1-~G.J PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 93 



¥. Breast and abdomen largely mixed with ferrnginons ; bill, from nostril, less 



than 1 inch, i-ather more compressed. Habitat — Columbia ; Venezuela ? 



P. GREXADENSis (Lafr.) 

 a^. Gorget rufous, the feathers tipi^ed with brownish red. 



6'. .Feathers of gorget abruptly tipped with brownish red; breast and abdomen 



clear ferruginous. Hahitat — Venezuela; Colombia? 



P. OREXOCENSis (Lafr.) 



b-. Feathers of gorget indistinctly tipped with darker brownish red ; breast and 



abdomen dark fi iruginons-chestnnt. Habitat — Head-waters of Orinoco ? 



P. MASONI Ridgw. 



The four forms characterized above appear to be divisible into two 

 groups, each apparently representing a distinct species, with two geo- 

 graphical races. If this view of their relationship is correct, they should 

 stand, respectively, as follows: {1) P. scutatus {Shu-^); (2) P. scutatus 

 grenade lists (Lafr.) ; (3) P. orenocensis (Lafr.) ; (4) P. orenocensis masoni 

 Kidgw. The intergradation of P. scutatus and P. grenadensis is strongly 

 indicated, if not proven, by a specimen in the National Museum (Xo. 

 ] 05,850), said to be from Venezuela, which is exactly intermediate in 

 coloration between a Brazilian example (No. 21,858) and one from Bo- 

 gota (Xo. 100,296). 

 2. Aulacorhamphus dimidiatus, sp. nov. 



Sp. char. — Similar to A. atrogularis (Sturm), but with the bill very 

 much shorter, the gonys very little longer than the ramus of the man- 

 dible, instead of nearly twice as long, and black stripe along edge of 

 maxilla much broader. 



Adult (type, Xo. 106,052, locality and collector unknown) : Bright par- 

 rot-green, the lower parts inclining to glaucous- green ; chin and upper 

 part of throat black, narrowly and rather indistinctly bordered posteriori 3' 

 by dull blue. Tail darker blue than the back, shaded with blue, and 

 each feather, except outer pair, broadly tipped with deep chestnut ; un- 

 der tail-coverts bright rufous. Upper mandible deep yellow, tinged 

 with green on lateral portions j basal portion of culmen with a cuneate 

 blackish spot, and edge of the mandible, except at tip, marked with a 

 broad stripe of black, averaging about .15 of an inch wide, except at 

 the base, where the black extends upward nearly to the nostril ; the 

 color along the edge of this black stripe, or where adjoining the yel- 

 low, decidedly green for the greater portion; base of upper mandible 

 with a marginal bar of dull yellowish, about .12 of an inch broad. 

 Lower mandible deep black, with a dull white basal margin, this about 

 .35 of an inch wide at the broadest ])ortion. Culmen, 2.25 ; gonys, 1.42 ; 

 ramus of lower mandible, 1.20 y- tail, 5.15, graduated for 2.40. (Wings 

 and feet wanting.) 



Another specimen (Xo. 106,053) is, in general, similar, but has the 

 green above more tinged with olive, and the black on edge of upper 

 mandible connected, near the ba.se of the mandible, with the black spot 

 on sub basal portion of the culmen; the latter marking is broader, and 

 rounded, instead of pointed, anteriorly. Culmen, 2.20; gonys, 1.30; 

 rami of lower mandible. 1.25, 



