182 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST 



[Vol. XLI 



Remarks. After very careful comparison of a large number 

 of specimens I fail altogether to make out a subspecies, chiricote. 

 I can find no constant differences whatever between skins from 

 Brazil and Surinam on the one hand and the most northern exam- 

 ples from Chiriqui and Costa Rica on the other. Indeed Sharpe 

 in Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum (Vol. 23, pp. 57-59) 

 does not assign any well defined geographic distribution to the 

 two subspecies he recognizes. The patch of a duller color on the 

 occiput varies considerably in shade — with season I think, that 

 is with the condition of the plumage, whether fresh or much worn. 

 Different examples from Panama and Costa Rica differ quite as 

 much in respect to the shade of color and distinctness of this mark- 

 ing as do any two that can be picked out from the northern and 

 southern parts of the range of the species. 



Inhabiting the Pearl Islands in the Bay of Panama is a slightly 

 paler and slightly smaller race of this rail. Tlie four examples 

 taken there by Mr. Brown cannot quite be mutchcd l)y continental 

 specimens, but the differences are too slioht and in this genus of 

 two unimportant a nature to base a subspecies uixm. 



There appears, however, to be in Bra/il a well nuirked sub- 

 species, the exact range of wliicli I am tliroii^'li want of suflicieiit 

 material unable to define. Skin "f" of Sliarpe's list in ( atalo.une 

 of Birds, belongs to this form (see footnote, p. .')S i and there is one 

 skin in the National Mnsenm, No. lMIlM from fSt. Catliarines ?) 

 Brazil collected by Lemuel Wells, that appears to at;-ree exactly 

 with Sharpe's Rio de Boraxudo specimen, differing from J. caja- 

 nea in being mostly gray above, the gray of the upper neck per- 

 vading the entire mantle, the wing coverts alone being olive and 

 these paler and decidedly more grayish olive than in .1. cajanea; 

 the rufous color of under parts, as pointed out by Sharpe in his 

 specimen too, is also paler. This bird is not (Uillhnila rn/irrps 

 S]>i.\, which, judged by the plate, is true A. cajdiira, an<l un- 

 .loubtedly rep'resents a' vali<l form. 



Another peculiar individual is a verv old skin in the Nalional 

 Mn.emn. no. LltOT, lab.'led liueno. Avre>, .] . K. 'r..wn<end 

 In color this example agrees with true .1. rajanra except in having 

 the rump nearly wholly dark reddish olive.' It i>, h(.w(>ver, very 

 1 icl 1 nth proportionally shorter tar>us and bill, the wing^. 



