﻿VENEZUELAN ORNITHOLOGY — FRIEDMANN AND SMITH 531 



philus of Trinidad but nearer to the former race. This is borne out 

 by the present specimen. The picture is not altogether clear, however, 

 as is indicated by some of the Venezuelan localities from which Zimmer 

 (Amer. Mus. Nov., No. 12G2, 1944, pp. 14-15) lists specimens of both 

 of these races. 



This bird was recorded twice, in April and December, both times 

 near Cantaura in groves of "moriche" palms on the open savanna. 



THRAUPIS SAYACA GLAUCOCOLPA Cabanis 



Thraupis glaucocolpa Cabanis, Museum Heineanum, vol. 1, 1851, p. 28 ("Caracas," 

 Venezuela) . 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 cf, Cantaura, March 17, 1945; gonads slightly enlarged; iris brown; plumage 

 worn. 



Study of a small series raises the possibility that the birds inhabiting 

 Margarita Island are a separable race, on the basis of slightly larger 

 size, or, at least, longer wing. Thus, a female from that island has a 

 wing length of 87.2 mm.; a male 91 mm. The present male from the 

 Venezuelan mainland has a wing measuring 81 mm., while two unsexed 

 birds from Savanilla, Colombia, measure 82.5 and 86.2 mm., re- 

 spectively. 



This tanager was common in the wet and dry woods around Caicara 

 and Cantaura, usually encountered in groups of two to five birds. 



It appeared to the collector that the local distribution of this species 

 was rather closely limited by the size of the trees in the area. Given 

 two or three large trees (40 to 50 feet high) in a bushy field or in a 

 village park, he could be fairly certain of finding one or two birds of 

 this species. However, in his experience the bird was rare in deciduous 

 seasonal woods composed only of trees 15 to 30 feet high. 



The call note was a smooth sibilant seeeep; the song was weak and 

 rambling. 



Local name, "azulejo." 



THRAUPIS PALMARUM MELANOPTERA (Sclater) 



Tanagra melanoptera Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, vol. 24, 1856 (Jan. 1857), 

 p. 235 (eastern Peru). 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 9 , Cantaura, October 12, 1947; gonads slightly enlarged; iris dark brown; 

 gizzard contained one large seed; plumage very abraded, molting in the wings 

 and tail. 



This species was encountered in groves of "moriche" palms on the 

 savanna at Cantaura during the months of Ivlarch through May and 

 September. It was fairly common, often in flocks of 5 to 10 individuals. 



It was heard to utter a soft whit-whit and a rising seeep. 



