••30 



Oruro. They are occasionally intersected by valleys and isolated 

 mountains, but the unbroken plains are sometimes several leagues in 

 extent. You lind C. rv.picola at an altitude of 12,000 to 14,000 feet, 

 and generally in the grass, \vhere it feeds. On being disturbed it 

 takes an undulating flight tov/ards some rock, on vvhich it settles, for 

 this country is entirely destitute of trees. It most frequently occurs 

 in little companies of five or six. 



Another species of Culaptes, \vliich frequents the warm plains of 

 Moxas, near the town of Trinidad, not unfreąuently resorts to the 

 trees \vhich there grow in forest patches, and in this particular it 

 resembles C. chilensis. 



The genus Dencirocolapies, as far as I have had opportunities of 

 observing their habits, exactly resemble the woodpeckers, ascending 

 the trees and searcliing the bark in a similar manner, and even sup- 

 porting themselves by the tail. In the plains betvveen the Indian 

 to\vn of Loretto and Trinidad, about long. 62°, I foand a beautiful 

 instance of the modification of form to a particular end, in the ap- 

 parently singular species 



D.pi'ocurvus, D'Orb. & De Lafr. 



As far as my experience goes, it only occurs in the open palm- 

 groves which crown the undulating elevations which here and there 

 rise up above the ordinary level of this district. In thera I found a 

 palm called Mutacu, \vith foliage likę the date-palm. The short 

 peduncles of the fallen leaves afford shelter to numerous coleoptera, 

 and they grow frora the trunk in a curve exactly similar to that which 

 characterizes the bill of this species, so that as he runs up the trunk 

 he is able to search a!l these lurking-places to the very bottom, al- 

 though their form renders them impregnable to every other assailant. 



In the dense forests, where this particular palm is never to be found, 

 I obsei'ved an abundance of the other species, but D. procurvus not 

 once. 



3. Drafts for a ne\v arraxgement of the Trochilid^. By 

 John Gould, F. R. S. (continued — see ante, pp. 7, 16.) 



The Ornism. Sappho of Lessori, and a nearly-allied species which 

 I shall describe in the present paper, appear to difFer in so many 

 characters from all the genera of this family liitherto instituted, that 

 I propose to place them in a distinct genus or subgenus, under the 

 name of Cometes, \vith the follovving characters : — 



CoMETEs, nov. gen. 



Char. gen. — Rostnim capite longius, cylindraceum, decurvatum. 



Cauda valdė furcata, plumis latis, truncatis. Tarsi nudi. Pedes 



moderati. Dlgitus et unguis postici digito et ungue mediis bre- 



viores. 



Gen. char. — Bill longer than the head, cylindrical, and curving 

 downwards ; tail much-forked, feathers broad and truncate ; tarsi 

 bare ; feet moderately large ; hind-toe and claw shorter than the 

 middle toe and claw. 



