Psophia obscura of Natter er and Pelzeln. 523 



tip and a long stripe on the edge of the lower mandible, 

 blackish. Scaled portions of the feet and toes bluish grey 

 with greenish tinge ; shielded portions pale greyish green, 

 as also the naked parts of the tarsi. Tail reaching 1 inch 

 beyond the wing-ends. This bird was brought in wounded, 

 and when handled cried 'gaa-gaa' — and at the same tiuie 

 one could hear an indistinct sound in the belly.'" 



In reply to enquiries, Dr. Finsch kindly informs me that 

 two examples of P. ohscura are in the Leyden Museum. 

 One of these is one of Natterer's original specimens from 

 Para, received in exchange from Vienna. The other, from 

 Temminck's old collection, was incorrectly labelled " P. vi- 

 ridis " by that ornithologist, but agrees nearly with Natterer^s 

 specimen. It was, no doubt, this wrong determination that 

 led Dr. Bowdler Sharpe (Cat. Birds, xxiii. p. 231) to unite 

 P. obscura to P. viridis, which is not represented in the 

 Leyden Museum. The description of P. vh'idis in the 

 Catalogue was taken from the Leyden specimens, and there- 

 fore belongs to P. obscura^. 



The type of P. viridis Spix is, I believe, at Munich, 

 where I think I remember seeing it some years ago. It was 

 obtained at Villa Nova, on the Upper Amazon. The only 

 other specimens of P. viridis that I know of are those 

 obtained by Natterer, as recorded by Pelzeln (see above), 

 on the Madeira and Rio Mamore, one of its upper 

 branches. It is quite likely that Spix's specimen was not 

 originally from Villa Nova, but had been brought there from 

 the Rio Madeira, Villa Nova being, as Mr. Bates has shown 

 ('Nat. on the Amazons,' i. p. 283), a kind of emporium of 

 the trade of that river. 



In reply to my enquiries at Vienna, Herr Lorenz has 

 most kindly compared the specimens of P. viridis in the 

 Imperial Collection with those of P. obscura, and writes as 

 follows : — 



* Since these paragraphs were written, Dr. Finsch has issued his 

 "Note on Psophia viridis and P. obsct/ra'^ ('Notes Leyd. Mus.' vol. xx. 

 p. 81), in which his remarks, communicated to me by letter, are published 

 in print. — P. L. S. 



