NO. 6 REVISION OF AMERICAN VULTURES — WETMORE 9 



gives of wing, 490 and 500 mm., and of tail, 244 and 250 mm., also 

 agree with those of that race. 



Several from the Chaco of Paraguay in the Brandt collection at 

 the University of Cincinnati are somewhat larger than the usual 

 measurements of this race and also show lighter coloration — grayish 

 brown to grayish white — on the outer webs of the distal ends of 

 the secondaries. Otherwise these birds agree with ruficollis in blacker 

 body color and darker coloration of the neck ruff. They appear to 

 represent a population intermediate toward jota to the west. The 

 differences are quite distinct and if found to have a broad enough 

 distribution may warrant recognition by name. This, however, may 

 be established only with more information, since from present data 

 it is not certain that part or all of these larger birds may not be cold 

 weather migrants from some Andean area to the west, and, therefore 

 intermediates between ruficollis and jota. 



In my earlier review (1926, p. 89) the name ruficollis was estab- 

 lished as the proper designation for this race. Among the synonyms 

 listed above I have examined the type of Oenops pernigra Sharpe in 

 the British Museum. The specimen has an original label that states 

 "Collected by A. R. Wallace. 1851, Upr. Amazon." Another tag 

 reads "South bank about 100 miles above the Rio Negro." The bird 

 is a typical example of ruficollis. The next name in the synonymy, 

 Cathartes orbignyi Sztolcman, is based, as indicated, on an account 

 of Cathartes aura by d'Orbigny. While this, in part, is not specific, 

 the head colors in the description, and in the accompanying colored 

 plate, are those of ruficollis. The plate however shows three lines 

 of prominent, rounded caruncles on the side of the neck at the base 

 so that part of d'Orbigny 's account may refer also to one of the 

 species of the yellow-headed group. 



It is of interest to observe that Azara (1802, p. 27) in his account 

 of the Acabiray also describes in detail the head colors of ruficollis. 



CATHARTES AURA JOTA (Molina) 



Vulair [sic] Jota Molina, Sagg. Stor. Nat. Chili, 1782, pp. 265, 343. (Chile.) 

 Cathartes occipitalis Sztolcman, Ann. Zool. Mus. Polonici, vol. 4, no. 4, Dec. 1, 



1925, p. 319. (Huambo, 1,100 meters elevation, 80 kilometers southeast of 



Chachapoyas, Peru.) 



Characters. — Secondaries margined in variable amount with light 

 gray, in some these edgings extended to the greater coverts, and in 

 a few to the outermost middle coverts; slightly browner above and 

 below than ruficollis; size large. 



