444 Mr. O. Salvin on the Type 0/ Malaconotus leucotis. 



About the time that my attention was first called to this 

 subject^ Mr. Buckley sent us two beautiful skins of V. leucotis 

 from Sarayacu, in Ecuador. From one of these the accom- 

 panying plate has been prepared^ as the Swainsonian speci- 

 men is in hardly a fit state for being figured, the plumage 

 being abraded, as well as faded from exposure. Moreover the 

 origin of Swainson's specimen is quite unknown, the species 

 having been doubtfully set down by Swainson as an inhabitant 

 of Africa, probably from a general resemblance in colour 

 the bird bears to some members of the truly African genus 

 Laniarius. 



The geographical ranges attributed to F. leucotis and V. 

 chlorogaster are hardly satisfactory. Bonaparte stated that 

 the former was from the Rio Negro ; to the latter he gave 

 the vague habitat South America"^. 



" The head of the Huallaga, East Peru, and Cayenne," are 

 the habitats Prof. Baird gives to V. leucotis; and of this species, 

 as already stated, we have recently received specimens from 

 Sarayacu, in Ecuador. Eastern Peru is set down in Mr. 

 Sclater's ' Catalogue of American Birds ' as the origin of his 

 specimen of V. chlorogaster ; and this statement is followed by 

 Prof. Baird in his ' Review,' on the evidence of the same skin. 

 The skin in question (which is marked " S. America," Ver- 

 reaux) has all the appearance of a Cayenne skin, the legs being 

 tied together and the specimen shaped in the form well known 

 as peculiar to the preparations from that country. If this 

 surmise be correct, as I believe it to be, and if the Cayenne 

 origin of one of the specimens of V. leucotis examined by 

 Prof. Baird be, as seems very probable, incorrect, we have 

 the distribution of these two species as follows : — - 



V. chlorogaster. Peculiar to Cayenne. 



V. leucotis. Ranging from the Rio Negro to Ecuador and 

 the upper waters of the Huallaga. 



This account of the ranges of these nearly allied species 

 seems to be more probably correct than that which has been 

 hitherto advanced. 



* In the register of the British Miiseiuu, where this type exists, it 

 is recorded as having come from Cayenne. 



