Todd-Carriker : Birds of Santa Marta Region, Colombia. 489 



winter plumage males resemble the adult females, but it is not clear 

 whether or not they breed in this plumage. At any rate, there are 

 four specimens, taken at dates varying from June i6 to August 2, 

 illustrating various stages of the moult from this immature into adult 

 dress, and presenting a curious mixed red and yellow plumage. 



The range of this form, which was described by Mr. Bangs from 

 specimens taken at an altitude of 3,000 feet near Santa Marta, was 

 at first supposed to be confined to this region, but it is now known to 

 extend through Venezuela to the island of Trinidad. Specimens from 

 these regions are absolutely indistinguishable from Santa Martan birds, 

 but P. hamalea of Mount Roraima, British Guiana, is said to be very 

 different. 



This tanager is a rather abundant bird in the foothills and lower 



slopes of the San Lorenzo, mainly on the north and northwest sides, 



but apparently is rare in the Sierra Nevada, although reported from 



La Concepcion and San Miguel by Mr. Brown. It was .rare also at 



Las Vegas, apparently not relishing the excessive humidity of that 



side of the mountain. Very likely its original habitat was the " dry 



forest " of the foothills, where open tracts are common, since it was 



found breeding below 2,000 feet under such conditions. As the forest 



was cut away the species has evidently adapted itself to a higher 



altitude, so that it is now common in the coffee-plantations up to 



5,000 feet, although not detected in the forest above 3,000 feet. Se\ 



eral nests were found, built in most peculiar situations for a Piranga. 



Two were placed among some roots under an overhanging bank by 



the roadside on the mountain slope, while a third was built in a 



small shrub, almost two feet from the ground, on top of the bank 



along the road. Two eggs are laid, which resemble those of P. 



erythromelas, while the nest is practically the same, being a very frail, 



flat structure of fine rootlets. 



* 

 469. Piranga rubra rubra (Linnaeus). 



Pyranga cestiva Salvin and Godman, Ibis, 1879, 200 (Atanquez) : 1880, 121 

 (Santa Marta and Minca). — -Sclatee, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XI, 1886, 182 

 (Santa Marta). 



Piranga rubra Bangs, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, 1898, 141 (" Santa 

 Marta"). — Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., XIII, 1900, 168 (Bonda, Onaca, 

 and Valparaiso; plum.). — Allen, Auk, XVII, 1900, 365 (Bonda; plum.; 

 Salvin and Godman's and Bangs' references). 



