338 Mr. J. H. Gurney's Notes on 



The probability that the immature bird described by Azara 

 was of the same species as that for which Spix subsequently 

 proposed the name of leucojjyyus, seems therefore to be 

 sufficiently strong to warrant this appellation being merged 

 in that of sociabilis as a prior synonym. 



I am not aware that this species extends further south- 

 ward than the Argentine Republic^ on the eastern side of the 

 American continent ; to the west it occurs as far south as 

 Bolivia and Peru^ specimens from each of those States being 

 preserved in the Norwich Museum ; its northern range ex- 

 tends to Mexico ; but its exact limit in that direction appears 

 not to have been very accurately ascertained. Mr. Sharpe 

 also includes in the habitat of this species " Florida and the 

 Antilles;" but in his addenda, at page 459, he notes that 

 ^'^Mr. Ridgway (B. N. Am.) separates the Florida bird as 

 J?, sociabilis, var. plambeus." 



I have not seen a specimen of R. plumbeus ; but from the 

 description given by Mr. Ridgway and his colleagues in the 

 article above referred to, it would appear to be a distinct 

 subspecies peculiar to Cuba and Southern Florida. 



A much more distinct species is H. hamatus (Temm. ex 

 111.), which is apparently restricted to the more northern 

 countries of South America, and which, so far as I know, 

 has never been obtained to the north of the Isthmus of 

 Panama. 



The museums of this country contain many examples of 

 R. sociabilis = leucopygus ; but I do not know of a single spe- 

 cimen in any of them either of R. plumbeus or of M. taniurus 

 (to be subsequently mentioned), and but one of R. hamatus, 

 an adult female from Remedios in Antioquia, which is in the 

 possession of Messrs, Salvin and Godman, who have kindly 

 given me the opportunity of examining it. 



R. hamatus is readily distinguished from R. sociabilis = 

 leucopygus by its smaller size, much shorter tail, more plum- 

 beous coloration, and the entire absence of white fi-om all parts 

 of the plumage ; it is probably the same species as that de- 

 scribed in Mr. Sharpens volume under the name sociabilis ; 

 but the specimen from Remedios, above referred to, has the 



