( 390 ) 



Mr. Hoffmanns unfortunately obtained only a single immature example of this 

 apparently distinct species. In general appearance it resembles the female of 

 P. erythropterua (Gould) = P. trivittatus (ScL), but lias a much shorter tail and 

 a stronger bill. The erect feathers ou the forehead and lures are mnch longer. 

 Besides, there are several striking differences in colour. In P. erythropterua the 

 whole back, including the upper tail-coverts, is deep chestnut-brown, the lores 

 and the feathering of the eyelids are chestnut-rufous, like the crown ; there is 

 no black superciliary line ; all the lower surface is bright chestnut-rufous ; the 

 upper wing-coverts and inner secondaries have broad white apical margins, and all 

 the rcmiges (except, the " tertials " and the first primary) show a distinct white 

 streak in the middle of the outer web, the wing thus being thrice-banded. 



115. Foraricarius colma (Bodd.). 



Formicarius Colma Boddaert, Tabl. PI, enl. p. 44 (1783. — based ou K Le Colma, de Cayenne"; 



Daubenton, PI. enl. 703. fig. 1. = ? ad. !— Cayenne). 

 F. nigrifrons Gould, Ami. Mag. Nat. Hist. (■>) xv. p. 344 (May 1855. — Cliamicuros, East Peru). 

 F. nigrifrom glaucqpectus Ridgway, Pro: U.S. Mus. xvi. 1893. p. 673 (1894.— British Guiana). 



Nos. 1079, 1170. S ad. (c?) imm., Hnmaytha, 12, 20. viii. 00. "Iris dark 

 brown, bill and feet black."— Wing 84, 87£ ; tail 50£ ; bill 20, 19 mm. 



Both specimens have a broad frontal band of glossy black, and are practically 

 identical with the type of F. nigrifrons from Chamicnros (Brit. Mus.). On 

 examining more than twenty adult males from Cayenne, British Guiana, and 

 Upper Amazonia (West Brazil, Pern, East Ecuador, and Bogota coll.), I fail to 

 see any constant differences by which F. colma and /•'. nigrifrons could be separated, 

 though, as a rule, skins from Amazonia have a smaller bill, and the black of the 

 throat rather deeper and extended over the chest. So many specimens, however, 

 are indistinguishable that I cannot — for the present at least — recognise more than 

 one form. 



I have pointed out in my revision of Spix's types (pp. 619-20) that F. colma 

 of Boddaert is the earliest name for the black-fronted species. The figure in 

 Daubeutou's work upon which it is based represents the white-throated female. 



110. Formicarius ruficeps amazonicus Hellm. 



Formicarius ruficeps amazonicus Hellmayr, Om. Monaisber. x. p. 34 (1902. — Borba, Rio Madeira). 

 Formicarius ruficeps Hellmayr, Nov, Zool. xiii. 1906. p. 373 (Pari) ; Pelzoln, Zur Ornith. Bras. ii. 

 1868. p. 00 (Borba). 



Nos. 1441, 1409, 1425. 66 ad., $ imm., Borba, 27, 30. xi., 4. xii. 06. "Iris 

 dark brown, feet grey-brown, bill black." — Wing NO, 84, 86 ; tail 52 ; bill 

 19—21 mm. 



In my report on the birds collected by Mr. Hoffmanns in the district of Para 

 {I.e.) I somewhat hastily declared F. r. amazonicus to be inseparable from true 

 F. r. ruficeps, as the alleged colour differences proved lo lie variable. However, 

 on re-examining our material, which has since been considerably augmented, I find 

 that the birds from Pari and the Kin Madeira differ from the Sonth Brazilian 

 ones by their decidedly shorter tails, and the northern form is, after all, to be 

 upheld. 



The range of the two races is a> follows i 



