638 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



English ornithologists have expressed doubt as to the validity of 

 this species with reference to P. boissoneauti, but after examining 

 specimens of that species and carefully comparing them with Costa 

 Rican specimens of P. lawrencii, I can see no ground for doubting 

 the distinctness of the northern bird, it certainly being a well marked 

 species. This tree-creeper is found only at high altitudes, seldom if 

 ever being taken below 6,000 feet. I took two specimens at Escazu, 

 somewhat below that altitude, and Boucard reports it from Navarro, 

 which would be lower, but such instances are rare. It is most abun- 

 dant on the high volcanoes for about 1,000 feet below timber-line. 

 I also took it in the Cordillera de Talamanca at about 7,000 feet. It 

 is a very noisy bird, always chattering and continually moving about 

 in the trees. It is usually seen in pairs. 



372. Rhopoctites rufo-brunneus (Lawrence). 



Philydor rufo-brunneus Lawrence, Ann. Lye. N. Y., VIII, 1865, 127 (" San 

 Jose" (?), Costa Rica [Frantzius]; coll. U. S. Nat. Mus.); IX, 1868, 106 

 (Barranca [J. Carmiol], San Jose [Frantziusl). — Frantzius, Jour, fiir Orn., 

 1869, 304 (Costa Rica). — Boucard, P. Z. S., 1878, 59 (Navarro). 



Automolus rufobrunneus Berlepsch, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XI, 1888, 565 {$ 

 — Barranca, April 18, 1864 [J. Carmiol]; Lawrence's type (?); crit.). — 

 Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XV, 1890, 89 (Irazu district [Rogers]). — 

 Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Am., Aves, II, 1891, 154 (Costa Rican 

 references). 



Rhopoctites Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XXII, 1909, 72 (type, Philydor 

 rufo-brunneus Lawrence). 



U. S. Nat. Museum : Coliblanco (Zeledon) El Rey de Dota (Basulto), 



Volcan de Irazu (Underwood), La Estrella de Cartago ( ?). 



Bangs Collection : Carn'llo, Azahar de Cartago, and Escazu (Under- 

 wood). 

 C. H. Lankester Collection : La Palma de San Jose. 

 Carnegie Museum : Escazu, La Hondura, Ujurras de Terraba (Car- 

 riker). Ten skins. 



Mr. Ridgway has recently created a new genus for this species of 

 Automolus, on the ground of its stouter, less compressed, and dis- 

 tinctly uncinate bill, and the shafts of the rectrices being more rigid 

 at the tip. The differences appear to be rather small, but not less 

 than in many other recognized genera. 



The species inhabits the heavy, damp forests of the mountains, only 

 descending to lower altitudes on the Caribbean slope into some of the 



