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Dr. A. G. Butler,



at any rate most of them, as restricting themselves to the crowns of

trees, passing from one tree to another; but he admits that some

species prefer the outskirts of the forest and the less lofty scrub.


Calliste cyanopygia was first distinguished from C. cyaneicollis

by the late Dr. Sclater, who separated it under the MS. name in

his collection. It was subsequently described by Berlepsch and

Taczanowski, in the ‘Proceedings’ of the Zoological Society of London

for 1883, as a north-western related form of C. cyaneicollis ; and

these authors state that they have seen a fine series in the posses¬

sion of M. Yerreaux of Paris, which proves that the characters are

constant and that the bird deserves to be kept separate.


Dr. Sclater (‘ Cat. Birds, B.M.,’ vol. xi, p. 128) remarks that it

seems to be sufficiently distinct to be specifically separated, the

rump being blue like the head, instead of green. As both species

occur in Ecuador, and as I have shown (‘Avic. Mag.,’ New Series,

vol. vi, p. 31) how marvellously the metallic blue-green of females

and young males of C. fastuosa is replaced in more fully adult males

by golden green, that character alone would not have seemed very

convincing to me had I been called upon to distinguish the species.


Mr. W. Goodfellow (‘ Ibis,’ 1901, p. 464) says of C. cyanopygia

that he obtained nine adult males, three young males, and three

females at altitudes of from 6000 to 8000 feet. “ Found in high

trees on the more open parts of the mountain slopes. The females

are much duller than the males, and have the under tail-coverts dark

green edged with pale greenish-yellow, and, in one skin, with light

fawn ; they have also less gold on the shoulders. Young males

resemble the females, but have brighter golden shoulders.”


Does the expression “ much duller,” applied to the females

arid young males, mean much bluer, as undoubtedly Dr. Sclater’s

“ less brilliant ” does in the case of C. fastuosa ? If so, while I have

no doubt that the Museum authorities are satisfied of the distinct-

nesss of C. cyanopygia from C. cyaneicollis , I think a more satisfac¬

tory comparative description of the two forms ought to be published.


Stolzmann, in Taczanowski’s 1 Ornithology of Peru,’ vol. ii,

p. 473, describes the eggs of C. cyaneicollis, and as they would

probably differ little, if at all, from those of C. cyanopygia, I here¬

with append a free translation :



