( 67 ) 



much darker brown on the upper parts with no rufous whatever on the uape and 

 sides of the neck, and has a distinct, though faint buffy wash on the sides of 

 the breast and abdomen. 



In the type from Teffe the head aud back are of a deep sepia brown. Three 

 specimens from the Peruvian Amazons : an immature c? from Ynrimaguas (Tring 

 Museum), a nearly adult bird from Chyavetas, and a <S from Santa Cruz (in the 

 Brit. Museum) differ slightly by having the upper parts rather brighter and clearer 

 brown, but as none of them is quite adult, this trifling variation may be due to age. 

 In other respects they are perfectly similar to the Teffe' specimen. They measure as 

 follows : Wing 52, 53, 49 ; tail 40, 52£, 47 ; bill 23—24 mm. 



The geographical forms of R. melanurus were not well understood hitherto. 



Mr. Sclater refers to R. albiventris specimens from Surinam, S. Esteban in 

 Venezuela, Eastern Ecuador, and Chyavetas in Peru. From his diagnosis {Ibis. 

 1883. p. 05) : " gastraeo albo," it is evident that he intended to separate the white- 

 bellied form which occurs in Surinam, Cayenne, and British Guiana. Of the two 

 examples indicated as the " types " in the Cat. Birds xv. p. 201, only the one from 

 Surinam belongs to R. m. albiventris, while the bird from S. Esteban, Venezuela, is 

 referable to R. m. trinitatis. 



Both R. m. melanurus and R. m. trinitatis differ from R. m. albiventris and 

 R. m. amazonum by their deep ochraceons sides of the neck, while R. m. sticttirus 

 Hellm., of Mattogrosso, is at once recognisable by having the three outer tail 

 feathers tipped with pure white (not with smoky grey). I hope to discuss all these 

 forms on another occasion. 



03. Hypocnemis cantator peruvianus Tacz. 



Cfr. Nov. Zool. supra p. 19. 



Nos. 790,837,886. S6 ad., 10, 23. vi., 10. vii. 00. "Iris brown, feet grey, 

 bill black, below grey." 



Nos. 830, 849. ? ? ad., IT. vi., 10. vii. 00. Soft parts as above. 



Identical with specimens from N.E. Peru (Samiria, Pebas, etc.) and Eastern 

 Ecuador (Rio Napo). One of the S c? has the flanks darker ochraceous than all the 

 other skins before me. 



64. Hypocnemis poecilinota griseiventris (Pelz.) 



[Hypocnemis poecilinota Cabanis, Arck.f. Naturg. 13. i. p. 212. pi. 4. fig. 2 (1847. — Brit. Guiana).] 

 Pithy* griseiventris Pelzelu, Zur Oiiiith. Braeil. ii. p. 167. descr. orig. °. (1868. — Villa Maria and 



Engenho do Gama, Mattogrosso ; Borba, Rio Madeira). 

 Hypocnemis poecilinota griseiventris Hellmayr, Nov. Zool. xiii. (1906) p. 372 (crit.) 



No. 071. t? ad., 20. v. 06. "Iris dark brown, feet grey-blue, bill black." — 

 Wing 70i ; tail 451 mm. ; bill damaged. 



No. S85. t$ juv., 23. vi. 06. " Iris greyish brown, feet grey-blue, bill black." — 

 Wing 66 ; tail 45), ; bill 18 mm. 



Nos. 670, 744. ? ? ad., 20. v., 2. vi. 00. "Iris brown, feet grey-blue, bill 

 black."— Wing 67, 08 ; tail 43, 47 ; bill 18 mm. 



The d ad., like that from Borba, discussed by me I.e. 371, has the upper tail- 

 coverts ciuereous, with a broad black subapical baud aud a narrower white apical 

 margin, and the median rectrices are washed with grey on the base. The throat, 

 however, is quite as dark slate-grey as the rest of the underparts. 



