CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. I43 



<■'. Much paler below, the brownish-olive color being confined 

 almost entirely to the flanks and under tail-coverts; upper 

 surface also paler with less rufous. (Middle stretches of 

 the Orinoco from the delta region — Las Barrancas — up as 



far as the first Falls, Atures) T. albipectus hypoleucus. 



e". Entire upper parts much darker rufous brown, below, sides, 

 flanks and crissum deep ochraceous, very much richer in 

 color than either of the preceding forms. (The Upper 



Orinoco from above the Falls of Atures) T. albipectus bogolensis. 



d'. Nostrils, if rounded, not at forward end of nasal fossa. 

 e. Nostrils linear, opening along lower edge of nasal fossa. 



/. Throat white, breast grey Pheugopedius griseipectus 



caurensis. 



f. Throat and breast buffy Troglodytes musculus clarus. 



e'. Nostrils rounded, near center of nasal fossa. 

 /. Prominent white wing-bands formed by subterminal white 



tips to greater wing-coverts Microcerculus caurensis. 



/'. No wing-bands Henicorhina leucosticta. 



HelEodvtes griseus (Swainson).^ 



Fiirnarhis griseus Swains., Anini. in Alenag. 1838. p. 325. 

 Campylorhynchiis griseus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 4. 



Native name Cucarachcro. In life the eye is vandyke brown; bill 

 black above, greyish horn color below ; feet slate color. 



Birds of this species are usually seen (and heard) in pairs, or, 

 after the breeding season, from April to July, in family parties of from 

 three to eight. They are rarely seen in the dense forest, keeping 

 near the borders of open savannas and localities abounding with scat- 

 tering scrub oaks and clumps of underbrush. 



The nesting habits of this species are quite unusual.. Early in 

 my acquaintance with it I had believed it constructed its own nests, 

 but that the nests built one year were not employed, — at least not for 

 the rearing of a brood of young, — until the following season. Later 

 observations have convinced me, however, that rarely, if ever, does 

 this wren do more in the way of nest building than to refurnish the 

 abandoned nest of some other bird, and that the more dilapidated the 

 structure is in outward appearance, the more acceptable it is as a true 

 nesting site. The old abandoned nests of Pitangus sulpliuratiis are 

 the ones that appear to be selected most frequently. Several of these 

 nests together with nests of Myiosetetes are frequently found in the 

 same tree, often within three or four feet of one another, and if one of 

 the Pitangus nests is the real nest of a pair of wrens the owners may" 

 be seen entering the other old nests quite as frequently as they do their 



iBerlepsch & Hartert, p. 4, have called attention to the error in the British Museum Catalogue 

 regarding this species and bicolor, the names having been transposed. 



