20 



REVIEW OF AMERICAN BIRDS. 



[part I. 



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I' 'I 



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I 1 



aliciae. One specimen (5,657) from Kansas, has the bill oulj .30 

 from nostril to tip; thf i, .99; winj?, 3.80; tail, 2.88. In an 

 average specimen from ? (2,639) the bill is .40 ; tarsus, 1.12 ; 



wing, 3.75; tail, 2.85. 



A specimen from Panama, belonging to Mr. Lawrence's collection, 

 and which he refers to the Tardus minimus of Lafresnaye, is smaller 

 than the average of northern specimens, with shorter bill. It is a" 

 very little less than the Kansas specimen, with the bill a little longer ; 

 but several Carlisle and other northern specimens have the wings 

 und tail still shorter. I am, therefore, disinclined to consider the 

 (Specimen as anything more than T. swainsonii, perhaps a short 

 billed variety to which the Kansas specimen may also belong. 



If the Ikirdus minimus of Lafresnaye be properly described, it 

 would appear to be ditierent from any of the varieties of T. swain- 

 sonii. 



This species has been found to occur farther to the west than was 

 formerly supposed. Mr. Drexler obtained specimens at Fort Bridger, 

 Dr. Cooper in the Bitterroot Mountains, and Dr. Kennerlv of the 

 N. W. Boundary Survey, found it in Washington Territory. ^ -r th- 

 ward it reaches almost to the Arctic Ocean, along the Mat- jnzie, 

 and across from there to Fort Yukon ; in fact it occurs throughout 

 the whole northern heavily wooded region. I have seen no speci- 

 mens from Labrador, where, however, T. aliciae seems abundant. 



Having had the opportunity of examining the specimen from Bo- 

 gota, which Dr. Bryant referred to the species of Lafresnaye (no. 92 

 of Dr. Bryant's collection), I am able to corroborate the remarks of 

 the former relative to its peculiarities. The spots are larger than 

 common in the North American birds, and appear to extend farther 

 back on the breast and sides, where, in fact, they are as dark as those 

 on the jugulum, instead of being fainter and grayer of tint. The 

 flanks are darker, and colored like the back, instead of being much 

 lighter. The line from bill to eye, and probably the ring round the 

 eye, are of a much more brownish-yellow. , 



I am, however, not ready to conclude that this specimen is specifi- 

 cally distinct from Tardus swainsonii, as North American skins 

 vary a good deal in their characters, some of them approaching 

 it in one direction and some in another. The size is nearly equal to 

 tl?e average of swainsonii, the skin being pressed up so as to seem 

 shorter than it should be. It measures but 5.90, but should be at 

 least 6.50; the wing is 3.80; the tail 2.95; bill to nostril, .36; 

 tarsus, 1.04 ; all dimensions readily paralleled in the North American 

 bird. The bill is fully as large. 



E;it! 



