﻿VENEZUELAN ORNITHOLOGY — FRIEDMANN AND SMITH 519 



The adult is in somewhat worn plumage; the fledgling has the wing 

 and tail feathers only partly grown and probably could hardly fly. 



As indicated by the senior author in another report (Proc. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., vol. 97, 1948, pp. 532-533) ephippialis Sclater (Proc. Zool. 

 Soc. London, 1882, p. 109, Bogota,, Colombia) is not separable from 

 albiventer. 



This thrush was relatively common in the wetter portions of the 

 deciduous seasonal woods at Cantaura. It was recorded from Febru- 

 ary through October. It was not observed at Caicara. The gonads 

 of the April example were enlarged and the bird was in full song. It 

 was also nesting in July as evidenced by the August fledgling collected. 



The song is clear, melodious, and typically thrushlike. The bird 

 also has a harsh scolding call note. 



Family SYLVIIDAE: Warblers, Gnatcatchers, and Kinglets 



POUOPTILA PLUMBEA PLUMBICEPS Lawrence 



Polioptila plumbiceps Lawrence, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 17, 

 1865, p. 37 (Venezuela). 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 cf, Cantaura, February 10, 1946; gonads slightly enlarged; iris dark brown; 

 plumage fresh and in good condition. 



The specimen differs from examples from Ocumare de la Costa, La 

 TriUa, Independencia, and Maracay, and agrees v/ith others from 

 Soledad, Ciudad Bolivar, and the Upper Orinoco, in having no whitish 

 feathers (all blackish) behind the nostrils. 



This gnatcatcher was conunon locally at the edge of the dry and wet 

 woods around Cantaura and Caicara, often in small flocks of three or 

 four individuals; recorded throughout the year. 



The call of this bird was a loud eeeah, which reminded the collector 

 of one of the notes of the catbird {Dumetella carolinensis) of the East- 

 ern United States. The song was an even series of clear, spaced chee- 

 chee-chees, sometimes running slightly up or down the scale. 



EAMPHOCAENUS MELANURUS TRINITATIS Lesson 



Ramphocaenus trinitatis Lesson, Rev. Zool., vol. 2, 1839, p. 42 ("in insula Trini- 

 tatis"). 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 d^, Caicara, February 22, 1948; gonads small; iris light brown; bill light brown, 

 feet dark blue gray; gizzard contained insects; plumage fairly fresh. 



Zimmer (Amer. Mus. Nov., No. 917, 1937, pp. 14-15) has outlined 

 the not-too-clear present status of trinitatis. Without further mate- 

 rial it is not feasible to attempt to go beyond his presentation of the 

 case. The present specimen is clearly like those that Zimmer calls 

 ' ' trinitatis (near pallidus) . ' ' 



