THAYER, BANGS : AVES FROM SAVANNA OF PANAMA. 213 



PHYLLOSTOMATIDAE. 

 3. Hemiderma castaneum (II. Allen). 

 Seven specimens, young and adult, May 22 to 25. 



4. Artibeus intermedius J. A. Allen. 

 One adult $, May 20. 



III. AvES. By John E. Thayer and Outram Bangs. 



The ornis of the Savanna of Panama and the mangrove swamps of 

 the coasts of the bay, though interesting as compared with that of the 

 interior of the Isthmus, is not rich in number of species. Mr. Brown's 

 collection includes but eighty-six species, of which one only, the alder 

 flycatcher, is a Noilh American migrant. The country is little diver- 

 sified, and so sparsely wooded that one would not look for a rich bird 

 fauna. 



The characteristic birds of the Savanna are the pigmy titlark, Antlius 

 parvus ; the red-breasted blackbird, Leistes militaris ; the Lawrence's 

 cacique, Cacicus viteUinus ; the grassquit, Tiaris oHvacea dissita, and 

 the fork-tailed tyrant, Muscivora tyrannus. In the little islands of 

 woodland scattered over the Savanna the smaller tyrants, ant thrushes, 

 wrens, and other brush and forest-loving species were found in small 

 numbers, while in the mangi'ove swamps Mr. Brown secured a few 

 specimens of the rare mangrove warbler, Chrysocantor enthachorides, 

 which, though very common in the mangroves of the Pearl Islands, was 

 exceedingly rare in the swamps near the city of Panama. 



The natives shoot large numbers of birds for food, and the species 

 most persecuted are very shy and are decreasing in numbers ; the 

 grackle, Megaquiscalus major macrou7^us, tlie wood grouse, Odontophorus 

 marmoratus, the ortalis, Ortalis cinereiceps, and the doves are the 

 species most sought for. 



In this paper we describe three new forms, — the momot, usually 

 pi'eviously referred to the Colombian Momotus suhrufescens ; the Panama 

 golden-crowned tyrant, which proves separable from Tyrannidus regu- 

 loides ; and the grassquit, — a well-marked southern continental form of 

 Tiaris olivacea. 



During the month that Mr. Brown spent on the Savanna of Panama, 

 he secured specimens of all the species observed. 



