LANIO. 305 



2. Lanio leucothorax. 



Lanio leucothorax, Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 581 '; Ibis, 1872, p. 317' ; Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1865, 

 p. 171 ' ; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 100 ' ; v. Frantz. J. f . Orn. 1869, p. 299 ' ; Scl. & Salv. 

 Ex. Orn. p. 63 (partim), t. 32, $ \ 



L. aurantio similis, sed thorace maris albo primo visu distinguendus. 



Hah. NiCAKAGUA, Chontales [Belt ^) ; Costa Rica [v. Frantzius % Tucurriqui {Arc6 ^ ^) ; 

 Pacuar and Angostura {Carmiol ^ ^). 



The original type of the male of this species, received from Arce from Tucurriqui 

 in Costa Eica, is in bad condition ; and this led to its being imperfectly described in 

 the first instance, as regards the colour of the lower back. On the receipt of well- 

 prepared specimens from the State of Panama, these were supposed to belong to the 

 same species, and the lower back was described as black. One of these latter birds was 

 figured in ' Exotic Ornithology ' as the male of Lanio leucothorax. It now proves that 

 the Panama bird belongs to a distinct species, and that the true L. leucothorax has the 

 lower back as well as the crissum yellow. 



The range of this bird seems confined to the eastern forests of Costa Rica, whence it 

 passes northwards into the Nicaraguan province of Chontales. The allied species has 

 a more southern habitat, extending from Western Costa Rica to about the middle of 

 the State of Panama. 



3. Lanio melanopygius. 



Lanio leucothorax melanopygius, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1883 \ 



Lanio Uucothorax, Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 139 ^; 1870, p. 188 ' ; Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. p. 63 (partim), 

 t. 32,c? \ 



Similis praecedentibus, sed dorso postioo nigro et crisso plerumque nigro distinguendus ; thorace sicut in 

 L. leucothorace alba. (Descr. maris ex Bugaba, Panama. Mus. nostr.) 



Hab. Costa Rica, Piris {Zeledon ^) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui ^, Bugaba ^, Cordillera 

 del Chucu ^, Chitra 3, Cordillera de Tole 2, Santiago de Veraguas 2, Calovevora 3, 

 Santa Fe 2 {Arce). 



To Mr. Ridgway is due the discrimination of this species from Lanio leucothorax, with 

 which it had been confounded, owing chiefly to the imperfection of the type of that 

 bird. Mr. Ridgway was inclined to place it as a variety of i. leucothorax ; but we think 

 there can be no difficulty in distinguishing the adult males with the greatest certainty 

 now that their distinctive characters have been pointed out. In younger birds a few 

 rusty feathers appear on the lower back ; but these would certainly have disappeared 

 with the next moult. Regarding the colour of the crissum, we are not quite certain 

 whether it is fully black in adult birds, or whether the feathers are still edged with 

 golden yellow. We have birds apparently adult in which the crissum is plain black in 



BIOL. CENTE.-AMEE., Aves, Vol. L, December 1883. 39 



