NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXI. UIU. 



ill 



The careful study of a large amount of material in various Museums during the 

 last ten years has revealed the existence of three well-marked races of P. ohxcura, 

 each having a definite geographical range. Two have already received names, but 

 the most distinct and commonest of the three is evidently undescribed. 



I proceed to give a description of their characters and a short account of their 

 distribution. 



(«) Penelope obsctira obscura (Temm.). 



Penelope ohxrnm Temminok, Hist. Nat. Pig. et Gall. iii. p. 68 (1815. — ex Azara, No. 335 : 



Paraguay). 

 P. nigricapiUa Gray, P. Z. S. Land 1860, p. 269 a860— "Brazil "). 



Hab. — Paraguay (Azara, ('apt. Page): Rio Vermejo (Page), Pilcomayo (Kerr); 

 Central Argentine : Mocovi (Chaco), prov. Santa Fe (Venturi) ; Uruguay : Isles 

 of the Uruguay (Barrows), Paysandu (Aplin) ; South Brazil : Rio Grande do Sul 

 (Ihering, Sellow). 



Frontal crest uniform black ; ground-colour of pileum and hindneck blackish, 

 with a faint greenish sheen ; a few of the feathers on the anterior portion of the 

 crown only with very narrow, pale brownish or greyish brown lateral edges ; general 

 colour of back, foreneck, and chest dark bronze green ; upper mantle, lesser and 

 median wing-coverts narrowly edged with greyish white ; foreneck uniform dark 

 bronze green, feathers of chest broadly margined with greyish white ; belly dark 

 bronze brown, without rufescent cross-lines. Wing 275-2'.J5 mm. 



Examined. — 3 c? 6 ad. Rio Grande do Sul, two in the Vienna Museum obtained 

 by Sellow in January 1824, one in Count Berlepsch's collection, taken by Prof, von 

 Ihering, July 21, 1884; ? Mocovi (Chaco), Argentine, Nov. 15, 1903, S. Venturi 

 coll., in Tring Museum; 1 adult, Paraguay (Capt. Page); 1 c?, 1 adult from 

 Paysandu, Uruguay, A. Peel and 0. Aplin coll., and the type of P. nigricapiUa Gray, 

 from " Brazil," in the British Museum. 



Obs. — There is no difference between the South Brazilian examples and those 

 from Mocovi and Uruguay (Paysandu, Aplin coll.). The bird obtained by Capt. 

 Page in Paraguay and the type of P. nigricapiUa, (Mus. Brit. S. 44. 11.7. LSI), 

 Clausen, Brazil) are old, faded skins, and, besides, in very worn plumage. The 

 general coloration having turned to brownish green, they might, on superficial 

 examination, be mistaken for P. o. bridgesi. However, the reduction of the brownish 

 margins on the fore-crown and the narrow, dull greyish-white edges on the upper 

 wing-coverts leave no doubt as to their being referable to the present race. 



(b) Penelope obscura bridgesi Gray. 



Penelope bridgesi Gray, P.Z. S. 1860, p. 269 (1860. -Bolivia ; Bridges coll.). 



P. obscura (neo Temminck) Salvadori, Bull. .!/'«.<. Zool. Torino 12, No. 292, 1897, p. 34 (Caiza, 

 S.E. Bolivia). 



Hab. — Bolivia (Bridges) : Caiza (Borelli) ; N.W. Argentine : Oran, Salta 

 (Gerling), Tucumdn (Venturi, Dinelli). 



Frontal crest uniform black ; general colour of upper parts, foreneck and chest 

 decidedly bronze brown (without any greenish tinge) ; feathers of the crown con- 

 spicuously edged with pure white ; those of the mantle as well as the upper wing 

 coverts broadly margined with pure white ; foreneck and chest dark bronze brown, 

 with distinct greyish white edges ; breast and abdomen bronze brown, crossed by 

 numerous dark rufous wavy lines or vermiculations. 



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