .59; bill from nostril, .38; tarsus, .65;, 

 middle toe, .40. 



Although the type specimen of this species is stated to have been 

 obtained in Dominica, there is reason to doubt the correctness of this 

 locality. Three other specimens bearing a similar label are identical 

 with the Guadaloupe bird {C. sundevalli, nobis), and i^robably came 

 from that island. 



G. fiiisclii is related to C. martinicana, Keich., but a typical example of 

 the latter, from Martinique, differs in larger size, and in having the super- 

 ciliary stripe entirely white ; it also lacks the white spot on side of nape, 

 and the pale tips to the wing-coverts, and has the upper parts black, 

 like the head. It measures as follows : Wing, 2.50; tail, 1.80; culmen, 

 .65 ; bill from nostril, .42 ; tarsus, .75 ; middle toe, .40. 



An example of what is apparently C. finschi is mentioned by Dr. 

 Finsch in his "Monographic der Gattung Certhiola," p. 789, as follows: 

 " I am indebted to the curators of the imperial collection at Vienna 



