LÖNNBERG AND RENDAHL, ORNITHOLOGY OF ECUADOR. 39 



or even buff, nor of any slate. Although there is a certain 

 lesemblance between these two specimens on one side and 

 with as well B. erythronotus as B. hypospodius on the other, 

 it is very difficult to consider them as being (melanistic) 

 varieties of either. 



One of them is a male collected ^/^ 1916 on the southern 

 fiide of Pichincha at an altitude of 11000 f., the other is imsexed, 

 but presumably a female from Mojanda collected ^V^ 1907 

 at an altitude of 10000 f. 



Both are extremely dark and they do not appear to agree 

 with the description of any known form. The first specimen 

 viz. the male is uniformly warm sepia above, still darker below 

 almost black. Concealed bases of the feathers of the neck 

 white. Primaries black, the inner web with påle cross-bars, 

 which distally are obsolete but proximally become more 

 pronounced and white, mottled with brown. On the inner 

 primaries the påle bars are to be seen on the outer web as 

 well, but only faintly. The pattern of the secondaries is similar 

 to t hat of the inner primaries. Lower side of wing greyish 

 white; the inner web of the outer primaries somewhat mottled 

 with darker; the inner primaries and the secondaries more 

 regularly barred; the tips of the outer primaries blackish with 

 påle spöts or bars on the inner web. The upper tail-coverts 

 with concealed longitudinally oval, buffy white spöts arranged 

 in pairs on the middle ones, tending to form cross-bars on 

 the outer ones. Tail-feathers brownish grey with 12 to U 

 blackish cross-bars and an obsolete subterminal broader spöt 

 or bar. On the inner web of the outer tail-feathers the påle 

 interspaces are more or less mottled with white. 



The under wing-coverts chiefly black, but the longer 

 ones with oval white spöts in pairs, or cross-bands. On some 

 few of the axillaries as well these oval white spöts are to be 

 seen. 



The other specimen (presumably younger) is similar in 

 its general aspect, but the white of the neck is more visible. 

 Middle upper wing-coverts with oval greyish white spöts. 

 Upper scapulars with similar oval spöts, the longer ones with 

 whitish cross-bars. Upper tail-coverts similar to those of the 

 former specimen, but the creamy oval spöts, resp. the white 

 bars more developed. Throat, fore-neck and chest uniformly 

 dark sepia, almost black, breast and belly including lower 



