NEW NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. . 95 
SUBSPECIFIC CHARACTERS. Similar to P. dilophus floridanus, 
but with the nuptial plumes pure white, instead of black. Similar 
in coloration to P. dilophus cindnnatus, but much smaller. Hab. 
Pacific coast of United States, from California (Farallone Islands) 
to Cape St. Lucas ; Revillegigedo Islands, Western Mexico. 
This is the small southern form of cincinnatus, being, like the 
latter, distinguished by its white nuptial tufts, but differs in its 
much smaller size, in which respect it agrees closely with floridanus. 
P. dilophus thus may be separated into four races, the two southern 
ones {floridanus and albociliatus) distinguished from their northern 
representatives (dilophus and cintinnatus) by smaller size alone, 
while the western forms (cincinnatus and albociliatus} appear to 
differ from the eastern ones only in the color of the nuptial tufts, 
which seem to be always white or much mixed with white, instead 
of black with little or no admixture of white. 
DESCRIPTION OF A NEW AMERICAN KINGFISHER. 
BY ROBERT RIDGWAY. 
Read February 23, 1884, and published by permission of the Director of the U. S. 
National Museum. 
Ceryle superciliosa stictoptera, new subspecies. 
? Chloroceryle superciliosa SCL., P. Z. S., 1864, 176, (City of Mexico.) 
Ceryle superciliosa LAWR., Ann. Lye., N. Y., ix, 1869, 204, (Sisal, Yucatan). 
(?) Id., Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 4, 1876, 3, (Isth. Tehuan- 
tepec). (?) SuMiCH.,Mem. Bost. Soc.,i, 1869,560, (hot reg. 
of Vera Cruz). (?) Bouc., Liste Ois. rec. Guat. (in Ann. 
Soc. Linn. Lyon), 1878, 26. 
HABITAT. Yucatan ; also, presumably, other parts of Southern 
Mexico and Guatemala. (NOTE. The references given above, 
which are preceded by a mark of interrogation, are so designated 
for the reason that specimens from the localities indicated have 
not been examined.) 
SUBSPECIFIC CHARACTERS. Similar to C. superaliosa, but outer 
webs of secondaries conspicuously spotted with white (in three trans 
verse rows), and with the white on the rectrices much more extended. 
BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 
Of C. superciliosa (vera), the Museum possesses specimens from 
Demerara, Trinidad, Isthmus of Panama, and Costa Rica. These 
all have the outer webs of the secondaries either entirely im 
maculate, or else marked with very minute specks of dull fulvous. 
These markings are wanting in the two Demerara examples, are 
barely indicated in two from the isthmus, and are rather distinct 
(though still deep fulvous in color) in the one from Costa Rica 
rendering it, therefore, probable that specimens from intermediate 
points might complete the transition from one to the other. It 
should be remarked, however, that the Costa Rican example (No. 
64,666) is much more like South American skins than those from 
Yucatan, upon which the new race (possibly species) is based. 
Types, Nos. 39,297, $ , and 39,206, 9, Sisal, Yucatan, May, 
1865; Dr. A. Schott. 
NOTE ON PSALTRIPARUS GRINDS, BELDING. 
BY ROBERT RIDGWAY. 
(Read February 23, 1884.) 
In my description of this species, on p. 155, vol. 6, of the Pro 
ceedings of the United States National Museum, I inadvertently 
made an erroneous comparison between this species and P. me 
lanotis, as follows : "From the latter [P. plumbeus} it differs in 
much whiter throat and decidedly clearer, more bluish, shade of the 
upper parts, in both of which respects there is a close resemblance 
to P. melanotis. ' ' I wrote from memory, not having a specimen 
of P. melanotis before me at the time. Upon actual comparison I 
now find that while the statement is essentially correct so far as the 
coloration of the lower parts is concerned, I was greatly in error re 
garding the coloration of the upper parts. The difference is very 
great, P. melanotis having the pileum and nape fine light plumbe 
ous-gray, exactly like the back of P. grinda, while the back, etc. , 
are bright brownish drab, much like the pileum and nape of P. 
grinda, only more olivaceous. The relative position of the two 
colors is, in fact, exactly reversed in the two species.