Mr. P. L. Sclater on two new Species of American Parrots. 225 



I have not yet been able to identify the two Aras (spoken of, 

 Pr. Zool. Soc. 1857, p. 230) ; but one, without doubt, is Ara 

 macao (Lian.) [aracanga, Gm.), which is common on the Pacific 

 coast-region of Honduras*. 



2. Conurus xantholcBmus. 



Leete viridis, pileo summo caerulescente ; fronte late, oculorum am- 

 bitu, lateribus capitis et gula aurantiaco-flavis : pectore fulves- 

 cente : abdomine et tectricibus alarum inferioribus pallida flavo- 

 viridibus, ventre medio aurantiaco-flavo : remigibus alarum intus 

 fusco-nigris, extus cserulescenti-viridibus ; cauda subtus flavicanti- 

 olivacea, supra dorse concolore, apieem versus cserulescente ; rostro 

 nigro, pedibus nigricantibus. 



Long, tota 9'5, alse 5'30, caudse 4-30. 



Hab. in insula Sancti Thomse, Antillensium. 



I am indebted to my friends Alfred Newton, Esq., and his 

 brother Edward, who have done so much to increase our know- 

 ledge of the natural productions of the islands of St. Croix and 

 St. Thomas, for an opportunity of examining and describing 

 this apparently hitherto unnoticed species of Conurus. The 

 existence of this Parrot in St. Thomas has been known to 

 Mr. Newton for some time ; but it is only recently that he has 

 succeeded in obtaining specimens of it. 



This Conurus is of the same form as, and closely allied to, Conurus 

 pertinax of Brazil, C. chrysophrys of Guiana, and C. chrysogenys-\ 

 of Trinidad, but difi'ers in one particular or the other from each 

 of them. Like C. chrysogenys, it has a blue band on the top of 

 the head, but it may be at once distinguished from that bird 

 (perhaps its nearest ally) by the orange-yellow extending over 

 the throat. 



The Parrots of the Antilles, like the other animals inhabiting 

 those islands, seem to have a very limited geographical distribu- 

 tion, each island producing peculiar forms, which, though not 

 always separated by trenchant characters from their corre- 

 spondents in the other islands, generally present such difierences 

 as seem to require specific distinction. 



This is the case amongst the Mammalia in the genus Capro- 

 mys ; amongst the birds in the genera LamporniSj Todus, Spin- 

 dalis, Saurothera and others ; amongst the Reptiles in the genera 

 Dromicus and Anolis. Were the fauna of the Antilles properly 

 worked out, there is no doubt that numerous other instances 

 would be found of this geographical arrangement of species. 



* See Mr. Salvin's remarks in ^The Ibis/ 1859, p. 137- 



t Of M. de Souance, but subsequently reunited by him to Psittacus 



esruginosus of Linnaeus. This identification I am inclined to consider 



doubtful. 



Ann. i^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. VoLiv. 15 



