276 CliEKRiE, List of Birds of San yoav, Costa Rica. [July 



other convenient places, usually from three to eight feet from the ground. 

 On June 16, 1SS9, I observed a pair carrying nesting material into the 

 brain cavity of an ox skull. The skull was in the branches of a small tree 

 about four feet from the ground, the Wren entered at the foramen mag- 

 num. At another time I observed a pair nesting in a hole in the ground 

 in the bank of a small creek. 



A nest and set of three eggs collected by Senor Don Anastasio Alfaro 

 (No. 30, Museo Nacional, El Arroyo AUejuela, May 20 1S89) was placed 

 in the walls of that gentleman's house. The nest was constructed similarly 

 to a nest of T. a'idon, there being first a great bulk of rather coarse dry 

 twigs; inside of this a lining of soft grass stems and horse hair, finished 

 with soft chicken feathers and three pieces of cast off snake skin. The eggs 

 are short, ovate, pinkish white in color thickly speckled with bright choco- 

 late brown, the speckling thickest near the larger end. The eggs measure 

 •65X.52 ; .65X.53, and 63. X .52. Senor Alfaro states that this bird was em- 

 ployed fifteen days in building the nest and depositing the three eggs. 

 The bird was very confiding and would perch at the mouth of the nest 

 and sing, while he (Alfaro) was standing within a yard of the nest. 



A second nest and eggs taken by Seiior Alfaro (No, 33, Museo Nac- 

 ional, Tambor Alejuela, May 20, 188S) contained five eggs, one of which 

 was broken. This nest, like the last, is lined with soft feathers and a few 

 bits of cast off snake skin. Sefior Alfaro assures me that he has examined 

 many nests of this species and that all contain bits of snake skin, — rather 

 a peculiar feature. 



The eggs are pinkish white, thickly speckled with bright chocolate. In 

 three of them the distribution of the spots is pretty uniform, while in the 

 other they are aggregated in a band about the larger end, so as to conceal 

 the ground color. They are short ovate and measure .70X.54; .72X.53; 

 .68.x. 53, and .69X.53. 



In a series of 22 examples of this species now before me, representing 

 different ages and seasons, I find considerable variation in color. 



Male (No. 37), above reddish brown (sepia), a little brighter on rump 

 and upper tail-coverts, very obsoletely banded with darker. Wings and 

 tail dusky, banded with black and the color of the back, the black bands 

 being the narrower. Upper tail-coverts distinctly banded with black. 

 Feathers of the rump with concealed subterminal black bands preceded 

 by a white spot. An obscure line over the eye, lores, and a ring about the 

 eye a brownish buff. Auriculars buff, edged with the color of the back, 

 Below, throat and middle of the belly brownish buff; throat paler. Sides 

 Isabella color; flanks darker, indistinctly barred with dusky; crissum and 

 under tail-coverts buflish white barred with blackish. 



Female (No. 3151), darker above than the male. The concealed sub- 

 terminal black bands and white spots on the feathers of the rump are 

 almost obsolete. The light bands on the wing are not nearly as dark as 

 the back. Below similar to the male. 



Young birds are much darker. A young male (No. 645, Geo. K Cher- 

 rie Collection) is dark bistre brown, wings and tail dusky blackish. The 

 obsolete banding with black on the back is more apparent. The bands ox\ 



