1888.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 559 



NOTES ON SOME NEOTROPICAL BIRDS BELONGING TO THE 

 UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



BY HANS VON BERLEPSCH. 



The authorities of the United States National Museum having, with 

 their usual kindness, sent me for examination, at my request, several 

 obscure specimens belonging to that establishment which I was anx- 

 ious to see, I have studied them carefully, and now wish to offer some 

 notes thereon. To the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and 

 the Director of the National Museum my best thanks are due for thus 

 facilitating my work. 



I begin by offering some notes on the Humming-birds which are in- 

 cluded in the lot. 



1. Phaethornis superciliosus (Linn.) ex Baliia = Ph. pretrei (Less. & Del.). 

 No. 44976. Bahia ex Lawrence. 



This specimen is by no means = Ph. superciliosus (L.l apud Elliot, 

 but proves to be a Bahia skin of Ph. pretrei (Less. & Del.) in much 

 faded plumage. Ph. pretrei of Lesson and Delattre was once believed 

 by Messrs. Cabauis and Heine to be true superciliosus Lin. {ex Bris- 

 SON), and Mr. J. Gould, when writing his monograph, unfortunately 

 accepted this identification. More recently Messrs. Salviu and Elliot 

 have shown that true superciliosus of Linnaeus is the same as Ph. fra- 

 hrculus Gould and Ph. consohrinus "Bourc." Eeichb. or Ph. moorei 

 LAWR. While I agree perfectly with the last-named authors in placing 

 these names among the synonyms of Ph. superciliosus, I nevertheless 

 regard the Ph. malaris Nordm. to be quite a distinct species, occurring 

 in Cayenne along with Ph. superciliosus, from which it is distinguish- 

 able by its much superior size and other points of difference. I believe 

 Ph. malaris to be restricted to Cayenne. The types, belonging to the 

 Berlin Museum, which I have examined, are said to be from Brazil 

 (through Gello and Olfers), but this statement is probably erroneous.* 



-2. Phaethornis longirostris (Less.) ex Pebas = Ph. superciliosus (L.). 

 No. 55374, male Pebas, Peru {ex Williams College). 



Iu his catalogue of Trochilidai in the collection of the U. S. National 

 Museum (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1880, p. 309, note,) Mr. Bidgway says 



~ * In the Museum Heiueauum, at Halberstadt, there are likewise three specimens of 

 Ph. malaris, believed to be from Brazil, but uo authority stating the correctness of 

 this habitat is to be fouud ou the labels. As far as I can make out from the mode of 

 preparation in these stuffed specimens, they appear to have been once genuine Cay- 

 enne skins, showing their tails dried in the form of a fan, which I have observed in 

 all the skins of Humming-birds which are sent from that country. I possess three 

 undoubted Cayenne skins of Ph. malaris in my collection. It is the "Brin-blanc" of 

 Audebert and Vieillot, etc. (H. v. B.) 



