202 Todd, The Genus Eupsychortyx. [April 



ton, Birds of the World, 1909, 296 (Margarita I., Venezuela; habits, 

 ex Robinson).— Cory, Field Mus. Orn. Series, I, 1909, 238 (Mocanao 

 and Boca del Rio, Margarita I., Venezuela; meas.; crit.). — Brabourne 

 and Chubb, Birds S. Am., I, 1912, 13 (ref. orig. descr.; range). 

 Eupstjchortyx sonnini var. pallida Dubois, Syn. Avium, II, 1902, 829 

 (ref. orig. descr.; range). 



Subspecific characters. — Male: similar to that of Eupsychortyx sonnini 

 sonnini, but upper parts paler, spotting of under parts purer white, and 

 crest paler and longer. Female generally paler, more grayish, less brown- 

 ish above than in sonnini, and rather whiter, less buffy below. 



Measurements. — Male (seven specimens): wing, 99-105 (average, 101); 

 tail, 57-69 (60); bill, 12.5-13.5 (13); tarsus, 26-29 (28). Female (five 

 specimens): wing, 101-104 (102.5); tail, 61-64 (62); bill, 12-13.5 (13); 

 tarsus, 26-28 (27). 



Range. — Cariaco Peninsula, extreme northeastern Venezuela, and out- 

 lying island of Margarita. 



Remarks. — When Dr. Richmond described the Margaritan bird 

 as a distinct species in 1896 he had but three specimens for com- 

 parison with two unsatisfactory examples of sonnini; neverthe- 

 less, it was "considered desirable to separate the two forms on 

 the evidence presented, and on the fact that at least two other 

 species (Doleromya and Spcotyto) characteristic of the cactus 

 thickets are pale representatives of mainland birds." Mr. Cory 

 in 1909, with more and better material before him of the insular 

 bird, but still with a very inadequate representation of true son- 

 nini, was at some pains to point out the variations observable 

 in his series, which, however, he says are distinctly the reverse 

 of being paler than mainland specimens, and he is inclined to 

 attribute the color of the type of pallidus to season. Dr. Percy R. 

 Lowe, who visited Margarita in 1904, refers to the pale coloration 

 of examples from that island, and on comparing the series col- 

 lected there by Messrs. Robinson, Clark, and Ferry with another 

 from the mainland of Venezuela it is obvious that the former are 

 paler, although individual specimens might be hard to distinguish. 

 The type of pallidus is merely an unusually pale individual. Small 

 as it is, the series runs through precisely the same set of variations 

 with regard to the color of the throat as does the typical form, 

 some having the throat Sudan brown, others white, and still 

 others mixed black and white or ochraceous. In the white- 

 throated specimens (cf. Plate V, figure 3) the forehead and 



