596 Mr. Charles Chubb on the 



generally a few scales from the tarsi of birds or skins of 

 snakes. All the nests that I have met with have been in holes 

 of fencing-posts or in trees ; in fact the nest would fall to 

 pieces in any other situation, owing to the loose manner in 

 which it is built. — W. F.] 



157. Empidonomus varius. 



Suiriri chorreado debaxo Azara, Apunt. ii. p. 125. 

 no. clxxxvii. (1805). 



Muscicapa varia Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxi. p. 459 

 (1818: Paraguay). 



Empidonomus varius Berlepsch, J. f. O. 1887, p. 118 (Para- 

 guay) ; Sclater, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 265 ; Ihering, 

 Revista Mus. Paulista, vi. p. 326 (Paraguay) ; Hellmayr, 

 Abhandl. Akad. Wiss. Miinchen, xxii. p. 654 (1906). 



a. S ad. Sapucay, March 12, 1904. 



Bill black above, reddish brown below ; feet black ; iris 

 brown. 



158. Tyrannus melancholicus. 



Suiriri-guazu Azara, Apunt. iii. p. 152. no. exeviii. 

 (1805). 



Tyrannus melancholicus Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. 

 xxxv. p. 48 (1819 : Paraguay) ; Berlepsch, J. f. O. 1887, 

 pp. 13, 118 (Lambare) ; Sclater, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xiv. 

 p. 273 ; Ihering, Revista Mus. Paulista, vi. p. 326 

 (Paraguay) ; Hellmayr, Abhandl. Akad. Wiss. Miinchen, 

 xxii. p. 617. 



a. ? ad. Sapucay, November 8, 1902. 



b, c, d. ? ad. et imm. Sapucay, March 1903-04. 

 e. ? imm. Sapucay, April 5, 1904. 



[This species is common throughout Paraguay. It is 

 generally to be met with along the watercourses in the open 

 camp lands. The nest, as a general rule, is built in some of 

 the low trees bordering these streams and in a very exposed 

 position ; the result of this is that parasitic birds find the 

 nest a very convenient receptacle, and take full advantage 

 of it, this species and Milvulus tyrannus being the most 

 common victims. — W. F.] 



