138 Capt. G. E. Shelley on six new 



along the larger rivers, the Gate- being a good deal smaller 

 than the river one crosses to get from it to the town. 



In addition to the three Woodpeckers I have mentioned, I 

 also saw on two occasions another species, apparently rather 

 smaller than Chrysoptilus cristatus, but marked with large 

 "catches of black and white. I also noticed very large Storks 

 with white breasts and black wings, a bluish grey Heron, a 

 bird the natives call Jaca, about the size of a Turkey, with 

 two sharp spurs on each wing ; and occasionally I think I saw 

 in Cordova a small black Vulture, which I afterwards saw 

 often in the Banda Oriental, and which the natives call 

 " Cuervo." Of course Caranchos, Chimangos, and Teroteros 

 or Spur- winged Plover swarmed everywhere. The egg of the 

 latter is very like that of the Pewit. 



Snipes I don't think I ever saw in Cordova ; but I shot two 

 or three in Entre Rios, and my companion said he once had 

 a decent morning's shooting at them. The Widow bird and 

 little " Sangre Pura" were very common about the Gato, and 

 of course a great variety of other small birds ; but I only at- 

 tempted to collect the Hawks, Owls, Woodpeckers, and King- 

 fishers ; and I think I must have got nearly all there were to 

 be found in that part. 



XVIII. — Descriptions of six new Species of West- African 

 Birds. By Captain G. E. Shelley. 



1. Scops icterorhynchus, sp. nov. 



Above tawny-brown, finely pencilled with dark brown; a 

 few of the feathers of the forehead are nearly white, with black 

 shafts ; those of the crown are palest towards their centres, 

 especially the ones forming the ear-tufts ; and all are trian- 

 gularly barred with narrow wavy streaks of dark brown ; the 

 feathers of the face above the eyes are buff, their ends narrowly 

 edged with dark brown ; those in front of the eyes have a 

 rather more rufous tinge j and those on the cheeks and ear- 

 coverts are similar in colour to the crown, but of a looser tex- 

 ture ; the frill of feathers round the face, towards the chin, 

 is buff, with black ends fading into brown at their extremities. 



