17 2 Elliot ov the Genus Dcinfrorm's. [April 



hue. These spots become gradually less and less distinct, and disappear 

 altogether on the lower part of the breast. Feet, pale brown. Entire 

 length, 8^ in. ; bill, l\ in.; wing, 4^ in. ; tail, 3ft in. Description taken 

 from a Tobago specimen, collected by Ober in May, in collection Ameri- 

 can Museum Natural History. Dimensions of a specimen from Venezuela 

 collected by Coale, No. 10^.047, U. S. Nat. Mus. : Length, 7^ in. ; wing: 

 3i ! '-, in. ; tail, 3J" in. ; bill, 1 {'-., in. Dimensions of type of D. f rater cuius, 

 wing, 3!" in. ; tail, y^ in - i exposed culmen, bill broken, .83. 



The above description differs in some particulars from that of 

 the type given by Jardine (1. c.) also from Tobago. He says the 

 mandible is umber- brown, maxilla paler. This is evidently a 

 transposition of terms, as the mandible is never darker than the 

 maxilla, the opposite being almost always the fact. In two speci- 

 mens before me, one from Venezuela collected by Coale, the 

 other being one of the types of N. albisquama Lafres., the man- 

 dible is quite as dark as the maxilla, the entire bill being, in fact, 

 nearly black. This variance of color seems, however, to be an 

 individual characteristic, as nearly all specimens have the bill 

 colored as described above. Jardine also states that the nape is 

 yellowish brown like the back. In all my specimens the nape and 

 crown are of the same color, and very much darker than the back. 

 With the above discrepancies, the description of the type agrees 

 with the specimens before me from Tobago and elsewhere. 

 The depth of color differs in specimens, some being generally 

 darker than others, and the spots brighter and more clearly defined, 

 and their borders more sharply marked. This difference of hue does 

 not occur in specimens from one locality more than from another, 

 and evidently has no specific value whatever. One specimen from 

 Tobago, collected by Ober in April, a month earlier than the one 

 described above, has the throat pale buff, more like those of Cen- 

 tral American birds, and the spots above and below are brighter, 

 of a deeper color, and more distinct. 



I have placed among the synonyms of this species D.fraterculus 

 Ridgw., from Santarem, Brazil, the type of which is before me. 

 The measurements in a series of these birds vary very considera- 

 bly, and I have before mc a specimen from Venezuela (measure- 

 ments giyen above) that varies but slightly from the type of 

 fratei;c7ihis. The length of bill in the latter I am unable to ascer- 

 tain as only about half of it remains, the apical portion having 

 disappeared. Mr. Ridgway gives the "exposed culmen 1.15," 



