OBERHOLSER] THE AVIAN GENUS BLEDA 161 
third the length of exposed culmen; nostrils more lengthened; 
tarsus less than 114 times the length of exposed culmen; nuchal hairs 
less branched ; rictal and nasal bristles decidedly longer. 
Description—Tail about nine-tenths of wing; throat feathers not 
lengthened ; tarsus scutellate; wing about 4 times the tarsus; tarsus 
1¥% times the exposed culmen; head not crested; nuchal hairs short 
(less than 20 mm.), slightly branched; rictal bristles long, reaching 
about two-thirds the length of the bill; bill long, rather slender, de- 
pressed, equal in height and breadth at anterior edge of nostrils, 
much broader than high at base, its height at the latter point much 
less than one-third the length of exposed culmen; culmen, except at 
tip, straight or even slightly concave; gonys somewhat ascending ; 
maxilla with one subterminal notch; nostrils linear, operculate, the 
frontal feathering extending only to their posterior margin; bristles 
of nostrils long and rather numerous. 
Type.—tTrichophorus icterinus BONAPARTE. 
The present more careful examination has convinced us that we 
were wrong in considering the type of this genus congeneric with 
Bleda syndactyla. It is in reality very distinct, differing from Bleda 
in its linear nostrils; less branched nuchal hairs; relatively longer 
rictal bristles ; more slender, depressed bill, with less sharply ascend- 
ing gonys; and longer tarsus, as compared with length of culmen. 
The generic separation of this species from Criniger ictericus Strick- 
land will doubtless do away with all objection to the use of its earliest 
and therefore correct specific name icterina. 
Some doubt exists regarding the reference of Xenocichla polio- 
cephala Reichenow to this genus, as the species has not been avail- 
able for examination. It certainly does not belong in Bleda, nor do 
its characters, in so far as they have been expressed in published 
diagnoses, seem to fit any other genus so well as Argaleocichla. It 
is even possible that a new genus will be necessary for its reception. 
The only species that appear to belong under this heading are: 
Argaleocichla icterina (Bonaparte) (= tricolor Cassin). 
Argaleocichla poliocephala (Reichenow). 
THAPSINILLAS? gen. nov. 
Chars. gen.—Similar to Trichophorus, but head not crested ; throat 
feathers not lengthened; nuchal hairs short; nostrils linear, opercu- 
late ; tarsus much shorter than culmen, and more than 5% times con- 
*Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xx, 1899, p. 14. 
2Oapiwoc, flavus; iAAac, turdus. 
