BANGS AXD PENARD: NOTES ON AMERICAN BIRDS. 389 



The name Pachyrhamphus atricapiUus, based on Lanius atricapillus 

 IMerrem, was formerly used by authors for the species now known as 

 Pachyrhamphiis marginatus (Lieht.), but Merrem's description being 

 considered unidentifiable and unsatisfactory, the name atricapiUus 

 was discarded by Berlepsch {loc. cit.). ^Ye have not been able to 

 consult the original reference, and hence rely entirely upon the judg- 

 ment of Berlepsch who abandoned the name and suggested that it 

 might possibly apply to some form of the pohjchoptervs group. Since 

 the type-locality of Merrem's L. atricapillus is Surinam, it follows that 

 if the name should eventually be considered valid for this species it 

 would not only be applicable to this form but, being the earliest name, 

 would have to be used as the specific term in the names of all other 

 forms. 



The name P. m. tristis Kaup unquestionably belongs in the 

 polychopterus group. The description, "all under parts dark grey, 

 mixed with black" can apply to only two forms — P. p. polychopterus 

 and this, all others, except P. p. varicgatus, which is uniform black, 

 ha\-ing pale under parts without any admixture of black, although 

 some specimens may have slightly freckled under parts. But the 

 wing measurement of 75 mm., given by Kaup for an adult male, does 

 not agree with that of the southern Brazilian bird, in which the wing 

 measurement of the male is at least 80 mm. Thus by elimination the 

 name is found to apply to the form inhabiting Guiana, Venezuela, 

 Trinidad, and Tobago, which we consider all one, and since no type- 

 locality was mentioned by Kaup, we designate Cayenne and adopt the 

 name tristis for this form. 



In our opinion, the names P. n. tobagensis Cory, P. macconnelli 

 Chubb, and P. albiloris Chubb, are all applicable to this form. We 

 have examined the type of P. n. tobagensis which agrees well with 

 many examples from Venezuela and is certainly not separable. So 

 far as we can judge without actual comparison with the types, the 

 characters claimed by Chubb for P. macconnelli are simply those of 

 the form under discussion, while P. albiloris represents the specimens 

 with small white lores, of which we have many in the series before us 

 from various parts of Venezuela including San Estaban, the type- 

 locality. 



Thus we see that not only has this form suffered much from nomen- 

 clatural changes, but even now matters in this regard are not finally 

 settled. For, even assuming that fL. alricapillus Merrem be con- 

 sidered permanently disposed of as unidentifiable, still, as Hellma\T 

 and Seilern have remarked, the type of P. polychopterus may, upon 



