250 



CCEEEBID^. 



of C. lucida is restricted to Central America, between Guatemala, whence the original 

 specimens were obtained \ and Panama \ Immediately south of this, in the Colombian 

 State of Antioquia, the true C. cmrulea occurs. 



In Central America it cannot be called a common bird, and is not nearly so abundant 

 as its congener C. cyanea. We only found it in the forest-country of Vera Paz, at an 

 elevation of about 1200 feet above the sea, and all other places where it has been 

 noticed hitherto are situated at elevations not much above the sea-level. 



Its habits are quite similar to those of C. cyanea, and doubtless to those of C. ccerulea, 

 its widely spread representative in South America. 



CERTHIOLA. 



Certhiola, Sundevall, Ofvers, Vet.-Ak. Handl. 1835, p. 99 (type Certhia flaveola, Linn.) ; Finsch, 

 Verb. k. k. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, 1871, p. 739 et seqq. ; Baird, N. Am. B. i. p. 425. 



Few American genera have received more varied treatment as regards the number 

 of its species than Certhiola, some ornithologists recognizing a large number, others 

 comparatively few. We are rather disposed to admit a closer separation for the birds 

 of the West-India islands, where the inhabitant of each island has a definite and 

 restricted habitat, than for the continental forms, where no such restriction of range 

 occurs. Of the island forms no less than twelve species have been described, some of 

 which have very marked characters. On the mainland we are only able to recognize 

 three species, viz. C. mexicana of the country we are now treating of, C. luteola 

 of Venezuela and Trinidad, and C. chloropyga of Guiana and Brazil. To these may 

 be added C. cahoti of the island of Cozumel, which has its nearest ally in the 

 Bahama islands. This bird and C. meocicana are the only ones foimd within our 

 region. 



The usual colour of Certhioloe is dusky or black on the back, with or without a white 

 alar speculum ; the rump is sometimes yellow, and the belly generally so ; the thtoat 

 varies from white to grey and to black. One remarkable species, from the island of 

 St. Vincent, is almost entirely black, and has been described by Mr. Lawrence as 

 Certhiola atrata*. The bill of Certhiola is sharp and strongly arched; the cutting- 

 edge of the maxilla towards the end has several tooth-like serrations, somewhat as in 

 IHglossa. The tarsi and feet are strong, and the tail short and square. 



1. Certhiola mexicana. 



Certhiola mexicana, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 286'; 1859, pp. 364 ^ 376 'j Salv. Ibis, 1861, p. 352'; 

 Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 349 ' ; 1879, pp. 497 ', 597' ; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 98° ; 

 Pinsch, Verb. z.-b. Ges. Wien, 1871, p. 772°; Baird, N. Am. B. i. p. 428'°. 



* Cf. Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Ac. So. i. p. 149. But may not this be Dicceum aterrimum, Less. Traite d'Om. 

 p. 303, which Pucheron (Eev. Zool. 1846, p. 134) says is a Certhiola? See also Pinsch, Verb. k. k. zool.-bot. 

 Ges. Wien, 1871, p. 762. 



