1892] Cherrie, Z^7 0/ Birds 0/ San yose, Cos/a Rica. 27 



is a paler yellow than in the adult. The breast and abdomen are washed 

 with yellowish olive, and the feathers of the breast have dusky blackish 

 shaft-lines. 



53. Saltator magnoides. — This bird is widely distributed throughout 

 Costa Rica; it is found on botli coasts and up to an elevation of 6000 feet. 

 Ft is resident at San Jose, where for about five months in the year it is one 

 of the most pleasing songsters of the early morning. Young birds are 

 not as bright olive above as the adult; the superciliary stripe is only 

 faintly indicated and of a pale yellowish color. There is a narrow ashy 

 whitish stripe on chin and upper throat; the sides of throat and breast are 

 dusky blackish. The cinereous of the belly is variegated with blackish 

 and on the crissum the feathers are faintly barred with pale yellowisli 

 olive and dusky. 



54. Saltator grandis.— This is much more abundant about San Jose 

 than the preceding species, but is not found at as low an altitude. In the 

 series of forty specimens in the tnuseuin collection none were taken lower 

 than 3000 feet, and none above 7000 feet. As is the case with its conge- 

 ner, 5. grandis has a loud, clear, and very pleasing song that is to be 

 heard almost every morning for half the year. Both the male and female 

 sing. 



The nesting season commences about the first of May, for I have taken 

 fully fledged young by the middle of June. A nest taken May 10, 1889, 

 was placed about twelve feet from the ground between some upright forks 

 ef a small tree at the side of a lane. It was rather loosely constructed of 

 dry grass and other plant stems. The outside was quite rough in appear- 

 ance with many straggling pieces. The nest measures inside : diameter 

 2.75, depth 1.75 inches ; outside diameter 6.00, depth 4.00 inches. The nest 

 contained two slightly incubated eggs. They are light Nile-blue in color, 

 marked, chiefly in a ring about the larger end, with spots and irregular 

 lines and scratches of black. The eggs measure i.o7X.75and 1.04X.75 

 inch. The female, as soon as one approached the nest, would glide 

 quietly away, and not return until all danger had passed. I did not once 

 see the male near the nest. 



Young birds are rich olive-green abox'e. The superciliary stripe, spot 

 on lower eyelid, bend of wing and under wing-coverts are pale yellow; 

 chin and throat pale vellowish white; upper breast and sides olive-green ; 

 lower part of breast and belly olive, tnuch suffused with buffy ; crissum 

 and under tail-coverts as in the adult. 



55. Habia ludoviciana. — Rare. I have never seen a specimen taken 

 here in the plumage of the adult male. 



56. Sporophila moreleti. — Common resident. This species, I believe, 

 is never found on the Atlantic side of the mountains, but on the Pacific 

 side down to the coast. Although it breeds abundantly about San Jose I 

 have not found either the nest or eggs. This species is prized very highly 

 as a cage bird, the song being low and sweet, and not without variations. 



57. Volatinia splendens. — Common resident. Not found on the Atlan- 

 tic side of the mountainous interior. 



{To be continued.^ 



