Mr. P. L. Sclater on new sjjecies of Birds. G3 



true cayaua of Linnaeus. Tliere is no sucli bird in existence as that 

 characterized by Prof. Reiclienbat'h as caijanu. Brisson's descrip- 

 tion, it is true, is bad, and Butlbn's fiu;urc' worse, but tboy can be 

 respectively intended for no other bird than the common lilaclc and 

 bhie species which is called by Prof, lliiehenbach D. ctjuuoinclas. 



I am in my turn un])leasantly surprised to find that Prof. Rcichen- 

 bach has removed my Dacnis cwrchicolor into his genus Arbelorhina, 

 with which it has nothing to do ; that he has made Dacnis Jlanven- 

 tris of D'Orbigny's Voyage a Conirostrum, which it certainly is not, 

 and has unnaturally placed the hook-billed Difflossa in the middle of 

 the typical DacnidiiKE. 



The atricapilla of my former synopsis, Prof. Reichenbach has 

 with some reason made the type of his new genus Chlorophanes. 



Descrittions of Six New Species of Birds of the Sub- 

 family FoRMicARiN.E. By Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A. 



1. Myrmeciza leucaspis, Sclater. 



Supra cinnamomea, suhtus alba; vitta laterali iitrinque ab angulo 

 oris ad ventrem descendente niyro ; lateribus corporis cum 

 ventre imn crissoque olivascenti-cinnamomeis; ros.tro iiiyro, man- 

 dibida inferior e, nisibasi, alba; pedibus pallidis; orbitis nudis. 



Long, tota 5'5; alae 2'8 ; caudse I'S. 



Hab. In Peruvia, Chamicurros ; in Nova Grenada ; et Rio Negro, 

 Cobati. 



The first specimen of this bird that came into my possession seems 

 by its make to be a Bogota skin. I have lately obtained a second 

 from the MM. Yerreaux of Paris, marked 'Peru.' But a more 

 satisfactory locality is Chamicurros, on the Iluallaga, one of the con- 

 fluents of the Peruvian Amazon, whence Mr. Gould has lately received 

 several examples, along with many other interesting birds. Mr. 

 Gould's specimens were collected in the month of October, 1852. 

 Male and female, so labeled, are coloured alike, and noted, "Irides 

 red, skin around the eyes and legs light blue." My Bogota skin, 

 and one in the MM. Yerreaux' s collection, have the base of the 

 interscapularies light fawn-colour, forming a large blotch, which, 

 however, as is often the case in the birds of this sub-family, is only 

 to be seen when the feathers are raised. 



A specimen of this bird in the British Museum is from Cobati, on 

 the Rio Negro. 



The upper plumage of the Myrmeciza leucaspis is wholly dark 

 cinnamon-colour, and divided from the pure white of the lower sur- 

 face by a black band. The wing-feathers are blackish within ; the 

 twelve rectrices are wholly darkish cinnamon-red. The white of the 

 lower surface narrows as it descends, terminating in a point, and 

 leaving the sides of the belly and crissum dusky olivaceous cinnamon- 

 colour. 



2. Myrmeciza margaritata, Sclater. 



<? Cinereus, subfus dilutior, ventre medio crissoque albescentibus ; 



