136 



Brewster, Nezv Subspecies of Mexican Birds. [April 



ON THREE APPARENTLY NEW SUBSPECIES OF 

 MEXICAN BIRDS.* 



BY WILLIAM BREWSTER. 

 Glaucidium gnoma hoskinsii,t new subspecies. — Hoskix's Pigmy Owl. 



Subs. Char. Similar to G. gnoma californica but smaller and grayer, 

 the forehead and facial disc with more white, the upperparts less distinctly 

 spotted. 



$ ad. (No. 14, 153, collection W. Brewster, Sierra de la Laguna, Lower 

 California, May 10, 1SS7; M. Abbott Frazar). Above faded brown tinged 

 with ashy on the crown and back, with faint rusty on the wings and tail, the 

 crown, nape, and back with numerous small, indistinct, irregular shaped 

 spots of rusty white, the rump and upper tail-coverts with larger, rounder 

 ones of nearly pure white; fore back crossed by a collar of rusty ochrace- 

 ous, this bordered anteriorly by blackish and some nearly concealed white; 

 scapulars and some of the wing-coverts with large conspicuous spots of white 

 or rusty white; wing quills crossed by numerous light bars, nearly obsolete 

 excepting on the outer webs of the third, fourth, and fifth primaries where, 

 beyond the pointofemargination, they are distinctly marked by white spots, 

 two or three on each feather, and on the inner webs of all the quills (except- 

 ing those of the emarginated primaries beyond the pointofemargination), 

 where they are pure white for about two-thirds of the distance from the inner 

 margin to the shaft; tail crossed by seven imperfect bands of white (the 

 last terminal) formed by narrow, transverse, opposite spots not touching 

 the shaft on either side ; forehead, nasal plumes, and sides of head sparsely 

 flecked with dusky on a pure white ground; sides of neck uniform with 

 nape; underparts pure white, the chin, sides of throat, jugulum, middle 

 of abdomen, and anal region immaculate, the sides of the breast and a 

 broad band across the throat reddish brown ; flanks and under tail-coverts 

 with coarse longitudinal streaks of clove brown moi-e or less tinged with 

 rusty; under wing-coverts and bend of wing white, the former with 

 some coarse blackish markings ; feathering of legs white, tinged, or perhaps 

 obscurely flecked, with brown along the back of the tarsus. 



Wing, 3.25; tail, 2.55; tarsus, .73; bill: chord of culmen from base, 

 .50; ditto from nostril, .35 ; depth of bill at nostril, .35. 



Two other adult males from the same locality, taken respectively June i 

 and June 4, measure: wing, 3.33, 3.21 ; tail, 2.51, 2.35 ; tarsus, .76, .77 ; 

 bill: chord of culmen from base, .55, .50; ditto from nostril, .32, 34; 

 depth at nostril, .31, .35. 



Habitat. Lower California. 



[*An author's edition of 75 copies of this paper was published Feb 10, 1888.— Ed.] 

 t To Mr. Francis Hoskins of Triumfo, Lower California, by request of Mr. Frazar 

 to whom Mr. Hoskins rendered invaluable aid in the exploration of the Sierra de la 

 Laguna. 



