158 

 h. Melanistic ^yfiase. 



Adult f (VI) : Uniform brownish black. Tail deep black, narrowly 

 tipped with white, and crossed by two bands of gray, which change to 

 •white or cream-color on the inner webs ( = C\ holiviensis Burm:. and C. 

 pucJierani Leot.). Young (YII) : Similar to the above, but the feathers 

 of the upper surface with narrow terminal margiues of rusty, and those 

 of the crissum with w^hite tips. 



The black plumage described above, and upon which Cymindis holivi- 

 ensis of Burmeister and C. xmclierani of Leotaud were based, is almost 

 certainly merely a melanism of the common R. iincinatus. We have 

 seen two specimens — an adult in the museum of the Boston Society of 

 Natural History and a young female in the American Musum of New 

 York. They agree entirely with Burmeister's description referred to 

 above, which is as follows : — 



DiAG. — "C. fusco-nigm, remigihus rectricihusqiie siibtus' albo-fasciatis ; 

 cera pedihusque croceis; long 18". 



" We have of this species one specimen in our museum, which was killed 

 near Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in the woody plains of the interior of 

 Bolivia. As I can find no description of this bird in the works fallen 

 under my inspection, I describe it as a new species. 



"In size and figure, entirely like the common Brazilian species Cym. 

 uncinata. The bill not stronger, and of the same form, but rather longer 5 

 the upper mandible black, the lower mandible whitish. The sides of the 

 face, from the beak to the eyes, naked, with some black bristles in a row 

 from the eye to the nostrils. Iris dark brown. The whole plumage black- 

 ish-brown, but the bases of the feathers of the vertex from the front to 

 the occiput white 5 the nuchal feathers elongated, broad, rounded. First 

 primary short, not longer than the secondaries; the second somewhat 

 longer than the fifth; the third somewhat longer than the same; and 

 the fourth the longest of all ; every one with four of five white bands on 

 the inside, of which the exterior is somewhat grayish. Secondaries of 

 nearly equal size, every one with five or six whitish bands on the inside, 

 which are only clear white in the middle of the plume. Tail only two 

 inches longer than the wings in position, black, with two large gray 

 bands on the upper side, and the same white on the under side, and a 

 similar margin at the ends of the rectrices. Legs yellow, w^ith black 

 claws, the outer toe the same length as the inner; the tarsus covered 

 in front with small hexagonal scales. 



" Whole length, from the tip of thebeak to the end of the tail, IS inches ; 

 beak, 1 inch; wing, 10 inches ; tail, 7 inches; tarsus, 1^ inch; middle 

 claw [toej without the nail, 14 lines, the nail, 8 lines." 



With Burmeisters description of his Cymindis holiviensis, as quoted 

 above, a specimen in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural 

 History ; * while another in the New York Museum agrees very closely 

 but has the feathers of the upper surface narrowly bordered ter- 

 minally with rusty, and the lower tail-coverts with white. Tail deep 

 black, narrowiy tipped with white, and crossed by two zones of gray, 

 which change to white or cream-color on the inner webs. The speci- 

 men in the New York Museum is marked " $ juv. Brazil", and, judging 

 from the rusty borders to the feathers, is undoubtedly an immature 

 bird. The other specimen is marked simply " South America ". 



* This specimen is No. 1411 on p. 53 of " Catalogue of the Falconidae in the museum 

 of the Society" (Proceedings, May 21, 1873). 



