258 Mr. P. L. Sclater on a new 



18. -^LURCEDUS sTONEij Sharpe. 



A specimen of this species has a greenish head with 

 yellowish stripes in the middle, and a yellowish forehead, 

 no doubt the remains of the immature plumage. 



19. tElurcedus melanocephalus, Ramsay, 



This species has been lately founded by Ramsay (Proc. 

 Linn. Soc. N. S. W. vii. p. 25). The following diagnosis will 

 supplement his description : — 



^. arfakiano, Meyer, similis, sed fascia nuchali nigra et 

 maculis tectricum alarum nullis, jugulo et gutture varie- 

 gatis, pectore et abdomine brunnescentibus diversus : 

 long. tot. circ. 290, al. 152, caud. 120, rostr. 33, tars. 44 

 miUim. 

 This species comes between ^. arfakianus and JE. mela- 

 notis of Aroo, but is nearest to the former. In its throat 

 being not black it approaches ^. melanotis, although this 

 part is somewhat dark in jE. melanocephalus . In its dark 

 head it resembles JE. arfakianus, but there is no sharply 

 defined cervical band. The uniform green wing-coverts re- 

 mind one of ^. buccoides of Western New Guinea and 

 jE. stonei of Southern New Guinea. yE. melanocephalus 

 seems to be darker than ^. arfakianus on the under surface 

 of the tail, and to have a narrower terminal band. The 

 feathers of the throat in ^. melanocephalus are black at the 

 bases and tips, but have a broad white intermediate band, so 

 that the white predominates, whereas in yE. arfakianus the 

 black predominates. The whole under surface is washed with 

 olive-brown, and is much darker than in ^. arfakianus and 

 ^. melanotis. 



XXX. — Description of a new Ground-finch from Western 

 Peru. By P. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S. 



(Plate VIII.) 



My excellent and much valued correspondent, Prof. William 

 Nation, of Lima, has lately sent me a single skin of a 

 Ground-finch from the upper valley of the Rimac, which 

 seems to belong to an undescribed and very distinct species 



