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6. On THE SPECIES OF THE AmERICAN GENUS PaRRA. 



By Philip Lutley Sclater, M. A., F. Z. S. 



The American birds of the genus Parra, together with their repre- 

 sentatives in the Tropics of the Old World belonging to the genera 

 Metopidius, Hydralector and Hydrophasianus, constitute a very na- 

 tūrai group, aUied in many respects to the Rallidie, but remarkable 

 for the extreme elongation of the toes — a formation beautifuUy 

 adapted for enabling them to walk upon the floating leaves of the 

 numerous water-plants of these countries. 



MM. Verreaus of Paris have kindly furnished me from their 

 well-stored magazines with a series of specimens of Parra, which 

 enabled me to point out to the Society the distinctions between all 

 the hitherto known species of this genus, and to indicate one cer- 

 tainly new, and a second, which although not so obidously distinct, 

 has some claim to be recognized as an intermediate species. 



A. Species caruncula frontali bilobata et caruncula rictali utrinąue 

 prtedita. 



1. Parra jacana. 



Parra jacana et variabilis, Linn. et Gm. 

 Parra nigra et brasi/iensis, Gm. 

 Parra jacana, Max. Beitr. iv. 786. 

 Parra jassana, Schomb. Reise, iii. 759. 

 Jacana du Mexique, Bufif. PI. Enl. 322 (adult). 

 Jacana du Bresil, BuflF. PI. Enl. 840 (juv.). 



Capiie toto cum cervice supera et corpore infra nigris : dorso, alis 

 caudague clare castaneis : tectricihvs caudčB siiperioribus pvrpu- 

 rasccnte tinctis : remigibus Jlavescenti-viridibus, nigro extus 

 partim marginatis : hypochondriis et tectricibus subalaribus in- 

 tense castaneis. 

 Hab. South-eastern Brazil (P. Max.) ; British Guiana (Schomb.) ; 

 Cayenne ; ins. Trinidad. 



The examples of this bird which I hare seen from Guiana and 

 Cayenne appear to be considerably inferior in size to the Brazilian 

 specimen, but I am not yet certain how far this may be due to sexual 

 differences. 



2. Parra intermedia, sp. nov. ? 



" Parra intermedia, Bp.," J. et E. Verreaux, MS. 



Capite toto cum cervice supera et corpore infra nigris : dorso, alis 

 caudague obseurius castaneis, purpurascente paululum tinctis : 

 hypochondriis et tectricibus subalaribus brunnescenti- castaneis : 

 remigibus Jlavescenti-viridibus, nigro extus partim marginatis. 

 Hab. Venezuela ( Verreaux) . 



This bird is hardly distinguishable from the P. Jacana, except by 

 the browner and more purplish tinge of the back, in which respeet 

 it seems intermediate betvveen that species and P. melanopygia. 



