VOL. XVIII, PP. 219-222 OCTOBER 17, 1905
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE NEW BIRDS FROM THE
MERIDA REGION OF VENEZUELA.
BY J. H. RILEY.
By permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
The U. S. National Museum recently purchased a small col
lection of bird skins from the well-known zoological collectors
Salomon Briceno Gabaldon e hijos from the Merida region of
Venezuela. Coming from a locality from which most of the
European museums and collectors have received so much mate
rial, principally from the above source and the exertions of
A. Goering, it was not to be expected that the collection would
contain many novelties. The three following birds appear to
be new, however, and are herewith described.
Leptasthenura montivagans sp. nov.
Type from San Antonio, Venezuela, 3000 meters. No. 190,383, U. S.
National Museum, cT adult. July 20, 1903.
Specific characters. Similar to Leptasthenura andicola Sclater, but grayer,
the back more prominently streaked with white, the shaft streaks on the
top of the head lighter, the wings shorter and the tail feathers more pointed.
Description. Top of head black with cinnamon shaft streaks cervix and;
interscapular region clove brown with rather broad white shaft streaks ;
lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts broccoli brown with obsolete
dusky streaks, these streaks more pronounced and lighter on the rump ;
chin and narrow superciliary streak white below hair brown with white;
shaft streaks, these streaks more pronounced on the jugulum and chest,
fading and becoming obsolete on the belly flanks washed with Isabella;
43 PROC. BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XVIII, 1905. (219)
220 Riley Descriptions of Three New Birds from Venezuela.
color; under tail-coverts dusky with whitish edgings; wings blackish, the
coverts prominently edged with bistre, the inner primaries and secondaries
light rufous near the base, the rufous divided by a black line along the
shaft in the primaries; the under wing blackish, the inner primaries and
secondaries edged with vinaceous-cinnamon under; wing-coverts vina-
ceous-cinnamon, whitish along the bend of the wing; tail blackish, the
three outer feathers margined on the outer web with white and rather
broadly-tipped diagonally with hair brown with some obscure black
mottlings, the two central feathers narrowly margined with hair brown.
Bill and feet (in skin) black.
AVing, 65.5; tail, 95; culmen, 10.5 ; tarsus, 20 middle toe, 12.5 mm. A;
female collected at the same locality is similar to the male and measures :
Wing, 64; tail, 89 ; culmen, 10; tarsus, 19; middle toe, 12.5 mm. Three
unsexed specimens of Leptasthenura andicola from Ecuador average : Wing,
68.8
; tail, 81.3; culmen, 10 ; tarsus, 20.3; middle toe, 13.2 mm.
Haplospiza montosa sp. nov.
Type from San Antonio, Venezuela, 3,000 meters. No. 190,413, U. S.
National Museum, c? ad. August 15, 1903.
Specific characters. Similar to Haplospiza nivaria Bangs, but with a longer
bill, darker both above and below, and with the feet and tarsi horn color
not black.
Description. Above blackish slate, darker on the interscapular region and
lighter on the rump pileum showing indistinct striations the forehead; ;
and lores washed with pale gray below slate color, whitish on the anal;
region under tail-coverts whitish with dark centers tail blackish; ; ; wings
blackish, all the feathers edged with the color of the back. Bill (in skin)
blackish, lighter along the center of lower mandible; tarsi and feet horn
color. Wing, 80.5 tail, 61 culmen, 12 tarsus, 23 middle toe, 15.5 mm.; ; ; ;
Female similar above to that ofHaplospiza nivaria but much more heavily
streaked below with black, the streaks heavier on the chest. Wing, 73.5 ;
tail, 55.5 culmen, 11 ; tarsus, 21 middle toe, 14 mm.; ;
Remarks. While the male does not differ greatly from //. nivaria, the
female is quite another bird. It is heavily streaked below with broad
black streaks and though these are heavier on the chest it is not as lightly
streaked on the lower breast and belly as H. nivaria. Besides the type
there are two immature males in the plumage of the female, and one adult
female, all collected at the same locality and on the same day.
Pheucticus uropygialis meridensis subsp. nov.
Type from Pedregora, Venezuela, 2,500 meters. No. 190,410, U. S. Na
tional Museum, c? ad. April 29, 1903.
Subspecific characters. Similar to Pheucticus uropygialis Sclaterand Salvin,
but rump more extensively yellow, the interscapular region mottled with
yellow, the breast deeper yellow, and the flanks without black spotting.
Description. Head, chin, throat, and jugulum black; feathers of the
interscapular region gray at the base, then a small white spot followed by
a small lemon yellow spot on one or both webs and tipped with black ;
Riley Descriptions of Three New Birds from Venezuela. 221
feathers of rump gray at the base, followed by a small white spot, then
broadly by lemon yellow, and narrowly tipped with black tail-; upper
coverts black with a lemon yellow or white spot near the tip and gray at
the base ; breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts deep lemon yellow, the
feathers gray at the base with a white spot next to the yellow tail; black,
the three outer feathers rather broadly tipped with white, succeeded by a
tiny black dot at the tip, the white much reduced on the third feather
and not reaching the outer web, the fourth feather with three tiny white
dots at the tip; wings black, the lesser coverts deep lemon yellow, the
greater coverts with large white spots at the tip forming a conspicuous
wing patch, the eight outer primaries white at the base, the white not
reaching the outer web on the outermost, forming a wing speculum tertials;
and secondaries with a white spot on the outer web near the tip under;
wing-coverts deep lemon yellow ; thighs black, tipped with lemon yellow;
upper mandible (in skin) black, lower bluish slate color; tarsi black.
Wing, 104.5 ; tail, 86 ; culmen, 22 tarsus, 23.5 middle toe, 18 mm.; ;
Remarks. Though this form is described from a single specimen the dif
ferences, taken in connection with the fact that the Merida region seems
to be faunally distinct from the country to the east and west of it, are great
enough to warrant its separation as a geographical race at least.