18 Mr. P. L. Sclater on the Genus Spevnio])liila. 



23. Spermophila grisea. 



Gros-bec de Virginie, Buff. PI. Enl. 393. fig. 1. 



Loxia grisea, Gm. S. N. p. 857. 



Spermophila grisea, G. R. Gray, Gen. of B. p. 386. 



Sporophila intermedia, Cab. Mus. Hein. p. 149. 



Spermophila intermedia, Sclater, Cat. Am. B. p. 103. 



Sporophila ci7iereola,'Bp. Consp. i. p. 499, 



Spermophila cinerea, Lawrence, Ann. L. N. Y. vii. p. 474. 



Spermophila schistacea, Lawrence, ibid. viii. p. 10. 



Hab. Cayenne {Mus. P. L. S.); Venezuela (CV/6.); Trinidad 

 {Mus. G. N. L.); Bogota {Mus. P. L. S.); Panama {Mc Leannan); 

 Chiriqui {Arce). 



Obscure grisea, speculo alari (interdum vix distinguendo) albo : 

 subtus dilutior, pectore medio cum ventre et crisso albis : 

 rostro flavo : long, tota 4'0, alee 2'5, caudse 1'6. Fern. 

 Fuscescenti-olivacea, subtus dilutior : ventre medio albi- 

 cante : rostro corneo. 

 In my ' Catalogue ' I have called this bird Spermophila in- 

 termedia, following Cabanis. I am now of opinion that it is the 

 bird represented in the * PI. Enl.^ as the Gros-bec de Virginie 

 (PI. Enl. 393. fig. 1), and that it should therefore be called Sper- 

 mophila grisea (ex Loxia grisea, Gm.), a very appropriate name 

 for it. Buffon has in several other instances given Virginia as 

 a locality for species which are really from Cayenne ; and there 

 is no other American bird, so far as I am aware, with which his 

 figure and description agree so nearly. 



I have six skins of tliis Spermophila in my collection, from 

 Cayenne, Venezuela, Bogota, and Chiriqui. Mr. Lawrence has 

 kindly lent me two others from Trinidad and Panama, the latter 

 being typical of his S. schistacea (olim S. cinerea). In Mr. 

 Lawrence's Panama skin there is a small whitish patch on each 

 side of the throat, and this is also slightly apparent in my Ver- 

 agua skin, but not in those before me from other localities. 

 This, however, is in my opinion much too feeble a character to 

 warrant the specific distinction of birds which otherwise agree 

 with one another. 



24. Spermophila plumbea. 

 Fringilla plumbea, ]Max. Beitr. iii. p. 579. 



