6Jl Zoological Society : — 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



November 28, 1854. — Dr. Gray, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



On two New Species of Dacnis, and on the General 



Arrangement of the Genus. 



By Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A. 



1. Dacnis hartlaubi, Sclater. D. turcoso-ccerulea ; gula loris 

 et fascia per oculos lata cum cervice laterali et dorso superiore 

 velutino-nigris ; alis caudaque minus splendide nigris ; secon- 

 dariorum marginihus externis cccruleis; rostra et pedibus nigris. 



Long, tota 4*5 ; alee 2*6 ; caudse 1*8 poll. Angl. 

 Hab. In Nova Grenada. 



Obs. Similis J), angelicce, sed major, gula nigra, ventre crissoque 

 cseruleis concoloribus neque albis. 



I have as yet seen only one example of this Dacnis, which is in 

 the fine collection of birds in the Bremen Museum. In its upper 

 colouring it resembles D. angelica, but wants the broad black front 

 of that species. The lower plumage comes nearer that of B.cayana, 

 but the black does not reach so far down the throat. It slightly 

 exceeds the latter species in size. The bill and legs are black. 



2. Dacnis egregia, Sclater. B. turcoso-ccerulea ; fronte gula 

 loris et fascia per oculos lata cum cervice laterali, dorso supe- 

 riore, alis caudaque nigris; tectricibus alarum minoribus et 

 secondariorum marginibus externe cceruleis ; tectricibus sub- 

 alaribus et ventre medio crissoque cum tibiis flavis. 



Hab. In Nova Grenada. 



Obs. Species D. angeliccc forma crassitie et coloribus fere sequalis, 

 sed ventre crissoque et tectricibus subalaribus flavis nee albis. 



I am indebted to Mr. G. R. Gray for allowing me to name this 

 pretty Dacnis, of which one specimen w^as lately acquired by the 

 British Museum from M. Parzudaki of Paris. In its plumage above 

 it resembles D. angelica. A glance, however, at^its lower surface, 

 where a bright yellow takes the place of the pure white belly and 

 underwing- coverts of the other species, is sufficient to show its di- 

 stinctness. 



Since I wrote some papers on the genus Dacnis in Sir William 

 Jardine's ' Contributions to Ornithology,' Professor Reichenbach of 

 Dresden has treated of this family in his ' Handbuch der Speciellen 

 Ornithologie,' part iv. Professor Reichenbach is unpleasantly sur- 

 prised, he there says, to find that I have described a Dacnis cay ana, 

 which is by no means cayana, but no other than his third species, 

 D. cyanomelas. Now, I admit that my D. cayana is nothing 

 more than Prof. Reichenbach' s third species, which he calls cyano- 

 melas-, but I maintain that this very bird is no other than the 



