830 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



Carnegie Museum: Guacimo, Nov. 14; Buenos Aires, Aug. 23 and Sept. 



4 (Carriker); San Jose, Oct. 14, 2 9-c? (Underwood). Six skins. 



A fairly common winter resident, though not so abundant as many 

 other species. It is much more common in the central highlands and on the 

 Pacific slope than in the Caribbean lowlands and lower slopes. Adult 

 males are rarely seen, but usually immature specimens, many moulting 

 into the second year plumage, having the general color of the adult 

 female, with patches of chestnut appearing on the throat and breast. 



645. Icterus prosthemelas (Strickland). 



Xanthornus prosthemelas Strickland, Jardine's Contr. Orn., 1850, 120, pi. 62 

 (Guatemala; coll. H. Strickland). 



Icterus prosthemelas Sclater, P. Z. S., 1856, 301 (Cordova, Mexico); Cat. Birds 

 Brit. Mus., XI, 1886, 373 (Peje [Carmiol], Tucurriqui [Arce]). — Boucard, 

 P. Z. S., 1878, 59 (Juan Vifias). — Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. de C. R., I, 1887, 

 112 (Jimenez and Naranjo de Cartago). — Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.- 

 Am., Aves., I, 1887, 466 (Costa Rican references). — Ridgway, Birds N. and 

 Mid. Amer., II, 1902, 269 (southeastern Mexico, through Central America 

 to Isthmus of Panama). 



Pendulinus prosthemelas Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1867, 56 (monogr.; 

 Costa Rica). — Lawrence, Ann. Lye. N. Y., IX, 1868, 104 (Tucurriqui 

 ["Arce; coll. O. Salvin"]). — Frantzius, Jour, fur Orn., 1869, 302 (Costa 

 Rica). 



U. S. Nat. Museum: Talamanca (Cherrie), Juan Vinas (Cooper). 



Bangs Collection: San Carlos (Underwood). 



(Underwood in litt.) : Jimenez, Birds, Pacuarito. 



C. H. Lankester Collection : Cachi, Cariblanco de Sarapiqui, and Guacimo. 



Carnegie Museum: Guacimo and Guapiles (Carriker & Crawford), 



El Hogar (Carriker). Four skins. 



There is a tendency in birds of this species from Costa Rica and Panama 

 towards an extension of the black on the lower parts, that color extending 

 in some specimens over the whole breast, only stopping at the abdomen. 

 This, however, is not constant, some birds from Panama having just as 

 small an amount of black as specimens from British Honduras. 



The species is confined strictly to the Caribbean lowlands and slope 

 (in Costa Rica), from near sea-level up to at 3,000 feet. It is 

 most abundant in the Santa Clara Valley, where the extensive pas- 

 tures and banana-plantations form the most suitable conditions for its 

 increase. The birds are never seen at any great distance from a stream, 

 and are partial to the large-leaved water plants growing in the shallows, 

 where they doubtless build their nests. A nest I found was sewed to the 

 under side of a banana-leaf, but it contained no eggs at the time. 



