Recent Ornithological Publications. 457 



II. French Publications. 



The numbers of the ' Revue et Magasin de Zoologie ' for 

 May, June, and July contain several articles on Ornithology. 

 In M. O. Des Murs' " Notes sur les dernieres especes de Cepha- 

 lopteres," an attempt is made to prove that the new and striking 

 species of this singular genus described in our first Number 

 (p. 114), as also Mr. Gould's C. glahricollis, are nothing more 

 than different forms of the ordinary species, of which the latter 

 is regarded as the adult male ! M. Des Murs appears to be 

 quite unaware that, however badly acquainted the naturalists of 

 France may be with the adult state of C. ornatus, we in England 

 know it perfectly well, from the numerous fine-plumaged speci- 

 mens transmitted to this country by Mr. Hauxwell, and, more 

 recently, by Mr. Bates, from the Amazon and Ucayali. He also 

 seems to have quite overlooked Mr. Wallace's account of the 

 habits of this bird as observed by himself on the Amazons and 

 Rio Negro (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1850, p. 206), published long before 

 M. de Castelnau's imperfect notice, which he regards as the 

 earliest authority on this subject. It would seem almost useless 

 to point out the great difference in the geographical distribution 

 of the three species of Cephalopterus in a case where the locality 

 of Mr. Fraser's bird (Pallatanga, at the western base of the 

 Andes of Ecuador) is considered to be the same as the Yungas 

 of Bolivia ! For us, however, the mere fact of these birds being 

 found upon opposite sides of the Andes, at some thousands of 



be employed. As a generic name — the form being apparently diiferent 

 from any previously characterized among the Icieridcs — we propose that 

 of Nesopsar; and the species will therefore stand as Nesopsar niger- 

 rimus. (P.L.S.) 



Nesopsar, gen. nov. Rostrum rectum, capite vix brevius, subquadra- 

 tum, compressum, apice acuto, mesorhinio lato et piano, verticem versus 

 extenso : alae breves, remige secunda, tertia et quarta sequalibus et longis- 

 simis, quinta his paulo breviore sed primam excedente : cauda modica, qua- 

 drata : pedes validiusculi, tarsis brevibus, ungue postico fortiore. 



Typus et sp. unica N. nigerrimus. 



i Niger unicolor, acneo paulum splendens ; rostro et pedibus niger- 

 rimis : long, tota 80, alae 41, caudae 28, rostri a fronte 1"1. 



$ Mari similis, sed paulo minor. 



Hab. in ins. Jamaica. 



Mus. Bremensi ct P.L.S. 



