DESCRIPTIONS OF TWENTY TWO NEW SPECIES OF BIKDS 

 FROM THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. 



By Robert Ridgway, 



Curator of the Department of Jiirds. 



The very large aud valuable collection of Galapagos birds made by 

 Dr. G. Baur and Mr. C. F. Adams, in 1891, was referred to me for deter- 

 mination of the species soon after the return of those gentlemen from 

 their highly successful exploration of that remarkable island group, 

 but various circumstances have prevented an earlier publication of the 

 results of my study of the collection. Many of the specimens having 

 been obtained on islands never before visited by a collector, it is to be 

 expected that novelties would be found among the rich material which 

 it has been my privilege to study. One box containing more than one 

 hundred specimens of small birds collected on Charles, Hood, Barring- 

 ton, and South Albemarle islands was unfortunately stolen at Guaya- 

 quil. Had these specnnens been received, there can be no doubt that 

 the number of new forms to be here characterized would be still greater. 



Perhaps the most interesting result of Messrs. Baur and Adams' 

 explorations is the discovery of species which absolutely bridge the 

 previously existing gap between the so-called genera Geospiza and Cac- 

 tornis, thus necessitating the suppression of one of these names (the 

 latter, according to the rule of priority). This matter will be fully dis- 

 cussed and illustrated in a much more detailed paper which will be 

 published as soon as practicable. 



1. NESOMIMUS BAURI, new species. 



Specific characters.^^im\]a,r to N. personatus, Ridgway* of Abingdon 

 Island, but much lighter colored above. Dimensions averaging less, 

 and flanks more narrowly streaked with dusky; wing, 4.30-4.45; tail, 

 3.95-4.30; exposed culmen, 0.95-1 ; bill from rictus, 1.25-1.27; tarsus, 

 1.25-1.35; middle toe, 0.78-0.85. 



Habitat. — Tower Island (type in Dr. Baur's collection, Sept. 2, 1891). 



* Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. xii, No. 767, p. 104, February 5, 1890 (Abingdon Island, Gala- 

 pagos). 



Proceedings of the U. S. National Museum, Vol. XVII, No. 1007. 



357 



