Hans von Berlepsch on new Trochilidse. 289 



How far the existence of an abbreviated secondary (or, in 

 other words, to what extent the abbreviation of the 1st 

 secondary) extends to the various famiHes in the Order 

 Gallinae is a question of great interest. SundevalFs attention 

 was probably first directed to the abbreviation of the 1st 

 secondary or 11th quill by Nitzsch, who enumerates the fol- 

 lowing genera as exceptional in this respect : — Numida, Poly- 

 plectron, Lophopliorus, Crax, Ptnelope, and Crypturus. 



In Numida the abnormally abbreviated 1st secondary 

 appears to be only about half the length of the rest, but in 

 Polyplectron and Lojjhophorus the abbreviation is very slight. 

 It is, however, by no means absent : in both these genera 

 the difference in length between the 11th and 12th wing- 

 feathers is twice as great as that between the 12th and 13th. 



Crax, Penelope, and Crypturus, on the other hand, have 

 the lltli quill scarcely shorter than the 12th. It is very 

 satisfactory to find that the Hemipodes and the Sand Grouse, 

 which differ from the Grouse and Pheasants in having two 

 layers of spots on their eggs, also differ from them in not 

 having the 1st secondary abbreviated. The importance of 

 the character is also increased by the fact that it confirms 

 Huxley's divisions of the true Gallinoe into Peristeropodes 

 and Alectoropodes. The latter have the first secondary 

 abbreviated, but the former have not. 



It is very difficult to examine the quills of a bird in the 

 skin, and a series of expanded wings of typical birds of all 

 the various genera would be very interesting, and might 

 lead to important results. 



XXIX. — Descriptions of new Species and Subspecies of 

 Trochilidse. By Hans von Berlepsch. 



1. Phaethornis nattereri, sp. nov. 



Phaetornis longuemareus, Pelzeln (nee Less.), Orn. Brasil. 

 p. 27 (Matogrosso). 



Ph. nattereri, sp. nov.. Ph. longuemarei affinis, differt rectri- 

 cibus omnibus imprimis externis multo angustioribus, 

 intermediis inter apicem album et basin pallidius bronzi- 



