( ol8 ) 



Amazilia fascicaudata (Fnis.) = A. rieflferi (Konrc). 



Mr. Salvin, in Cot. B. Brit. Miis. XVI. ]i. 217, hns asserted that ■' liis series 

 (about ninety specimens) shows on the whole tliut this sjiecies is vcrv constant 

 throughont its range, and exhibits no localized races tlint I can trace." It is true that 

 the enormous series of ninety specimens in the British Museum is less instractive 

 than the much smaller one now in Mr. Rothschild's Museum, because those ninety 

 are mostly from Central America; nevertheless the lung bill in the Esraeraldas 

 skin migiit have been noticed. As it is, the birds from Sontli-West Colombia and 

 North- West Ecuador (and probably from other jdaces along the coast), of which I 

 have before me a fine series from Rio Dagna, Paramba, and Chimbo, differ materially 

 from Amazilia fuxcicandnfa fiincicauddtn from the Bogotii range of mountains, 

 and the Andes of Ecuador and Santa Marta, in their c.ons])icnonsly longer beak, 

 paler abdomen, and generally lighter under tail-coverts. Had Mr. Salvin been aware 

 of these differences he would ])robably have allowed specific rank to the western 

 form, but I j)ref'er to fall it .\mazilia fnscicaudata juatnda (Heine). Althougii 

 Heine was no doubt right in distinguishing this form, 1 cannot follow liini in his 

 views about the <listiuctness of .•<ii(n-i.s. Heine often judged from a very small and. 

 insufficient series, and sometimes regarded individual characters as specific ones 

 He and ( 'abanis considered the colour of the bill in these birds to be of imjKirtance 

 for distinguishing different species, while Salvin says that the wa/c has the maxilla 

 llesh-colonr with the ti]) only black, the female has the maxilla blackish with (tnly 

 the base flesh-colour. ISahin's explanation is not borne out by the birds collected 

 and dissected by Rosenberg, which are evidently properly dissected, as the skins 

 marked " (J " by him have invariably longer wings than those marked " <f ." 

 On the other hand, there are specimens with mostly flesh-eoloni'ed beaks and 

 others with mostly black ones from the same localities before me, although it is 

 true that more of the birds from West Ecuador and most of those from Central 

 America have dark maxillae, while those from Bogota have them nearly all reddish 

 with the excejrtion of just the tip. There seems to be no donbt that the dark-billed 

 birds are younger individuals. ( 'entral-American birds, at least those from north of 

 Panama, have generally longer wings and often a more golden gloss on the rumj), 

 and might form a subspecies A. f. (IuLkm. The difference, however, is very slight. 

 '^\\(t female is like the male, except that the wing is about 2 or :! mm. shorter and 

 the green on the throat-feathers is less extende(l, so that inori' of the b;isai light 

 greyish or whitish colour appears there. 



One skin is before me from the Andes of Merida, sent by S. Hricei'io Gabaldi'm 

 in ISOT, whosi' Imnters shot at an elevation of about 2itiiii m. in May. It docs 

 lint differ materially from Bogota skins, but the locality is, I believe, new. 



The name A. J'tiseicaudata is the oldest. The type in the Liverpool Museum is 

 from Bogota, but in the original description " Chachapoyas, Peru," was given by 

 mistake. No such bird has ever been found there, and the descri])tion, although 

 not very good, agrees with the type, which I consider imdoubtedly to be the type. 



Chrysuronia oenone and subspecies. 



The typo is said to be from "Trinidad," but came perhnjis. like most supposed 

 Trinidad birds, from the mainland nf Venezuela. Count Berlepsch separated 

 C/t/yn. oenone lo?iffirosfri.s from Bogota. The only difference of this form is the very 

 slightly longer bill of most specimens — a peculiarity of a great many Bogotii forms. 



