2 Mr. W. P. Pycraft on the 



curious appearance, confined himself to a diagnosis of the 

 plumage. Concerning the question of affinity, he remarked: 

 " This remarkable new genus is so peculiar in its characters 

 that I am in much doubt as to which family it belongs. 

 The very short rounded wing with long first primary, full 

 and closely appressed loral feathers, and soft texture of the 

 plumage in general strongly suggest the genus Scytalopus, 

 and I was at first inclined to refer it to the Pteroptochida?, 

 to which Scytalopus belongs ; the coloration of the head 

 strongly suggests that of Basileuterus coronatus, and the 

 loosely webbed rectrices with finely acuminate points, as well 

 as the loosely webbed remiges, slender bill, and long-booted 

 tarsi with sharp posterior edge, remind me of Catharus gracili- 



rostris The general resemblance to the genus Xenicus, 



of New Zealand, is very remarkable, X. longipes being of 



nearly the same size and proportions Xenicus is 



now referred to the Clamatores ; but whether Zeledonia is a 

 related form belonging to the same suborder or an aberrant 

 Oscinine type, cannot, probably, be determined without 

 examination of its anatomy/' 



Soon after this account was written, skeletons of Zeledonia 

 coronata and Catharus gracilirostris were submitted by 

 Prof. Ridgway to Mr. F. A. Lucas. The result of the investi- 

 gations of that gentleman"" seemed to shew that Zeledonia 

 and Catharus were not related. Further particulars were 

 promised, but Mr. Lucas is a very busy man and doubtless 

 has never had an opportunity of completing his study of 

 this very interesting bird. 



A careful comparison of Zeledonia with Basileuterus, 

 Xenicus,a,nd Scytalopus made by Messrs. Salvin and Godmanf 

 only served to shew that no relationship with any of these forms 

 was probable, and the conclusion was arrived at that " for 

 the present the position of this genus must remain in abeyance 

 pending a full examination of its internal structure." 



Flere, then, the matter rested until the present writer 

 reopened the question. In a short note, published in the 



* Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xi. p. 538 (footnote). 



t Biologia Centr.-Amer., Aves, vol. ii. 1888-97, p. 248. 



