NEW SUBSPECIES OF BIRDS 

 FROM PATAGONIA 



BY 



ALEXANDEE WETMORE 



Comparison of birds from an excellent collection secured in 

 northern Patagonia by Mr. J. R. Pemberton with specimens available 

 in the U. S. National Museum has revealed four geographic forms not 

 hitherto recognized. These forms are described in the present paper. 

 The Pemberton collection, made during the course of a geologic survey 

 of parts of the territories of Rio Negro, Chubut, and Santa Cruz, has 

 been deposited in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University 

 of California. The type of one of the subspecies here characterized 

 comes from the series in the institution just mentioned. The other 

 three are based on skins in the TJ. S. National Museum taken in the 

 Straits of Magellan by naturalists on the U. S. Fish Commission 

 steamer ''Albatross." 



Pteroptochos rubecula nemorivaga subsp. no v. 



Characters. — Similar to Pteroptochos rubecula ruhecula Kittlitz 

 (1831, p. 179), but decidedly darker; upper surface, flanks, and under 

 tail coverts darker brown ; rufous brown of chest and head deeper. 



Description.— TyY)e, U. S. Nat. Mus. Cat. No. 116272, male, from 

 Port Otway, Straits of Magellan, Chile, collected in February, 1888, 

 by naturalists of the U. S. Fish Commission steamer ' ' Albatross. ' ' 

 Crown slightly darker than mummy brown ; hind neck, back, scapulars, 

 and rump mummy brown; upper tail coverts Prout's brown; remiges 

 fuscous; wing coverts and outer margins of flight feathers Prout's 

 brown ; rectrices fuscous, margined externally with a wash of Prout 's 

 brown; superciliary streak, extending from base of nasal fossa, cover- 

 ing space before eye and then extending back along sides of crown, 

 hazel ; space beneath eye to ear coverts sooty black, the feathers below 

 eye cinnamon-buff basally and on ear coverts streaked narrowly along 

 shafts with whitish ; sides of head behind and above ears deep mouse 

 gray; chin cinnamon-buff; throat and upper breast between tawny 

 and russet, becoming hazel on sides of neck ; feathers of lower breast 

 and abdomen deep mouse gray basally, barred narrowly with dull 

 black and dull white, the latter with a wash and intermixture of 

 cinnamon-buff; sides deep mouse gray, barred sparingly like breast; 



