80 LEPTOPTILA CASSINI. 



four Costaricenses, or people of Costa Rica, who have made openings in the 

 magnificent virgin forests, and follow the occupation of fattening cattle. 

 The trees found here are mahogany, cedar, and india-rubber, with others ; but 

 these are the most conspicuous. 



1 have had some doubts as to the identity of my skin ; it might possibly 

 be Leptoptila cerviniventris, Sclater and Salvin ; cf. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 59, where 

 those ornithologists have a joint article ; in it they say, under the head of 



"L. CERVINIVENTRIS, Sp. UOV., 

 '•' Sim. L. cassini, sed pectore dilutiore et vinaceo tincto et ventre smnmo saturate cervino differt." 



The two species appear to run rather close. The authors say, in the 

 above article, that they are acquainted with eight species of the genus 

 Leptoptila, which, they state, "may be easily distinguished from all other 

 genera of Columhidce (except Peristerd) by the peculiar acumination of the 

 outer primary. All of them have the under wing-coverts deep cinnamomeous 

 or chestnut, and the outer tail-feathers more or less terminated with white." 



In the ' Nomenclator Avium Neotropicalium ' (1873), by the same two 

 ornithologists (pp. 133, 134), we find the eight species have become eleven. 



The Plate represents the bird the size of life. 



