1886.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 523 



DESCRIPTION or AN APPARENTLY NEW SPECIES OP PICOLAPTES, 

 FROM THE LOWER AMAZON. 



By ROBERT RIDOWAT. 



Picolaptes rikeri, sp. nov. 



Sp. Char. — Adult male : Head and neck streaked with deep black 

 and pure white, the streaks narrowest on auriculars, the white ones 

 narrower on pileum and cervix, broader on chin and throat, where the 

 black is reduced to a narrow edging to the feathers ; remaining lower 

 parts black, varied with white, the markings changing gradually from 

 an irregular rhomboid and guttate longitudinal form on chests, to regu- 

 lar transverse bars on lower tail-coverts, where the white bars are de- 

 cidedly narrower than the black ones ; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, 

 tertials, rumj), upper tail-coverts, and tail, uniform bright rufous, the 

 feathers of back with slightly paler shafts; secondaries with outer webs 

 partly or wholly rufous ; alula, primary-coverts, primaries, and inner 

 webs of secondaries, plain dull black. Length (skin), 8 inches ; wing, 

 4.10; tail, 3.65; culmen (exposed), 1.20; bill from nostril, .78; tarsus, 

 .80. 



Type, No. 109, 221, TJ. S. National Museum, Diamantina, near San- 

 tarem, Lower Amazons, August 1, 1884 ; C. B. Riker, collector. 



This handsome species, of very striking appearance, is entirely dif- 

 ferent in coloration from any Dendrocolaptine bird with wbich I am 

 acquainted or of which I have been able to find a description. The 

 type specimen, the only one obtained, was kindly presented to the Na- 

 tional Museum by Mr. C. B. Eiker, of New York City, after whom I 

 take pleasure in naming it. 



