278 psoPHiiD^. 



Family VI. PSOPHIIDiE. 



Palate schizognathous. 



Nostrils holorhinal. 



Eectrices 10. 



Cajca 2 to 2^ inches long (Garrod, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 277). 



No aftershaft to the contour-feathers. 



Sternum with no notch on posterior margin. 



No occipital foramina. 



Trachea enormously long in the males, extending outside the 

 abdomen nearly to the anus {cf. Hancock, loc. infra cit.). 



Ambiens muscle present. 



Femoro-caudal absent. Accessory femoro-caudal present, as 

 also the semitendinosus and the accessory semitendinosus. 



Long lateral bare tracts on sides of neck. 



Plumage soft, the under tail-coverts especially long and lax. 



Bill shorter than the head, the nasal groove occupying about 

 half of the maxilla ; the nostrils ovate and pervious, with a posterior 

 membrane. 



Wings with the inner secondaries as long as the primaries. 



Nest on the ground. 



Eggs two, light ash-colour {cf. Hancock, I. c). 



Nestling covered with chestnut down, streaked with pearly grey. 



{Cf Seebohm, Classif. B. p. 40 ; Stejn. Stand. Nat. Hist. Birds, 

 p. 123 ; Sharpe, Classif. B. p. 74.) 



1. PSOPHIA* ^ 



Tj'pe. 



Psophia, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 263 (1766) P. crepitans. 



Range. Confined to South America. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Black of the neck and mantle separated from the 

 black of the lower back and rump by the tawny 

 or ochraceous colour of the upper back. 

 a'. Wing-coverts black without bronzy gloss, ex- 

 cept a little on the greater wing-coverts ; 

 scale-like feathers of lower throat glossy 

 violet or purple, followed by steel-green with 

 coppery reflections on the fore neck crepitans, p. 279. 



* Cf. GeofFroy, Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. i. pp. 50-51 (1797) ; Blainv. Nouv. 

 Bull Sci. Soc. Philom. 1826, p. 12(i ; Tr.aill, Mem. Werner. Soc. N. H. v. pt. 2, 

 pp. 523-532 (1826) ; Hancock, in Cliarlesw. Mag. new ser. ii. p. 490 (1838). 



PSOPIIIA CANTATRIX. 



Psophia cantatrix, Blasius, J.f. 0. 1884, p. 203 {ex Boeck, MSS.). 



Hah. Bolivia. 



Professor Blasius, in his account of this species, of which no specimen appears 

 to have come to Eurojie, does not state to which species he considers P. cMitutrix 

 to be allied. 



