Miscellaneous. 289 



taginecE to elaborate anew, he should not hesitate to reduce con- 

 siderably the number of species, " and perhaps to refer some entire 

 sections to a single specific type." Perhaps even the greater part 

 of two sections, we may add ; for of two sections in the ' Prodromus,' 

 one is founded upon substerile and the other upon truly fertile forms 

 of the same species, or set of species : and in another part of the 

 genus, one wide-spread American species figures under at least a 

 dozen names. — Asa Gray, in Silliman' s Jmerican Journal, Jan. 1858, 



Description of a new Genus and some new species of American Birds* 

 By P. L. ScLATER, M.A., F.L.S. &c. 



Neochloe, gen. nov. 



Neochloe genus novum Vireoni ajffine, sed ad Sylvicolam et hujuS' 

 modi genera spectans. Rostrum magis carinatum, basi latiore, 

 apice magis acuta : alee breves, quadratce, remige prima brevi, 

 secunda longiore, quarta, quinta, sexta et septima fere (Equali- 

 bus et tertiam paulo super antibus ; secundariis longis et pri' 

 m,ariam tertiam excedentibus : pedes ut in genere Vireone. 



Neochloe brevipennis. 



N. cinereus, dor so murino et viridi paululum lavato : capite toto 

 supero cum marginibus alarum et caudce flavicanti-viridibus ; re- 

 migibus et recti'icibus intus nigricanti-cinereis : abdomine medio 

 crissoque albis. 

 Long, tota 5*0, alee 2*2, caudse 2*1. 



Of this little bird must, I think, be constituted a third genus of 

 Vireonince ; the peculiar form of the wing rendering it impossible to 

 arrange it as either a Vireo or Vireosylvia. It has much of the 

 general form of a small species of the former genus, but is readily 

 separable by the short and square wing, all the secondaries (except 

 the three outer) exceeding the second primary in length. 



M. Botteri's collection contains one example of this bird (num- 

 bered 277), which is labelled "Orizaba, 8 Oct. 1856.'* 



ZONOTRICHIA BOTTERII. 



Supra ex cinereo rufescens, capitis et dorsi medii pennis media" 

 liter fusco-nigrisyharum autem marginibus rufescentibus, colore 

 rufescente fusco tnixtis : alis nigricantibus, tectricibus omnibus 

 pallido fusco late, remigibus rufo anguste, extus limbatis : 

 Cauda graduata, nigricante ; rectricum externarum apicibus 

 valde dilutioribus, pallide cinereis : subtus albidus, pectore 

 cinerasce?itiore, gula clariore, prcecipue ad latera rufescente 

 irroratus : carpo flavicante : alis et cauda subtus cinereis ; 

 rostra plumbeo ; tomiis pallidioribus : 'pedibus flavis. 

 Long, tota 6*0, alee 2 '5, caudae 2 '6. 



I have in vain attempted to identify this bird with any of the 

 known species of N. American Zonotricliice, and am forced to the 

 conclusion that it is probably undescribed. It comes nearer to Z» 



