362 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



throat sometimes wliite (in one species, T. scJiistaceiceps, the throat 

 streaked wliite and gray, the chest nearly uniform pale gray, the 

 posterior under parts very pale yellow); in some species a yellow 

 superciliary stripe or supraloral spot. Sexes alike. 



Nidijication. — Nest (of T. nigriceps) attached to near extremity of 

 branch overhanging water, composed of dried grasses, etc., and 

 resembling in appearance a bunch of enlodged drift ; entrance a small 

 opening in one side. Eggs immaculate white or with a very few pale 

 ochreous-buff spots.** 



Range. — Southern Mexico to southern Peru and southwestern 

 Brazil. (About fifteen species.) 



I exclude fi'om this genus Todirostrum rujigene ^ Sclater and Salvin, 

 T. lenzi " Berlepsch, and T. ruficeps Kaup '\ on account of their bushy 

 crest, much shorter outer primaries, smaller, narrower, and more taper- 

 ing bill, and very different style of coloration. They constitute the genus 

 Poeciloiriccus ^ Berlepsch (type T. lenzi), to which possibly should be 

 referred T. capitale^ Sclater, a species which I have not seen, and wliich 

 has the "crown rufous." Count von Berlepsch suggests, however, 

 that this may be the female of T. picatum ^ Sclater ( also not seen by 

 me) the male of which has the whole pileum and most of other upper 

 parts black, which if really the case may necessitate a slight modifica- 

 tion of the color characters as given above, provided, of course, T. 

 picatum is a true Todirostrum. Even after eliminating the species 

 referred to Poecilotriccus the group is still a heterogeneous one, and 

 probably will require further subdivision, but before this is attempted 

 all the known species should be examined. Of those seen by me only 

 T. signatum agrees with the type species ( T. cinereum) in the form of 

 the bill, the other three having the bill much broader, with the lateral 



aCherrie, Auk, vii, 1890, 233, 234. 



b Todirostrum rujigene Sclater and Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1877, 522 (Mongi, 

 w. Ecuador; coll. Salvin and Godman). — Poecilotriccus rufigenis Berlepsch, Journ. fiir 

 Orn., 1884, 298. 



^Todirostrum lenzi Berlepsch, Journ. fiir Orn., 1884, 249, pi. 1, figs. 1, 2. (Bucara- 

 manga, Colombia; coll. Count von Berlepsch). — Poecilotriccus lenzi Berlepsch, Journ. 

 fiir Orn., 1884, 298. 



d Tod[irhamphus] ruficeps Kaup, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1851, 52 ("?Mexico;" coll. 

 Derby 'Mus.).~Todirost nun ruficeps Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1855, 67, 148; 

 Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xiv, 1888, 75. — Todirostrum multicolor Strickland, Jardine's 

 Contr. Orn., 1852, 42, pi. 85, fig. 2. 



c See p. 341 



/Todirostrum capitale Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1857, 83, pi. 125, fig. 2 (Rio 

 Napo, e. Ecuador; coll. Sir William Jardine); Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xiv, 1888, 75. 



g Todirostrum picatum Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1858, 70 (Rio Napo, e. Ecua- 

 dor; coll. Sclater); Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xiv, 1888, 74. 



