180 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL, MUSEUM Vou 87 



ANNOTATED LIST OF SPECIES 



P^amily COLYMBIDAE 



COLYMBUS DOMINICUS SPECIOSUS (Lynch Arrlbilzaga) 



Podiceps speciosus Felix Lynch AeribXlzaga, La Ley, Buenos Aires, July 2 

 1877, p. 1 (Baradero, Buenos Aires, Argentina). 



A number of these small grebes lived in the lagoon at Independencia, 

 below Ocumare de la Costa, where they were seen daily from October 

 22 to 31. On October 29 I collected two males. They swam about 

 on the open water when undisturbed, but at any alarm pattered off 

 across the surface or dived to the cover of rushes. 



So far as I am aware smaller size and the absence of decorative 

 plumes in the breeding plumage are the only definite criteria for using 

 Poliocephalus Selby as a genus separate from Colymhus for the present 

 species of gi-ebe and its relatives. The distinction does not appear 

 to me sufficient to sanction such procedure. 



A number of years ago I called attention to the description of 

 Podiceps speciosus by Felix Lynch Arribdlzaga in La Ley, a daily 

 paper published in Buenos Aires, Ai'gentina, for a short period under 

 the editorship of Enrique Lynch ArribAlzaga, indicating that this 

 might become a valid name.' Recently Steullet and Deautier ^ 

 have used speciosus as a subspecific name, givmg as its range western 

 Ecuador and Matto Grosso to Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. 

 Colymhus dominicus brachyrhynchus Chapman,^ currently used for 

 these grebes from South America, becomes a synonym, as the name 

 speciosus apparently should apply to these grebes throughout the 

 entire range in South America. The only specimen I have seen from 

 Argentma, a male that I collected at Kilometer 182 in the Territory 

 of Formosa, is paler than others from farther north, the difference in 

 color apparently being due to the fact that it is an immature individual. 

 Bu-ds from Matto Grosso southward, including the tj-pe of brachy- 

 rhynchus, have slightly longer wings than most of those from the north- 

 ern part of the continent. There is, however, much variation, some 

 of the northern birds being as large as the southern ones. With the 

 material at hand it is not possible to work out two distinct groups on 

 the basis of size. 



Family PELECANIDAE 



PELECANUS OCCIDENT ALIS Linnaeus: Brown Pelican 



Pelecanus occidental-is Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 12, vol. 1, 1766, p 215 

 (Jamaica). ^ 



My first view of the brown pehcan came at La Guaira on October 

 16 as our ship came into harbor. From October 22 to 31 they were 



« Wetmore, A., U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 133, 1926, pp 43-44 



« Cat. Sist. Aves Repfiblica Argentina. Obra Cincuentenario Mus. La Plata vol 1 Dt 1 1935 o 175 



