2o6 Elliot oh the yacauida:. [July 



Jacana nigra. 



Pat-ra nigra Gmel. Sjst. Nat. 17S8, I, p. 708. — Lath. Ind. Orn. 1790, II, 



p. 762. — ViEiLL. Encj. Meth. 1823, III, p. 1054. 

 Parra brasilioisis Gmel. Syst. Nat. 1788, I, p. 708.— Lath. Ind. Orn. 



1790, II, p. 763. — Vieill. Ency. Meth. 1823, III, p. 1054. 

 Parra viridis Gmel. Syst. Nat. 17S8, I, p. 708. — Lath. Ind. Orn. 1790, 



II, p. 763.— Vieill. Ency. Meth. 1823, III, p. 1055. 

 Parra liyfoinclcena G. R. Gray, Gen. B. 1846, III, pi.— Sclat. P. Z. S. 



1856, p. 383.— Sclat. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, P- 346- 

 Parra melanofygia SCLAT. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 2S3. 



Adult: — Entire plumaii^e black glossed with green and pnrple, these 

 hues varying in intensity and brightness among individuals, the purple 

 being usually the most brilliant upon the wings and mantle. Under 

 wing-coverts black. Tail purplish black. Remiges pale greenish yel- 

 low, tipped on secondaries, and bordered on primaries with brownish 

 black, the outer web of first primary being entirely of this color. An 

 upright broad wattle divided into two lobes at the base of maxilla, and 

 two narrow, somewhat lengthened, one pendant from either side of base 

 of mandible, bright orange red. Base of bill orange red, remainder bright 

 yellow. Metacarpal spur developed and pointed. Tarsi and feet green- 

 ish black. Individuals of this species apparently vary considerably in size, 

 even from the same locality, and also in the amount of purple reflections 

 on the neck and body. Total length, 74-8^; wing, 43-5; tail, rt-2; 

 tarsus, 2-2I; bill (cuhnen), il-i^ inches. 



Toutirr: — Top of head brown. Superciliary stripe yellowish white. 

 Stripe from behind the eye, back of neck, and anterior portion of back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts black, with a greenish lustre. Throat, neck 

 underneath, and entire underparts, white. Wings bronzy brown. Pri- 

 maries and secondaries as in the adult. Tail bronzy purple. Bill: frontal 

 wattle yellow; base of maxilla reddish, rest of bill yellow. Legs and 

 feet olive. Total length, 9, in. ; wing, 5J ; tail, I'j ; bill (culmen), ij. 



IIacitat. CiUthagena, Mils. Paris (Sclater). Antioqiiia, 

 Colombia (Salmon). Baranquila, Colombia (Crovvther). 

 Panama (McClellan). St. Martha (Lawrence). 



This apparently perfectly valid species, described by the older 

 writers very completely, and named by Gmelin, seems either 

 to have l)ecn overlooked by authors generally or else for some 

 inexplical)le reason deemed to be the same as the P. jacana of 

 Linn;uus, which it has nothing to do with, and in no way re- 

 sembles. Gray figures it in his 'Genera of Birds' as P. hypome- 

 liCiia^ but gives no description, and places the P. nigra Gmel. 

 in his list as a questionable species! Sclater [I.e.] gives it 



