GRYPUS SPIXI, Gould. 



Spix's Saw-bill. 



Grypus Spiari, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xxviii. p. 304. 



I OBTAINED a single specimen of this bird from M. Parzudaki of Paris, but was unable to learn whence it had 

 been received, a fact which would be of much interest both to myself and to every scientific ornithologist ; 

 I have but little doubt, however, that the bird is a native of Brazil. 



Not being able to find any published description of a species according with the present bird, whose 

 thick and powerful bill, together with other characters, at once indicate its proper place in the family of 

 Trochilidse, I have no alternative but to characterize it as new. When I first described it, I accompanied my 

 description with a remark, which I may as well repeat here : — 



"This bird is considerably smaller than G. ncedius, and has a less cuneate tail. It is possible that this 

 may be one of the sexes oi G lauds Dohrnt\ many of its colours would induce such a belief; and if this 

 should prove to be the case, that bird must be removed from the genus Glaucis to that of Grypus, I have 

 named this species in honour of the celebrated traveller Spix, in whose work there occurs a figure of a bird 

 (G^. rujicollis) which somewhat resembles my specimen ; not so, however, the accompanying description, 

 which appears to be that of the species so frequently sent from Rio de Janeiro, and which is generally 

 known as Grypus ncemusJ" 



Crown of the head bronzy brown ; upper surface and all the tail-feathers very rich reddish bronze ; wi?)gs 

 reddish purple-brown; line above the eye buff; ear-coverts dark brown; throat, chest, and under surface 

 deep reddish buif ; under tail-coverts bronzy, each slightly tipped with huffy white ; upper mandible black ; 

 under mandible yellow, with a black tip ; feet yellow. 



The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Brassawta Imeata. 



