550 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



thing more than an extreme variation in the tail-markings of S. scin- 

 tilla. Ordinary specimens of scintilla exhibit a great range of shade 

 in the color of the gorget, so that this character is of little value. Hav- 

 ing never seen the type of S. underwoodi, I do not feel justified in 

 reducing the species to a synonym of scintilla, but I believe that further 

 investigation will prove it to be such. 1 



274. Selasphorus simoni sp. nov. 



Selasphorus ardens Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 1880, 314 (Costa Rica) 

 (?); VI, 1883, 415 (Costa Rica, $ [Van Patten Coll.]); VII, 1884, 14 (see 

 antea.). — Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Am., Aves, II, 1892, 356, -part 

 (Volcan de Poas [Alfaro], and Las Cruces de Candelaria [Zeledon, in Coll. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus.]). 



Selasphorus underwoodi Hartert, Tierr., 1900, 206. 



Bangs Collection : Volcan de Barba (Underwood). 

 C. H. Lankester Collection: Volcan de Poas. 



Type, No. 16879, Coll. E. A. & O. Bangs, collected by C. F. 

 Underwood, Volcan de Barba, Costa Rica, Oct., 1900. 



Similar to 6*. ardens of Panama, but differing in the following char- 

 acters : The rusty-red edging of the middle rectrices is much nar- 

 rower, the bill is shorter, and the under tail-coverts are cinnamon- 

 ochraceous instead of white, slightly edged with pale fawn-color. Sal- 

 vin gives the measurements of S. ardens as : wing, 38; tail, 29; 

 bill, 16 mm. Seven males of S. simoni average: wing, 40; tail, 28 ; 

 bill, 10.7 mm. 



M. Simon says of S. simoni " S. ardens Salvin est tout-a fait distinct 

 et differe de toutes les autres par les sous-coudales longues, blanches, 

 un peu teintees de fauve pale au disque. Ce caractere important n'a 

 pas ete indique par Salvin, parceque les oiseaux d'Arce n'ont pas de 

 ventre ni de sous-caudales. 



" Enfin une autre espece qui a ete repandue partout sous le nom de 

 S. ardens par Underwood a ete indiquee par Hartert sous le nom de 

 ^. underwoodi (non Salvin), elle se trouve seulement a Barba." 



Thus it will be seen that the bird which in Costa Rica has long been 

 known under the name of S. ardens is not that form at all, but has 

 been without a name up to now. M. Simon has very courteously 



1 Having had occasion to look into the matter I discover that in the series of ten 

 specimens collected by Mr. Carriker, and listed under No. 272 as 5. scintilla, there 

 are several which agree absolutely with the diagnosis of 5. underwoodi Salvin, as 

 given above by Mons. Simon. — W. J. Holland. 



