400 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



of no particular importance, considered by itself, so that there can re- 

 main no valid reason for maintaining the distinctness of the Santa 

 Marta bird in a nomenclatural sense. Specimens from the interior of 

 Colombia appear to be in nowise different. 



The series includes six specimens in juvenal plumage, like the one 

 described by Dr. Allen, and which were taken at dates ranging from 

 June 4 to July 24. 



A common bird within its range, which extends from about 1,000 

 to 5,000 feet, thus not going much beyond the Tropical Zone, and being 

 most abundant between 2,000 and 4,000 feet. Occasionally it strag- 

 gles down to sea-level, as at Fundacion and Don Diego, where the 

 semi-arid lowlands are replaced by forest (damp and heavy at the 

 latter locality). It keeps in the cool depths of the forest, and is 

 rarely seen near the ground. This bird has the curious habit (for a 

 thrush) of building its nest in a shallow cavity under the overhanging 

 bank along a roadside or stream, especially the former. It is composed 

 of roots and green moss, and lined with fine black rootlets and weed- 

 fibers. As a rule two eggs are laid, sometimes three; they are pale 

 greenish blue, with markings of brown of various shades. 



365. Turdus olivater sanctae-martae (Todd). 



Merula olivatra (not of Lafresnaye) Bangs, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 

 XIII, 1899, 107 (La Concepcion; crit.). — Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 

 XIII, 1900, 181 (Valparaiso and Las Nubes; plum.). — Sharpe, Hand-List 

 Birds, IV, 1903, 120 ("Santa Marta," in range). 



Turdus olivater Hellmayr and von Seileen, Arch. f. Naturg., LXXVIII, 



1912, 36 (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta; references; crit.). 

 Planesticus olivater sancta-marta Todd, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XXVI, 



1913, 170 (Cincinnati; orig. descr. ; type in coll. Carnegie Museum). 



Thirty-two specimens: Valparaiso, Cincinnati, Sierra Nevada de 

 Santa Marta (6,000 feet); Las Vegas, San Miguel, and Heights of 

 Chirua. 



Mr. Brown secured two specimens of this thrush, which were com- 

 pared by Mr. Bangs with Lafresnaye's type of Merula olivatra, de- 

 scribed from Caracas, Venezuela, o£ which species little appeared 

 to be known at the time, there being so few specimens extant. Mr. 

 Bangs remarked on the larger size of the Santa Marta birds, but con- 

 sidered that the slight color-differences were due to fading. However, 

 with a good series from the type-locality available for comparison with 



