17. SPEEM0PH1LA. 105 



11. Spermophila homochroa *. 



Catanienia homocliroa, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 552, 1860, p. 88 ; id. 



Cat. Amer. B. p. 106 (1862) ; id. # Salv. Nomenel. Av. Neotr. 



p. 31 (1873) ; Tacz. P. Z. S. 1874, p. 521, 1879, p. 229 ; Berkpsch 



$ Tacz. P. Z. S. 1885, p. 85. 

 Gyrinorhynchus homochrous, Gray. Hand-l. B. ii. p. 107, no. 7621 



(1870): 

 Sporophila homocliroa, Giebel, Thes. Oni. iii. p. 520 (1877). 

 Catamenia, sp., Salvin, Ibis, 1885, p. 216 f- 



Adult male (type of species). Uniform dark slaty grey above and 

 below, slightly washed with olive-brown on the lower surface, and 

 particularly on the sides of the body ; the forehead, lores, fore part 

 of the cheeks, and ear-coverts somewhat blacker ; under tail-coverts 

 chestnut ; quills blackish below, edged with ashy along the inner 

 web, which is not white at the base : " bill pale yellow ; feet 

 brownish flesh-colour ; iris dark brown " (JelsM). Total length 4-7 

 inches, culmen - 4, wing 2 - 6, tail 2, tarsus , 75. 



Adult female. Different from the male ; general colour above 

 brown, the feathers mesially streaked with blackish brown ; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts uniform and more olive-brown ; lesser and 

 median coverts rather more ashy than the back ; greater coverts 

 dark brown, with fulvescent-brown tips ; bastard-wing and primary- 

 coverts dark brown ; quills dark brown, edged with lighter brown, 

 more ashy on the primaries ; tail-feathers dark brown, edged with 

 ashy brown ; crown of head darker brown than the back and less 

 distinctly streaked ; lores, sides of face, and ear-coverts uniform 

 brown ; eyelid whitish ; ear-coverts and sides of neck somewhat 

 washed with ashy ; throat and fore neck pale ashy olive-brown ; 

 breast and abdomen light olivaceous ; sides of body and flanks 

 olive-brown, the latter broadly streaked with dusky brown ; thighs 

 olive-brown ; under tail-coverts chestnut ; under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries ashy olive, washed with fulvous near the edge of the wing ; 

 quills below dusky, ashy along the inner edge. Total length 4-8 

 inches, culmen 0-4, wing 2*3, tail 2-05, tarsus 0*8. 



Young male. Resembling the old female, but more ashy grey on 

 the head, neck, and breast. 



Hab. Northern Peru and Ecuador, and probably Guiana. 



a. $ ad. sk. Matos, Ecuador, June 1858 Sclater Coll. 



(L. Fraser). (Type of species.) 



b. 2 ad- sk. Calacali, Ecuador, March 1859 Sclater Coll. 



(L. Fraser). 



* As has also been pointed out by Dr. Taczanowski and Count von Berlepscb, 

 the bill in this species is more pointed and is longer than in the allied S23ecies. 

 It is in fact more of a Bunting's bill, and once more raises the question whether 

 Spermophila is not rather a Bunting than a Grosbeak. 



t The birds procured by Mr. Whitely on Roraima were all immature. 

 Mr. Salvin noticed that they were closely allied to 8. homochroa, and I am in- 

 clined to think them identical. 



