356 Mr. Swainson on the Genus Psaris, 



grey on the body, and becoming almost white on the chin : inner 

 wing coverts deep fulvous. Wings moderate, the first and fourth 

 quills are of equal length; the second and third are the longest, 

 and are also equal. The spurious quill, which seems a peculiar 

 characteristic of this genus, is rather broad, except near its apex, 

 where it becomes suddenly narrowed, and terminates in a point : 

 the inner margins of all the quills, towards their base, are white : 

 the tail, in a very slight degree, is rounded, the two exterior fea- 

 thers on each side being somewhat shorter than those in the 

 middle ; tarsi black. 



I received a single specimen of this bird from the southern part 

 of Brazil, sometime ago ; it was stated to be a male. The patch 

 of soft downy feathers on the back, a character so frequent among 

 the African Malaconoti is entirely wanting in all the birds of the 

 sub-family Tyrannina, which I have hitherto seen. 



Total length 7 inches ', bill 1 ; wings 4 ; tail 2^; tarsi ^. 



PsARis niger. 



p. niger, infra griseus ; caudce sub'graduaiae, nigrce, apice albo. 



Black, beneath grey ; tail slightly graduated, black, tipt with 

 white. 



Description. 



Nearly the size of Psaris Cuvieri. Bill blueish black, the 

 nostrils are rather large, and covered by a membrane, at the ex- 

 tremity of which is placed the aperture ; the whole being pro- 

 tected, and nearly concealed, by slightly incumbent feathers, 

 intermixed with weak bristles. The front and upper part of the 

 head are deep black, with a gloss of steel blue, which gradually 

 disappears ; grey on the neck and middle of the back : the rump 

 and upper tail coverts are dark grey ; the wings are black ; the 

 white tips of the greater and lesser coverts forming two unequal 

 bands ; the margins of the scapulars and of the lesser quills are 

 also white. All the under plumage is dark grey, verging towards 

 black on the throat and breast. The wings are of a less pointed 

 form than those of P. cristatus ; the first quill is shorter than the 

 fourth, and the intermediate spurious quill is abruptly emarginate 



