372 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



Measurements. 

 No. Sex. Locality. Date. Wing. 



42377 c? Minca June 25, 1913 52 



44457 c? Don Diego Jan. 19, 1914 52 



44840 {;? Pueblo Viejo March 6, 1914 53 



42378 S Minca June 25, 1913 ....... 48 



44331 5 Don Diego Jan. 14, 1914 46 



44604 5 Don Diego Feb. 2, 1914 47 



Five adult males of T. chrysops chrysops, average . . . 57.6 

 Three adult females of T. chrysops chrysops, average 50 



The existence in the Santa Marta region of a small race of Tyran- 

 niscMs chrysops is a very interesting circumstance, but is apparently 

 well substantiated by the material at hand. The form was based by 

 Dr. Chapman on the four specimens from Minca forwarded by Mr. 

 Smith, all unfortunately unsexed. As pointed out by the describer, 

 sexual variation in size in this species (as in several others of this 

 generic group), is considerable, and must be taken into account in 

 making comparisons, especially in a case like the present, where a 

 separation is attempted on this character alone, the color admittedly 

 being the same. Judging from the measurements presented herewith 

 it seems very likely that all of the Smith specimens must have been 

 females, but even on that supposition it is still possible to discriminate 

 the Santa Marta bird on the ground of size alone, and although the 

 difference is not so marked as it was at first believed, it is neverthe- 

 less quite obvious in a series. Measurements of the total length, 

 taken in the flesh by the collector, also bear out the above remarks. 



The bird belongs to the Tropical Zone, preferring the foothills be- 

 tween 1,500 and 3,000 feet, but dropping down to sea-level in the 

 humid forest of the northeast coast. San Francisco (4,000 feet) 

 appears to be the highest point at which it has been recorded. Like 

 the other species of this genus, its favorite haunts are in the forest, 

 keeping rather high up in the trees. 



333. Tyranniscus improbus Sclater and Salvin. 



Octhceca olivacea Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XIII, 1900, 121, 152 



(Valparaiso; orig. descr. ; type in coll. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.). — Sharpe, 



Hand-List Birds, III, 1901, 93 (ref. orig. descr.; range). — Dubois, Syn. 



Avium, II, 1903, 1075 ("Santa Marta," in range; ref. orig. descr.). — von 



Berlepsch, Ornis, XIV, 1907, 470 (crit.). 

 Tyranniscus improbus Hellmayr, Nov. Z06I., XX, 1913, 242 (Valparaiso; crit.; 



syn.). 



