]38 Hans von Berlepsch on three new 



take an interest in South- American ornithology for his ex- 

 cellent papers on Peruvian birds published in the P. Z. S. 

 Dr. Taczanowski first confirmed my belief that this bird 

 belonged to an undescribed species. 



E. taczanoivskii is a near ally of Elainea cinerea, Pelzeln*, 

 of which I have examined the type specimen collected by 

 Natterer at Marabitanas, on the Upper Rio Negro. E. cani- 

 ceps, Swains., of which I got a Bahia skin too, is also of pre- 

 cisely the same group, presenting a similar style of colouring 

 and agreeing in form with them. But all three are perfectly 

 distinct species, as pointed out above. 



E. taczanowskii has also some slight resemblance to Ser- 

 pophaga subcristata, Vieill. ; and perhaps Bahia specimens of 

 the former may have sometimes been mistaken for the latter 

 species. For instance, " Serpophaga subcristata, Forbes, Ibis, 

 1881, p. 342 (Pernambuco),^^ may possibly mean E. tac- 

 zanowskii. But besides being difi'erently coloured, having 

 no yellow abdomen, having the back not brownish olive, 

 the wing-markings not brownish white, and a quite dif- 

 ferently shaped crest in which the white is suffused with 

 yellow, it is also of quite different form, having much 

 longer wings and tail, and the bill not so depressed. 



There is, of course, only a superficial resemblance between 

 these two species, which vanishes on closer examination. It 

 is true that the species of the subgroup of Elainea to which 

 E. taczanowskii belongs have much slenderer and more Serpo- 

 phagaAike bills than more typical species of Elainea (viz. 

 E. pagana) ; but they nevertheless must remain in the genus 

 Elainea. E. placens, Scl. (which is otherwise a typical 

 Elainea), presents an equally fine thin bill as E. taczanowskii, 

 while, on the other hand, E. cinerea, Pelz., has the bill much 

 stronger- and higher than its nearest ally, viz. E. taczanowskii. 



* It seems very probable that Sojmphoga alhogrisea, Sclat. & Salv., 

 described in P. Z. S. 1880, p. 156, from Sarayacu, Ecuador, is identical 

 with Elainea chierea, Pelz. ; at least there is nothing in the description 

 of Messrs. Sclater and Salvin which could lead to a contrary opinion. 

 Nevertheless, a reexamination of the type specimen in the museum S.-G. 

 is desirable. In case of identity Pelzeln's name has the priority of several 

 years. 



