390 Nelson, Certain North Atnericati GalUnce. \o^\ 



Grant states that " In my opinion there can be no doubt that both 

 these names of Mr. Nelson's are synonyms of C. pedoralisP 

 Fortunately our collection contains specimens of true C. pcctoralis 

 which inhabits the upper tropical east slope of the Cordillera of 

 Vera Cruz. C. minor is a still smaller bird than C. pcctoralis and 

 lives in the hot lowlands of Chiapas far from the home of the 

 latter. C. g. nigripcctiis lives on the plains of the southern end of 

 the Mexican tableland in southern Puebla and is decidedly larger 

 and paler than C. pcctoralis and much larger than C. mitior. The 

 females also show well marked differences. The relative size, and 

 color pattern of the underparts of typical specimens of C. pcctoralis, 

 C. 7ninor and C. graysoni 7iigripcctus are shown in the accompany- 

 ing photograph. The differences shown by these three birds are 

 confined to definitely segregated areas which differ from one 

 another in climatic and other physical characters and have a real 

 geographic significance despite the dictum of Mr. Grant. A 

 specimen of C. godmani is photographed with C. minor to show 

 the close relationship between them. 



Cyrtonyx montezumae mearnsi. Although Mr. Grant 

 states that neither he nor Mr. Godman have been able to see the 

 slightest grounds for separating this subspecies, yet a series of 

 specimens of typical C. monteziimce from the southern end of the 

 Mexican tableland and of C. fu. mearnsi from the southwestern 

 United States may be distinguished across a room by the large 

 and crowded appearance of the white spots on the under parts of 

 C. m. mearnsi. As a matter of course the two forms intergrade 

 but I have never seen a specimen showing the characters of 

 C. mearnsi from anywhere about the southern half of the Mexican 

 tableland. The accompanying photograph of typical examples of 

 C. monteziimce and C. mearnsi show the most striking differences 

 between the two. 



Bowdler Sharpe of the British Museum one of Gould's two types of C. 

 pectoralis was borrowed from the Liverpool Museum for comparison. During 

 Dr. Sharpe's temporary absence Mr. Thomas writes me that "Your 155523 

 from Atlixco is decidedly larger and has a larger bill than any of the others 

 [/. e., the type and two specimens from Jico and Carrizal], and those from 

 Jico and Carrizal more closely match the type, indeed its wing is a shade less 

 than theirs." 



