BANGS AND PENAKD: SOME CRITICAL NOTES ON BIRDS. 27 



mentum, there is another specimen from Chile in the Lafresnaye Col- 

 lection, M. C. Z. 77,317, Lafr. coll. 4,600. These three specimens 

 are very much smaller than any of a large series from the Falkland 

 Islands in M. C. Z., from which we consider them subspecifically dis- 

 tinct. We therefore revive the name mentalis for the small continen- 

 tal form. 



Sclater (Cat. birds Brit, mus., 1888, 14, p. 55) doubtfully places 

 M. albimentum Lafr. in the synonymy of M. cincrca Philippi and 

 Landbeck. The type is a specimen without the brown spot on the 

 chin, and we identify it with certainty as Muscisaxicola macloviana 

 mentalis d'Orb. and Lafr. of which it is presumably a female, as Lafres- 

 naye himself at first thought. 



In designating our specimen of M. mentalis d'Orb. and Lafr. as a 

 cotype, we offer the following explanation : — 



The types of the species originally described in joint authorship by 

 d'Orbigny and Lafresnaye are generally supposed to be in the Paris 

 Museum, and undovibtedly the specimens there have a just claim 

 to that distinction. We know, however, that many of these species 

 were represented by several individuals, and in such cases Lafresnaye 

 obtained from d'Orbigny a specimen, or several specimens, for him- 

 self. It is even possible that the descriptions were made from Lafres- 

 naye's specimens, since it is known that he did most of the work in 

 connection with the preparation of the manuscripts of papers published 

 in joint authorship "with d'Orbigny. 



Under the circumstances, and in absence of positive proof to the 

 contrary, we think the specimens in the Lafresnaye collections should 

 be considered cotypes whenever there is sufficient information to 

 indicate that they were of d'Orbigny's collecting. Evidence of this 

 nature is to be found on the old labels in the form of a statement of 

 the locality, exactly as originally published, often accompanied by 

 d'Orbigny's name. In our proposed account of the Lafresnaye Col- 

 lection we shall enter such specimens as cotypes followed by a query 

 to indicate the doubtful status of the specimen, in the manner indi- 

 cated above. In all instances we shall give an exact copy of the 

 labels, so that ornithologists may decide for themselves upon the 

 merits of each individual case. 



Muscisaxicola albilora albilora Lafresnaye. 



Mnscisaxicola albilora Lafr., Rev. et mag. zool., 1855, p. i>0 (type- 

 locality not stated — we select Vicinity of Santiago, Chile). 



