204 MR. P. L. SCLATER ON THE GENUS GEOBATE3. [Apr. 24, 



1. Note on the Genus Geobates of Swainson. By P. L. 

 Sclater, M.A., Ph.D. , F.R.S., Secretary to the Societv 



(Plate XXI.) 



In 1838, in the third part of the volume of Lardner's 'Cabinet 

 Encyclopaedia' called "Animals in Menageries," the late Mr. Swain- 

 son described (p. 322) a new genus and species of Passerine birds 

 under the name " Geobates brevicauda," with the following cha- 

 racters : — 



" Ferruginous above, paler beneath ; breast with darker shades 

 and obsolete brown stripes ; wings rufous ; primary quills with the 

 base, tips, and band in the middle black ; secondaries brighter ru- 

 fous, with a broad black band before the tips ; inner wing-covers 

 bright rufous ; tail with a black band. 



" Inhabits Southern Brazil. Very rare. Mus. nostr. 



" Small. Resembling an Anthus or Furnarius. Tertial quills 

 blackish brown, paler on the margins ; crown and ears dark ; chin, 

 lores, and eye-stripe whitish ; legs pale. Total length 4 T 3 - inches, 

 bill from the gape -^~, wings 3, as long as the tail, tail from the base 

 l T 8 ij-, tarsus y^y, hind toe and claw y 1 ^, middle ditto almost -y 7 ^." 



Although I have had large opportunities of examining American 

 birds in most of the principal collections of Europe and America 

 during these last ten or twelve years, the form thus noticed has not 

 come under my observation until recently, when, among some dupli- 

 cate skins received in exchange from the Vienna collection, I met with 

 a bird which is undoubtedly the same as that described by Swainson. 

 Upon communicating with Herr von Pelzeln, the distinguished natu- 

 ralist who has the care of the birds of the Imperial collection, I was 

 most obligingly furnished with the following extracts from Natterer's 

 MSS., relating to this species : — 



" Anthus pwcilopt erus, P. Neuwied. Fcem. adult. Bivouac four 

 leagues from S. Paul, on the road to Sorocaba, 27th January, 1819. 

 Iris dark brown ; bill black ; base of the upper and half of the under 

 mandible brown yellow, passing into flesh-colour ; feet brownish 

 yellow. Length 6", extent 9"; the tail reaches f" beyond the wing- 

 tip. 



" Mas adult, in moult, Ypanema, April G, 1819. Iris dark brown ; 

 upper mandible dark brown, as likewise apical half of lower mandible; 

 basal half of lower mandible and base of upper ditto beneath the 

 nostrils dark flesh-colour ; feet dark flesh-colour ; joints and claws 

 brownish. Length 6", extent 7" 2'"; the tail reaches 6'" beyond the 

 wing-ends. 



" This bird is seen in small flocks of four or five, also singly in 

 the meadows, at times in the neighbourhood of the cattle. It flies 

 high into the air to sing, but the song is monotonous and not me- 

 lodious"*. 



* Herr von Pelzeln informs me that other specimens of this bird were obtained 

 by Natterer at Ytarare, Pannapitanga, Registro Velho, and Sao Domingos. 



