List of Costa- Rica Birds. Ill 



the female being rather more ashy on the under surface than 

 the male. 



(283 & 284.) Capito bourcieri and C. hartlaubi. 



It has long struck me as singular that these two supposed 

 species should always be found together. Upon examination of 

 all the specimens that had the sexes marked, I found that all 

 the C. bourcieri were males, and all the C. hartlaubi females, 

 suggesting that the two supposed species were sexes of one and 

 the same. In a small collection from Ecuador, obtained from 

 Mr. Gould, I found a specimen with the head tinged with golden 

 yellow, just as in C. hartlaubi ; while the forehead and throat, as 

 well as a few feathers on the sides of the occiput, were red. In 

 fact this specimen (a young male) was shot while it was putting 

 off the female hartlaubi plumage, and assuming the male bour- 

 cieri plumage ; and in this transitional state convinced me that 

 the sexes of one species had hitherto been regarded as distinct. 

 Looking further into the question, I found that dissected spe- 

 cimens of C. melanotis, Scl., showed that they were all females, 

 and that those called C. aurantiicollis were all males, and that 

 where one was found the other was sure also to be with it. It 

 also became apparent that the females of C. aurantiicollis and 

 C. richardsoni had been put together to form one species, C. me- 

 lanotis, and that they had nothing to do with C. hartlaubi (the 

 female of C bourcieri) as has been supposed. Never having 

 seen specimens of either C. glauco(jularis, Tsch., or C. tschudii, 

 Scl., I can say nothing decidedly respecting them, but I would 

 suggest that they too may be the sexes of one species, C. glau- 

 cogularis, Tschudi. 



The synonomy of the other species, according to my convic- 

 tion, will now stand as follows : — 



1. Capito bourcieri (Lafr.). 



Micropogon bourcieri, Lafr., R. Z. 1845, p. 179, and 1849, 

 p. 116, t. 3. ■ Capito bourcieri, Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 430; Scl., 

 Ibis, 1861, p. 188, Cat. Am. B. p. 329; Schlegel, Mus. 

 P.-B. Buccones, p. 58 ; Lawr., Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 130. 

 Eubucco boufiieri, Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 142^.- Micropogon hart- 

 laubi, Lafr., B. Z. 1845, p. 180, 1849, p. 176, t. 6. Capito 



'V 



