^be UGlhtte'Cappet) ZTanaGcr. 



(^Stephanophorus leticocephalus). 



By J. A. Swan. 



[he task of writing an article on a species 

 which has not hitherto been treated of 

 from an avicultural standpoint is apt to 

 weigh somewhat heavily upon the author. 

 One realises that one has to portray, to the 

 best of one's ability, the characteristics and idiosyn- 

 crasies of a bird which is a complete stranger to the 

 large majority of aviculturists, and while this neces- 

 sarily carries with it a certain freedom from criticism, 

 it also carries an added sense of responsibility. 



The White-capped Tanager has indeed been but 

 meagrely described even by ornithologists, and before 

 I proceed to deal with the avicultural side of the sub- 

 ject, I propose to place before my readers the results of 

 Natural History or Ornithological researches. That 

 great standard work, the British Museum Catalogue of 

 Birds, Vol. XI. page 143, gives us the following par- 

 ticulars of the bird : — 



" Black with a strong bhiish tinge, especially on the 

 " rump and sides of the head ; lesser wing-coverts blue ; 

 " back of head silky white, with a small crimson vertical crest 

 " in front of it ; forehead, lores, and chin black ; feathers of 

 " forehead short and erect ; bill brownish black, below 

 "paler; feet brown: whole length 7 inches, wing 4, tail 3-3. 



