356 Mr. Swainson on the Genus Psaris. 



grey on the body, and becoming almost white on the chin : inner 

 wing coverts deep fulvous. Wings moderate, the first and fourth 

 quills are of equal length ; the second and third are the longest, 

 ind are also equal. The spurious quill, which seems a peculiar 

 characteristic of this genus, is rather broad, except near its apex, 

 where it becomes suddenly narrowed, and terminates in a point : 

 the inner margins of all the quills, towards their base, are white : 

 the tail, in a tery slight degree, is rounded, the two exterior fea- 

 thers on each side being somewhat shorter than those in the 

 middle ; tarsi black. 



I received a single specimen of this bird from the southern part 

 of Brazil, sometime ago : it was stated to be a male. The patch 

 of soft downy feathers on the back, a character so frequent among 

 the African Malaconoti is entirely wanting in all the birds of the 

 sub-family Tyrannina, which I have hitherto seen. 



Total length 7 inches ; bill 1 ; wings 4 ; tail ^-q', tarsi -J-^, 



PsARis niger. 

 P. nigery infra griseus ; caudce sub-graduatce^ nigrce^ apice albo. 

 Black, beneath grey ; tail slightly graduated, black, tipt with 

 white. 



Description. 



Nearly the size of Psaris Cuvieri. Bill blueish black, the 

 nostrils ai'e rather large, and covered by a membrane, at the ex- 

 tremity of which is placed the aperture ; the whole being pro- 

 tected, and nearly concealed, by slightly incumbent feathers, 

 intermixed with weak bristles. The front and upper part of the 

 head are deep black, with a gloss of steel blue, which gradually 

 disappears ; grey on the neck and middle of the back : the rump 

 and upper tail coverts are dark grey ; the wings are black ; the 

 white tips of the greater and lesser coverts forming two unequal 

 bands ; the margins of the scapulars and of the lesser quills are 

 also white. All the under plumage is dark grf^y, verging towards 

 black on the throat and breast. The wings are of a less pointed 

 form than those of P. cristaius; the first quill is shorter than the 

 fourth, and the intermediate spurious quill is abruptly emarginate 



