90 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP [1885. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS CYANOCORAX. 

 BY ALAN F. GENTRY. 

 Cyanocorax Heilprini, n. sp. 



Sp. Char. — Above light brown, with decided purplish shade. 

 Front of head from a line directly back of eye, sides of head and 

 neck, together with the throat, black ; frontal plumes bristly and 

 recurved ; spot of purplish-blue at base of lower mandible. Crown, 

 occiput and hind-neck lilac or light violet. Breast and abdomen 

 brown, with deeper purplish reflections than on the rest of the 

 body, and becoming lighter towards the vent. Tail concolorous 

 with back above, brownish underneath, and broadly tipped with 

 white ; under tail-coverts white. Tibiae ashy ; bill and legs black. 

 Length, 14-25 ; wing, 6-75 ; tail, 6-31 ; tarsus, 2-75 ; bill, 1-50. 



Habitat.' — Rio Negro. A single specimen, marked <$, and part 

 of the T. B. Wilson Collection of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences. 



Mr. R. B. Sharpe, in his Catalogue of the Birds of the British 

 Museum, vol. iii, divides the genus into two sections, which are 

 respectively characterized by the presence or absence of white 

 tips to the tail-feathers. While properly coming under the first 

 di vision by reason of the existence of tips, it differs very markedly 

 from the species therein included, the breast and abdomen being 

 purplish brown and dusky instead of white, and the blue or white 

 spot above, as well as below the eye, being wanting. But in the 

 close resemblance which obtains between the upper and lower 

 surfaces of the body, there is a manifest relationship to the group 

 with uniform tail-feathers. 



The species is dedicated to my friend, Prof. Angelo Heilprin, 

 of Philadelphia, in recognition of his services to science. 



