890 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



723. Sporophila corvina (Sclater). 



Spermophila corvina Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1859, 379 (Playa Vicente, 

 Oaxaca, S. Mexico, coll. P. L. Sclater). — Lawrence, Ann. Lye. N. Y., IX, 

 1868, 102 (Pacuare, Angostura [J. Carmiol], Turrialba [F. Carmiol]). — Frant- 

 zius, Jour, fur Orn., 1869, 301 (Costa Rica). — Boucard, Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 Lond., 1878, 58 (San Carlos). — Zeledon, Cat. Aves de C. R., 1882, 8. — 

 Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Am., Aves, I, 1885, 355 (Turrialba [Arce 

 and Carmiol], Angostura, Pacuare, and San Jose [Carmiol]). — Sharpe, Cat. 

 Birds Brit. Mus., XII, 1888, 137 (same localities as given in the Biologia). 



Sporophila corvina Cassin, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1865, 169 (San Jose [Car- 

 miol]). — Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. de C. R., I, 1887, 111 (Jimenez, Las Trojas, 

 and Angostura). — Richmond, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVI, 1893, 492 (Rio 

 Frio). — Ridgway, Birds of North and Mid. Amer., I, 1901, 571 (southern 

 Mexico, south through more eastern parts of Central America to Costa Rica: 

 Angostura, Pacuare, Turrialba, San Carlos, San Jose, Las Trojas, Sipurio, 

 Naranjo, Puerto Limon, etc.). 



U. S. Nat. Museum: Bonilla (Ridgway) (Basulto), Guayabo (Ridgway 

 and Zeledon), San Bernardo, Uvita Island, Buena Vista (Castro and 

 Fernandez), Jimenez (Alfaro) (Verrill), La Concepcion de Jimenez 

 (Cherrie), Carrillo (Underwood). 

 Bangs Collection: Carrillo and La Vijagua (Underwood). 

 Carnegie Museum: Guapiles (Carriker & Crawford), El Hogar (Carriker), 

 Jimenez, Carrillo, Cariblanco, Juan Vinas (Underwood). Seven skins. 

 Abundant throughout the lower portion of the Caribbean slope, and 

 extending upward in small numbers to 3,000 ft. (Juan Vinas). Not present 

 on the central plateau or Pacific slope. Their favorite haunts are road- 

 sides, old fields, bushy pastures, and the grass-grown edges of streams. 

 They are almost always to be seen in small flocks, and usually in company 

 with S. morelleti and Volatinia jacarini splendens. The breeding season in 

 the vicinity of Guapiles begins about May I and lasts till July 15. 



The nest is built of rootlets and weed-fibres, with very thin walls and 

 no other lining than the rootlets of the main structure. It is usually 

 placed in a bush or weed about three or four feet from the ground in an 

 open field or pasture, although they are occasionally seen in small trees 

 as high as fifteen feet above the ground. Two eggs are invariably laid, 

 which are buffy-white, and almost completely covered with specks, spots, 

 and blotches of earthy-brown or olive-brown, and often with a few large 

 overlying blotches of umber-brown. There is a great range of variation 

 in both the ground-color and markings, but they are always more heavily 

 marked than those of Volatinia. Measurements: 17-18. 5 X 13-13. 5 mm. 



