368 Dr. Emil A. Goeldi on the 



of this nest was only effected by patiently waiting for some 

 hours in a hidden corner. 



As regards the eggs of Gymnomijstax, I have been some- 

 what unfortunate. The eggs which were sent to me together 

 with the first nest arrived broken and do not allow of measure- 

 ments. The fragments, however, show a bluish-white sur- 

 face, with large, dark, irregular spots ; they give me the idea 

 of some resemblance to a smaller version of the e^g figured 

 as that oi Icterus cristatus by T\nenema,nn (Abbildungen von 

 Vogeleiern, pi. xxxvii. fig. 7). The second nest contained on 

 the day of my arrival at Livramento (August 28th) three 

 naked young birds, which I did not interfere with. On my 

 return to the locality a fortnight after, I found the nest empty 

 and the birds gone. 



3. TODIROSTRUM afACULATUM. 



It seems that since the time of Prince Maximilian zu Wied 

 nobody has written about the breeding-habits of any member 

 of the genus Tndirostrum, which belongs to the smaller 

 forms of the Tyrannine subfamily Platyrhynchinoe. The 

 Prince writes (Beitr. iii. p. 967) of the nest of T. polio- 

 cephalum : — "Ein solches Nest, welches wir in der Nahe des 

 Flusses Parahypa in einera hohen Gome/era-Baume {Ficus) 

 fanden, — man versicherte raich, es gehtire diesera Vogel an, — 

 war von Baum- und Pflanzenwolle erbaut, von langlich- 

 kugelicher Gestalt, oben iiber geschlossen, und vorn mit einer 

 sehr kleinen Oeffnung zum Eingauge des Vogels versehcn ; es 

 wird in meinen Abbildungen zur Naturgeschichte Brasilien's 

 raitgetheilt werden^^*. 



Todirostrum maculatnm — a common bird, and a daily guest 

 in the gardens of Para — is well known by the people imder 

 the trivial name of " Ferreirinho " (little smith) . There is 

 almost no hour of the day when we do not hear the charac- 

 teristic song of this little bird, which is ever busy among 

 the shady foliage of the fruit-trees. Its soug may be imitated 

 by the syllables isi-ts'iridi-tsJridi-tsi-tsi, aud may at the same 

 time be compared to the sound produced by wniding up a 

 watch. 



* It seems that this promise remained unaccomplished, as in my 

 copy of the 'Abbildungen' there is no plate referring to the nest in 

 question. — E. A. G. 



