478 rK()L'Ei:Di.\Gs of united states national museum. 



uLh) luueli ill its appearauce, so nuieli tliat it certainly has beeu cou- 

 fomuled with it by most authors." 



EE3IA11KS. — j^ever haA'ing seen a specimen referable to this species, 

 I follow Messrs. Sclater and Salvin in recognizing it as distinct from 

 T. mekmchoUcus, without knowing, however, their grounds for doing so. 

 In his remarks upon T. melancJiolicus, in the "Proceedings" of the Zo- 

 ological Society of London for 1870, j). 572, Dr. Finsch alludes to T. 

 filbigularis, as follows : 



" In contradiction to the views of Dr. Cabanis, I agree \\ ith \on Pelzeln 

 in considering T. albigularis, Burm. (Bras, ii, p. 465), to be specifically 

 distinct from T. melancJioUcus. A specimen from Brazil in the Bremen 

 Museum shows the chin and throat decidedly white ; whereas these parts 

 in T. melancholicus are whitish gray. Four specimens from Northern 

 Brazil (Ceara) all show this latter character." 



Unfortunately, the other distinctive characters of Biu-meister's species 

 are not alluded to. That mentioned by Dr. Finsch, i.- e., the whiteness 

 of the throat, seems of little account, since, according to the specimens 

 Avhich I have seen from that region, it is customary for T. melancholicus 

 from northern South America to liave the throat nearly, if not quite, 

 white. The only characters given in Biu-meister's description which 

 appear really distinctive are the smaller size and the whitish green 

 instead of pale grayish edgings to the wing-feathers. It is, therefore, 

 solely uj)on the presumption that Messrs. Sclater and Salvin and Dr. 

 Finsch have good reason for considering the species distinct from ine- 

 lancholicus that I so here consider it. 



8.— TYRANNUS APOLITES. 

 Laphycfcs ujwUtcs, CxVIJax. &. Heixe, Mus. Hciu. II, Oct. 15, 1859, 77 {hah. incog.). 



Sr. Oh. — "Supra plumis dorsalibus fuscis, late olivascente-griseo- 

 limbatis, itaque dorso quasi obsolete maculato; capite cinereo, pilei 

 plumis basi splendide luteis, apice nigris, loris striaque postoculari 

 nigrescentibus ; alis caudaque fuscis, remigibus primariis miuime, 

 secundariis tectricibusque alaribus alboscente-, rectricibus extus an- 

 giistc rufescente-marginatis, tectricibus caudoB superioribus fuscis latius 

 rufescente-limbatis ; subtus gula cinerascente, pectore abdomineque sul- 

 phurescentibus, illo densissime cinerascente adsperso; rostro nigro; 

 pedibus fuscis.— Long. tot. 7" G'", al. 4", caud. 3" 8'", rostr. culm. 8'", 

 tars. 7'", dig. med, exc. ung. G'"." 



Remarks. — Although this supposed species is not recognized by 

 Messrs. Sclater and Salvin in their Nomcnclator Avium N'cotrojncaHum, 

 it would seem from the description above quoted, and the remarks which 

 follow (of which a literal translation is given), to be very distinct from 

 anj' other species of the genus. The black encirclement of the yolk- 

 yellow ci'own, the si)otted back, and several other characters mentioned, 

 certainly cannot be reconciled in any other knoAvn species. 



