314 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 



The specimens in the American Museum collection from Boca de 

 Sina, Cunucunuma River (Upper Orinoco) differ from examples from 

 the middle Orinoco in the almost total absence of the rusty shading of 

 the under side of the tail-feathers, as in c. cayana., but their much 

 darker, more intense bay (with a distinct purplish sheen in certain 

 lights) rather than chestnut seems to separate them from that race. It 

 is possible these birds are representatives of the race (c. venesuelensis) 

 described by Cory (Orn. Series Field Mus. Pub. i; May, 1913: p. 284). 

 I feel that a series from the Upper Orinoco would show the birds from 

 that region to be a distinct race. 



PIAYA CAYANA INSULANA Hellmayr. 



Piaya cayana insulana Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 43 (Type, 



ex Chaguaramas, Trinidad). 



Hitherto this race has been known from Trinidad only, but speci- 

 mens collected at Las Barrancas (delta region) and compared with 

 Trinidad examples show them to be identical. 



Birds of this race are closely related to those from the middle 

 Orinoco, but are brighter and lighter cinnamon-rufous, or ferruginous 

 above (very much paler than Guiana birds) ; and as pointed out by 

 their describer, they have the outer webs of the second and third 

 rectrix entirely rufous, except for the blackish subapical band. The 

 sub-terminal black bars on the rectrices are broader and more sharply 

 defined than in Guiana or Orinoco birds, averaging 25 mm. while in 

 the birds of the middle Orinoco the average does not exceed 10 mm. 



A pair were observed carrying nesting material August 1st. 



PIAYA RUTILA ORINOCENSIS Cherrie. 

 Piaya rutila orinocensis Cherrie, Bui. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. XXXV, 1916, 



P- 393- 

 Piaya rutila Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 97. 



Not common, but noted at Las Barrancas (Delta region), Ciuclad 

 Bolivar, Altagracia and up as far as Maipures. 



Eye vermillion red ; bill sulphur yellow ; feet dusky plumbeous olive. 



TAPERA NAEVIA (Linnaeus). 



Cuculus naevius L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1776. p. 170. 

 Diplopterus naevius Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 98. 



Not common. Native name Pavita. While nowhere common 



