456 Mr. J. Gould on 7iew Species of the Genus Eutoxeres. 



constant. The Quitan bird, like some of the Phaethorni, is 

 extremely variable in its markings : for instance, the tail, in 

 some specimens, has the tips of the feathers white for nearly 

 half an inch from the tip, in others for a quarter, in others, 

 again, for an eighth ; and I possess one in which the 

 white tipping is absent, all the feathers being of a uniform 

 olive-grey : but in no instance that I have seen does the white 

 extend down the shaft as in E. aquila. On comparing the 

 seven Quitan specimens with the Bogotan birds, I find that 

 the stria3 on the breast are black and white in the former and 

 black and buff in the latter. I shall designate the Quitan 

 bird E. Jieterura, with the following description : — 



Upper mandible wholly black, under mandible yellow for 

 two-thirds of its length from the base, the remainder olive- 

 brown ; crown of the head nearly black, each feather glossed 

 with green at the tip ; upper surface dull grass-green ; tail 

 olive-grey, in some instances tipped with sullied white ; wings 

 deep purplish black ; under surface, from the throat to the 

 vent, striated with black and buff, the buff becoming lighter 

 on the centre of the abdomen ; under tail-coverts brown, varied 

 with black. 



Total length 5 inches, bill 1, wing 2|, tail 2;^, tarsi \. 



Hah. Ecuador. 



The Veraguan bird is much more nearly allied to the Ecua- 

 dorian than the New-Granadian species, but possesses cha- 

 racters differing from both, and which, though slight, appear 

 to be constant, none of the specimens I possess having the 

 pure-white shafts of the New-Granadian E. aquila, or the 

 uniformly-coloured tail of the Ecuadorian E. lieterura, but 

 having all the tail-feathers tipped with white ; it moreover 

 assimilates to this bird in size, as it also does in the buff 

 colouring of the strise of the throat and breast. For this Vera- 

 guan bird I propose the name of Eutoxeres Salvim, in com- 

 pliment to a gentleman who assuredly deserves that a finer 

 bird should bear his name ; but as this species lives on that 

 side of the Isthmus of Panama his labours whereon have 

 been rewarded with such fruitful results, I embrace the first 

 opportunity afforded me of testifying to the benefit he has 

 conferred upon the branch of science to which we are both 

 attached. It may be asked, and with some show of reason, if 

 characterizing birds as distinct which present such trifling dif- 

 ferences is not like splitting straws ? to which I would answer, 

 such differences not only exist but are as constant as the 

 seasons which run their courses without variation, and it is 

 well known to all who have studied the natural productions 

 of the two Americas that their faunas, with but few excep- 



