410 Chapman, The Genus Scytalopus Gould. [bet. 



At what latitude, south of the equator, this zone reaches sea-level 

 and brings with it other forms which, like Scytalopus, have evidently 

 extended their range northward as far as the South Temperate Zone 

 itself, is one of the points an American Museum Expedition under 

 the charge of Mr. Leo E. Miller is now trying to determine. 



We know, however, that at least from central Chile southward 

 to Cape Horn, Scytalopus lives at sea-level; and doubtless not far 

 north of 30° S. latitude, it begins to ascend the mountains with the 

 zone to which it is so largely restricted. 



Since we cannot well believe that so ancient a type as Scytalopus 

 can have its center of dispersal in the Temperate Zone of mountains 

 so geologically recent as the Andes, we conclude that Scytalopus 

 originated at sea-level and, consequently, south of 30° S. latitude. 



The presence of species of this genus in southeastern Brazil, which 

 are apparently separated by a wide area from the species found 

 nearest to them in western South America, is a problem, which in 

 the present stage of our knowledge, I confess I am not prepared to 

 attack. 



I append now my notes on the species studied, after first removing 

 from Scytalopus the species heretofore known as Scytalopus senilis 

 (Lafr.) for which I propose the genus 



Myornis gen. now 



Char. gen. — Resembling Scytalopus Gould (type S. magellanicus (Gm.)), 

 but mesorhinium laterally compressed and elevated into a thin blade-like 

 ridge which is highest above the posterior margin of the nasal operculum 

 whence it descends toward both the tip and the base of the bill; tail longer, 

 instead of decidedly shorter than wing; wing more rounded, the fourth to 

 eighth, instead of third to seventh primaries (from without) subequal, the 

 second about as long as the inner secondary instead of as long as the 

 eighth primary. 



Type. — Scytalopus senilis (Lafr.) = Merul [axis] senilis Lafr. Rev. Zool. 

 1840, p. 103 ("Bogota")," type examined. 



Range. — Temperate and Alpine Zones of the Andes of Ecuador and the 

 Central and Eastern Andes of Colombia. 



Remarks. — The species heretofore known as Scytalopus senilis 

 (Lafr.) is obviously not congeneric with Scytalopus magellanicus 

 (Gmel.), the type of the genus Scytalopus Gould, or with any other 

 species of the genus known to me. Its laterally compressed and 



