NOTE ON PACHYRHAMPHUS ALBINUCHA, BURMEISTER. 



BV 



ROHEKT RiDGWAV, 



Cnnilor of the Department of BirJs. 



For somoi 17 years there has been in the coHecition of the U. S. National 

 Mnseuin, a binl-skin labeled with the above name, received from Dr. 

 liiirineister himself. This name 1 have been unable to find in any work 

 where it would be expected to occur, even the '" Argentine Ornithology " 

 of Messrs. Sclater and Hudson mentioning it but casually in the biblio- 

 gi'ai»hii'al appendix, wliile l>i'. 8elater's eiitalogu<* of tin; Oligomyodie 

 ("Catalogue of tile Birds in the JJritisli Museum," vol. xiv) al>solutely 

 ignores it. This seems very remarkable in view of the fact that the 

 bird was clearly described as long ago as 23 years (P. Z. S., 18(»S, p. <;:ir)), 

 ;m I is so cons])icuously distin(;t from anytiiing else, though resembling 

 superficially in coloration PavhiirhamphuH cinereus (Bodd.J. 



rarhyrhamphuH ((Jhiniicha, h;i\iiig a pycnaspidian tarsus, is a member 

 of the family Cotiiu/idd' ; but it is so ditferent in other ])oints of its 

 structure from the tyi)i('al members of the genus in whi(;h it was placed 

 by its descriUer that there can be no <piestion it does not belong there. 

 In fact, the normal size and Ibnn t)f the second primary necessitates its 

 icmoval from the subfamily Tityrimv. According to the characters used 

 by Dr. Sclater for the classification of these birds, it wouM seem to be- 

 long to the subfamily Lipai(f/in(v; but on comparison with thi^ various 

 genera in this and other "sul)families" it is found to api)roaeii more 

 nearly to Cdsittntis in strueturi^ than to any otiier. The dillerenees, 

 however, from C<(/iioniis, are so numerous and so great, that there 

 seems to be no resource but to establish a new genus for its reception. J, 

 therefore, propose as the name for the new genus the name Xcnopsaris. 



The characters of the genus and its type s})ecies are as follows: 



Xenopsaris, jionns novum Cotiii;ji<l:iniin. (Typo, racliyrhamphim albitiiicha Hiir- 



IlU'iHtlT. ) 



CiKN. riiAK. : Similar to Casinmis l>p., but bill very much smaller, 

 narrower, and more elevated at tin- base, with eulmeii gradually curved 

 throughout its length; nasal and rietal bristles much h'ss developed ; 

 tail nearly as long as the wing, emarginate and nnimled {i. <., double- 

 ronntled), the feathers rather narrow ; prinniries exceeding secondaries 

 by more than length of bill; the second, third, and fourth <piills nearly 



47U 



ProcoedinRs N.ttioiial Miiseiim, Vol. XIV — No. 870. 



