Vol. XXXIII 



1915 



Chapman, The Genus Scytalopus Gould. 413 



Description of Adult Male. — Upperparts, wings, and tail clear, dark 

 neutral gray without trace of white on the head or of brownish wash on 

 the back; underparts slightly paler, deep neutral gray the under wing- 

 coverts and center of the abdomen with a trace of whitish; feet (skin) 

 blackish or brownish black; maxilla black, mandible brownish black. 



Adult Female. — Resembles the male. 



Juvenal. — A male taken at the type-locality Jan. 26, 1915, has nearly 

 acquired the plumage of the adult but still possesses in the crown, nape, 

 scapulars, throat, abdomen, flanks, wing-coverts, tertials and tail, feathers 

 which are barred with cinnamon-buff and black. 



Remarks. — ■ Miller and Boyle secured an excellent series of ten 

 specimens of this species in that elevated region near the northern 

 end of the Western Andes known as the Paramillo. In general 

 coloration it resembles Myornis senilis with which, however, it has 

 no close relation. Although approaching in size and superficially 

 resembling Scytalopus niger (Swains.), the more loosely constructed 

 remiges and differences in the color of the young indicate that it is 

 not a representative of that species. 



I have seen no specimens of the Peruvian S. unicolor, but from 

 Salvin's description of it (Nov. Zool. II, 1895, p. 15) I conclude that 

 canus resembles it in color but is smaller. Possibly canus is a repre- 

 sentative race of unicolor, though as yet no form of either has been 

 recorded from between northern Peru and northern Colombia. If 

 this assumption of relationships be true the case is paralleled both 

 in characters and distribution by that of Diglossa brunneiventris in 

 which true brunneiventris is known only from Peru, while a smaller 

 race is known only from Colombia. Indeed we have found it only 

 on the Paramillo with Scytalopus canus. 



Measurements of S. unicolor and <S. canus are given below. Sal- 

 vin's description of the female of unicolor is probably based on an 

 immature bird. The " S. magellanicus" to which he refers is doubt- 

 less Scytalopus niger (Swains.). 



