VENEZUELAN ORNITHOLOGY — FRIEDMANN AND SMITH 475 



tyrannus. This fact further suggests that the suitabihty or unsuit- 

 abUity of the area is something determined by seasonal precipitation. 



In the following annotated catalog are listed only such specimens 

 as have been collected subsequent to those recorded in our 1950 paper. 



Family Tinamidae: Tinamous 



Tinamus major zuUensis Osgood and Conover 



Tinamus major zuUensis Osgood and Conover, Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. 



Ser., vol. 12, August 28, 1922, p. 24 (Rio Cogollo, Perijd, State of Zulia, 



Venezuela) . 

 1 unsexed, Caripito, Monagas, December 15, 1953; gonads small; iris brown, 

 bill brown, feet dull blue green. 



This is the tinamou typical of the heavy tropical forest at Caripito, 

 Monagas. The collector never saw or heard of it at Caicara or Can- 

 taura, nor would he have expected to find it there, as the woods are 

 very different from those at Caripito. 



Crypturelliis soui andrei (Brabourne and Chubb) 



Crypturiis soui andrei Brabourne and Chubb, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 

 14, 1914, p. 321 (Caparo, Trinidad). 



1 9, Caicara, captured alive in March 1950, died on August 10, 1950; ovary 

 somewhat enlarged; iris tan, bill gray with the base of mandible flesh, feet olive. 



2 sets of 2 eggs each, Caicara, August 6, 1950, and April 10, 1951. 



This specimen is much darker and less rufescent above than a 

 female of the nominate race from Sao Gabriel, Rio Negro, northern 

 Brazil, and therefore agrees with the description of the subspecies 

 andrei of Trinidad and the northern coastal belt of Venezuela. Below 

 it is also darker but hardly less rufescent than typical soui. Its biU 

 is not larger than that of the latter, disagreeing in this respect with 

 the statement of Hellmayr and Conover (Catalogue of the birds of 

 the Americas, pt. 1, No. 1, 1942, p. 38) that andrei generally has a 

 larger bill than soui. The present specimen appears to be subadult, 

 as it still has the strikingly barred under-tail coverts of immaturity. 



This extremely secretive little tinamou was fairly common in the 

 overgrown clearings around Caicara. It was never recorded at 

 Cantaura, and was unlaiown there to the local residents. Were it 

 not for the lovel}^, almost bell-like calls of early morning and evening 

 the bird would pass unnoticed. The call is best likened to that pro- 

 duced by dragging the hammer up the upper keys of a xylophone, 

 perhaps seven notes, and then, commencing with the same note at 

 which the upward series began, rumiing down the scale about five 

 notes; or put vocally, churreee-churoo. The bhd also utters a low 

 wup-ump very similar to that of Crypturellus noctivagus, audible for 

 perhaps ten feet. 



