BIRDS OF NORTHERN VENEZUELA — WETMORE 191 



might extend into western Venezuela is borne out by a male collected 

 on the lagoon at Independencia below Ocumare de la Costa on October 

 29. This specimen has the following measurements: Wing 159.5, 

 tail 64.4, tarsus 64.8 mm. 



There were a number of these birds on this lagoon, where they were 

 observed daily from October 22 to 31. They were seen constantly on 

 the water or in the grass near the shore but at any alarm entered 

 dense growths of cattails where they were safe from guns. 



Family JACANIDAE 



JACANA JACANA INTERMEDIA (Sclater) 



Parra intermedia P. L. Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1856 (1857), p. 282 

 (Venezuela). 



About the lagoon at Independencia near the beach below Ocumare 

 de la Costa jaganas were the most common water bird from October 

 22 to 31, and an adult female was taken on October 29. Compared 

 with a good series of Jacana j. jacana this individual shows very 

 definitely the character of darker chestnut back that characterizes the 

 race intermedia. The bird has the following measurements: Wing 

 130.5, tail 43.0, bill from nostril 18.4, tarsus 56.1 mm. 



Recent treatment of the jaganas by Hellmayr and Peters gives the 

 russet-backed forms of South America as conspecific with those of 

 Central America and Mexico, and the West Indies. The birds from 

 Panamd northward, with those of the Greater Antilles, have the 

 posterior margin of the frontal shield with three definite lobes while 

 the rictal wattle is rudimentary or absent. The birds of South America 

 have two lobes only on the posterior margin of the frontal shield and 

 have a large rictal wattle. The differences indicated are definite and 

 certain with no intermediate stages that I have seen. They appear in 

 immature individuals as soon as they are fully grown though still in 

 the light-colored immature plumage. I have not seen any fully grown 

 specimens in which these characters were not readily evident. I can 

 therefore find no justification for combining both types under one 

 species name. The birds from South America should be separated as 

 Jacana jacana distinct from Jacana spinosa from farther north. 



These birds ranged over the short grass bordering the lagoon where 

 they walked about pecking at the ground like long-legged chickens. 

 At any alarm they flew off with cackling calls to a safe distance. One 

 day I saw one swimming across an open pool, something that I have 

 not observed previously. 



Near El Sombrero several were seen on the shores of a small lagoon 

 on November 14. As no specimens were taken it is not certain that 

 these were of the race intermedia. 



