8PEEM0PHILA. 35S 



J. f . Om. 1869, p. 301 " ; Dug^s, La Nat. i. p. 139 " ; Baird, Brew., & Eidgw. N. Am. B, ii. 



p. 91"; Sennett, Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv. v. p. 393"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 444"; 



Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 392 ^^ 

 Sporophila moreleti, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 150"; J. f. Om. 1861, p. 4"°. 

 Spermophila albogularis, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. v. p. 124^^ (nee Spix). 



Supra nigra ; uropygio, speoulo, alari et tecfcrioum alarum marginibus albis, cervicis lateribus et corpore subtu& 

 albis, torque jugulari nigro ; rostro nigro, pedibus fuscis. Long, tota 3*6, alse 2*0, caudse 1*6, tarsi 0-56. 

 (Descr. maris ex San Pedro, Honduras. Mus. nostr.) 



5 olivacea, alis et cauda obscurioribus, teetricum alarum marginibus rufesoentibus, rostro pallide fusco, 

 (Descr. feminse ex Belize, Brit. Honduras. Mus. nostr.) 



Edb. NoETH America, Lower Kio Grande Valley, Texas ^^ is i8, — Mexico ^^, San Diego 



in Nuevo Leon and Monterey [Couch ^), Guanajuato [JDugh ^% State of Vera Cruz 



{Sumichrast'^^), Orizaba {Botteri^), Jalapa {de Oca% Playa Vicente {Boucard% 



Merida in Yucatan {Gaumer ^'') ; British Honduras, Corosal {Boe), Belize {0. SJ) ; 



Guatemala i (Constancia ^o), Peten [Morelet), San Geronimo, Totonicapam, Retal- 



huleu, Dueiias^ {O.S. & F.B. 0.); Honduras 2, San Pedro and Medina (G. M^ 



Whitely^y, Costa Eica {v. Frantzius^^^% San Jose (Hoffmann^^, Carmiol^^), 



Grecia (Carmiol "), Turrialba (ArcS), Irazu (Bogers). 



This is the common Spermophila of Central America, being generally distributed 



from the Eio Grande valley to Costa Rica, and is specially abundant in the lowlands 



of British .Honduras and Guatemala on both sides of the great mountain-range. Here 



it also occurs as high as Totonicapam in the Altos, and at Duenas, where it breeds. 



In Mexico, too, it ascends the mountains from the hot and temperate regions; 



it is found also in the plateau, and Sumichrast only excepts it from the Alpine region 



with doubt 12, 



S. moreleti, like the rest of its congeners, frequents open grassy ground where 

 scattered biishes grow, and in tall reeds such as surround the edge of the lake at 

 Duefias. Its food consists chiefly of small seeds. Its nest is a neat structure of fine 

 roots and fibre, woven together into a delicate network, and lined with horsehair. This 

 is suspended to twigs. The eggs, three or four in number, are pale greenish white, 

 thickly spotted and blotched with several shades of brown, especially at the larger end. 

 The young are hatched in July. 



This species was first described by Bonaparte from specimens in the Paris Museum, 

 brought from the neighbourhood of Peten by the French traveller Morelet, who visited 

 that district in 1847, and returned to France in the early part of the following year. 

 In 1848 also specimens were sent by Constancia to Strickland i". 



The first notice of this bird in Texas is given by Mr. Lawrence, who identified it 

 with Lowia albigularis of Spix, the specimen examined being evidently a young male. 

 Young birds were also obtained by Mr. Sennett at Lomita in Texas, no adults having 

 been seen nor any nests found. 

 BIOL. CENTR.-A3IER., Aves, Vol, I., December 1885. 45 



