59. BHYNCHORTTX. 443 



ph'mm, but the chin and throat are -vrlnte, the feathers on the sides 

 heinp; tipped Avith black, the whole being bounded by black bands 

 which commence at the angles of the gape, pass below the eyes, 

 across the ear-coverts and down the sides of the throat, and unite 

 in a wide band on the fore part of the neck ; rest of the underparts 

 reddish brown, eacli feather with a large diamond-shaped black- 

 edged white shaft-spot. Bill black ; feet lead-colour. Total length 

 11 inches, wing 5-7, tail 2-5, tarsus 1'85, middle toe and claw 2-05. 



The immature hint has the mantle spotted and marked with 

 black, the pale shafts very slightly developed, and the general tone 

 of the underparts brownish grey, with only traces of white spots 

 on the feathers of the chest, breast, and sides. 



Hah. Venezuela. 



a. Imm. sk. Venezuela {Spence). Salvin-Godman Coll. 



59. RHYNCHORTYX. 



Sexes similar ? No distinct crest. 



1st primary falls between the 8th and 9th ; 4th longest. 

 Tail composed of 10 feathers, less than half the length of the 

 wing. 



Tarsus lonf/er than the middle toe and claw. 

 Bill very stout. 



liaiuje. Central America ; Veragua. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Superciliary stripe and sides of head bright 



rust-rod ; chest gi-ey spodiostetkus, p. 443. 



R. Superciliary stripe and sides of the head dull 



olive-brown ; chest dark rufous cincttts, p. 444. 



1. Rhynchortyx spodiostethiis. 



Odontophorus spodiostethus, Salvin, Ibis, 1878, p. 447 [Veragua] ; 

 Richmond, P. U.S. Nat. Mm. xvi. p. 524 (1893) [Escondido K., 

 Nicaragua, and PanamaJ. 



Adult. Top of the head and nape rusty brown ; feathers of the 

 mantle dark grey, edged with reddish brown ; lower back and nimp 

 buff, thickly clouded and vermiculated with grey, and the median 

 feathers with black shaft-stripes ; scapulars and outer secondaries 

 brown, shading into deep chestnut towards the margins, finely 

 mottled on the outer web with buff and on the inner with black ; 

 inner webs with a black subterminal band and buff margin ; rest 

 of wing-coverts greyish brown, blotched with black towards 

 the extremity of the inner web, and barred and mottled with buflF; 

 quills brown ; secondaries blotched with rufous buff on the outer 

 webs ; lores, forehead, superciliary stripes, cheeks, ear-coverts. 



