PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 93 



(critical).— Boxap., Consp. I, 1850, 46.— Strickl., Orn. Syn. I, 1855, 204.— 

 Scl. & Salv., Ex. Orn. 1868, 102 (in text).— Gkay, Hand-1. I, 1869, 47. 

 Asio lophotes, Boxap., Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, 543. 

 ? Scops portoricensis, Less., Traite, I, ltf31, 107.— Pucheran, Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1849. 26 

 (critical). 



" Ephialites portoricensis " , Lzot., Ois. Trinidad, 1866, 57. 



Bemaeks. — This style, which prevails over Eastern South America 

 (Brazil, Paraguay, and Buenos Ayres), is characterized mainly by the 

 very sharp definition of the cross-bars on the lower parts, these being 

 usually nearly pure black upon an almost pure white ground, and by 

 the very distinctly orange-rufous bases of the feathers, this color show- 

 ing conspicuously on the lower surface wherever the plumage is disar- 

 ranged. 



Thirty specimens are before me, the localities represented being the 

 following: — Brazil (13), Paraguay (1), Buenos Ayres (1), Ecuador 

 (Napo 1), Columbia (Autioquia 2, Bogota 2), Costa Kica (9), and Gua- 

 temala (1.) Six specimens from Costa Rica, collected by Mr. J. C. 

 Zeledon, are almost uudistiuguishable from one another; the uniform- 

 ity of their characters being indeed remarkable for this species. Two 

 others which greatly resemble each other are one from Bogota, in 

 Salvin and Godman's collection, and one in my own collection [No. 

 2270) from Guatemala. These are almost exactly alike; they have 

 the upper parts of a dark grayish-brown color, very minutely and 

 densely vermiculated with blackish, further relieved by occasional, 

 inconspicuous lighter frecklings, and rather indistinct blackish mesial 

 streaks, most obvious on the pileum ; the feathers of the lower surface 

 are distinctly bright burf below the surface, while the blackish mark- 

 ings — both the transverse and the longitudinal ones — are sharply defined 

 and very distinct. Iu their general aspect, these specimens agree very 

 nearly with typical examples of the " brasilianus" style, but are darker 

 in their general coloring above, where the mottliugs are finer and 

 denser. 



A typical specimen of the style is Xo. 1G431 (Nat. Mas.), from Para- 

 guay. This has the lower plumage exactly like the two specimens 

 described above, but the upper parts are lighter and more grayish, with 

 the blackish mesial streaks in stronger relief. The Costa Rica speci- 

 mens alluded to above greatly resemble this one. but are rather paler 

 and more grayish. An extreme example is No. 12400 (Nat. Mas.), 

 from Buenos Ayres. This has the lower parts as described above, 

 except that the orange-buff of the basal portion of the feathers is 

 brighter, and the black mesial streaks broader. The upper parrs 

 are light tawny, or sandy clay-color (not rufous), with very minute 

 and inconspicuous transverse vermiculations, the black mesial streaks 

 broad and conspicuous, especially on the pileum, where they form 

 continuous stripes, while on the dorsal region they each have one 

 or two expansions, so as to form a bead -like series. Quite similar to 

 this, but darker above and with narrower streaks beneath, is a male in 

 Salvin and Godman's collection from Autioquia, Columbia. 



