476 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



Zone, and entirely littoral in its habitat. Dr. Chapman writes that he 

 doubts if assimilis is ever found at any great distance from the coast. 

 Further, it is altogether probable that the Costa Rican bird belongs 

 here also. The series from western Costa Rica in the collection of the 

 Carnegie Museum certainly agree best with the Colombian birds, but 

 unfortunately there is only one female from the former country. 



Three males in first nuptial plumage, shot at Dibulla on February 

 21 and 27, are much duller than the adults, and the posterior under 

 parts are mottled and suffused with grayish white. 



A fairly common bird all along the coast from the Cienaga Grande 

 to Rio Hacha, and along the shores of the former. At the latter lo- 

 cality it was common along the banks of the river, where a narrow 

 fringe of mangroves was growing. Indeed, the birds are rarely seen 

 far from the mangroves. They are very shy and hard to approach 

 within shooting range. 



456. Molothrus bonariensis cabanisii Cassin. 



Molothrus cabanisii Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1866, 22 

 ("Santa Marta ")■ — Giebel, Thes. Orn., II, 1875, 609 (ref. orig. descr. ; syn. 

 [error!]). — Sclater, Ibis, 1884, 166 (ref. orig. descr.). — Brabouene and 

 Chubb, Birds S. Am., I, 1912, 435 (ref. orig. descr.; range). 



Molothrus discolor (not Passerina discolor Vieillot) Salvin and Godman, Ibis, 

 1880, 123 (Arihueca). 



Molothrus cassini Sclater, Ibis, 1884, 6 (" Santa Marta," in range). — Sclater, 

 Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XI, 1886, 337 (Arihueca). — Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. 

 Nat. Hist., XIII, 1900, 163 (Cacagualito) ; XXI, 1905, 291 (Santa Marta re- 

 gion; descr. eggs). 



Molothrus bonariensis cassini Chapman, Bull, Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XXXIV, 

 1915, 662, in text ("Santa Marta"; meas.). 



Two specimens : Santa Marta and Fundacion. 



Neither of these is mature, the male having brown wings and the 

 female being decidedly streaked below, although both have hard skulls. 

 A series of adults from other parts of Colombia studied in this con- 

 nection indicate that the present form, described by Cassin many years 

 ago from this very region, should stand as a geographic race of 

 M. bonariensis, rather than as a distinct species, as given by Dr. Stone 

 in his review of this group (Auk, VIII, 1891, 344-^347). The same 

 remarks apply to the M. venesuelensis of the same author, of which 

 form a large series are at hand. As a matter of fact, cabanisii i? very 

 close to venezuelensis, but may be distinguished as a rule by the larger 



