DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME NEW SPECIES OF BIRDS, SUPPOSED TO 

 BE FROM THE INTERIOR OF VENEZUELA.. 



Ky RORERT RIUOWAY. 



The birds liere described as probably new to science were found at- 

 tacbed to a bend belt belonging- to tlie Ethnological Department of the 

 National JVIuseuni, which was kindly submitted to me for examination 

 by Prof. O. T. Mason, curator of that department. The origin of tlie 

 belt was unknown, but it is supposed, judging from the birds which 

 were suspended from it as ornamental appendages, to have come from 

 some portion of the Upper Orinoco region, in Venezuela, or contiguous 

 l)ortion of the Rio Negro basin. 



1. Pyroderus masoni, sp. nov. 



Sp. char. — Most like P. orenocensis Lafr., but plumage much darker 

 beneath, the throat and juguhim nearly uniform dull brownish red, the 

 breast and abdomen dark brownish chestnut. 



Adult (type. No. 106,051, IT. S. Nat. Mus.; locality and collector un- 

 known) : Entire upper parts, sides of head and neck, chin, upper por- 

 tion of tliroat, and anterior portion of malar region (for .GO of an incli 

 backward from the malar apex), uniform deep black; flanks and lower 

 portion of abdomen duller black. Throat and upper portion of jugulum 

 nearly uniform "dragon's blood" red, the feathers uniform ferruginous 

 beneath the surface ; lower portion of jugulum (for the space of about 

 .75 — 1.00 inch) uniform dark ferruginous, bordered below by a band of 

 dull black, the feathers of which are broadly but indistinctly tipped 

 with very dark ferruginous. Lower part of breast and greater portion 

 of abdomen uniform ferruginous-chestnut. Under wing-covets ferru- 

 ginous, some of the feathers with the inner webs slate-dusky. Bill dull 

 brown (in dried skin). 



The specimen being without wings, tail, or feet, and the bill broken, 

 measurements cannot be given. 



Another specimen (No. 106,050) is essentially similar, but has the red 

 of the throat and jugulum lighter and of a more rufous tint. 



There being, apparently, no comi^arative diagnoses extant of the spe- 

 cies of this genus, and having at the present moment examjdes of all 

 of them before me, the following synoptical table of their distinctive 

 characters is presented for the convenience of the student: — 



«'. Gorget clear rnfons-orange, the feathers tipped with bright scarlet. 



¥. Breast and abdomen only very slightly mixed with ferrugir.ous ; l)ill, from nos- 

 tril, more than 1 inch. Habitat — Brazil, south of the Amazon ; Paraguay, 



P. SCUTATUS (Shaw), 

 92 



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