CHELIDOPTERA. 470 



Brachypetes tenehrosa Brown, Canoe and Camp Life. p. 1.53, lb76 

 (Quitaro Eiver). 



"Swallow-winged Barbet" {QuelcJi). 



Adult male. General colour slaty-black, including the head, 

 back, wings, tail, throat, and breast ; rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 under wing-coverts, and axillaries white ; lower flanks and vent 

 chestnut ; under tail-coverts pale grey, with dark shaft-lines. 

 Total length 155 mm., culmen 17, wing 103, tail 47, tarsus 13. 

 The description of the male is based on an example collected on 

 the Ituribisi River. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in plumage, but rather larger 

 in size. Wing 108 mm. 



Breeding-season. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 

 Nest. " It makes a hole in the side of a sand-hill, in which it 

 lavs its eggs and hatches its young'' (Brown). 

 J^ggs. Undescribed from British Guiana. 



liange in British Guiana. Ituribisi River, Bartiea, Kamakabra 

 River, Bonasika River, Makauria River, Abary River, Mazaruni 

 River, Great Falls Demerara River, Arawai River (McConnell 

 collection) ; Kwitaro River (Brown) ; Maccasseema ( TT'. L. 

 Sclater) ; Bartiea, Merume Mountains, Mount Roraima, Yuruani 

 River ( Wldtely). 



E.i'traliinital Range. Surinam {Pallas). Venezuela, Colombia, 

 Central Brazil. 



Habits. According to Schomburgk (Reis. Giiian. ii. p. 400, iii. 

 p. 720) this bird is very common in British Guiana, though he 

 never found its nest. Its favourite perch was on the topino.»t 

 branches of tall trees. The "' ^lacusis " and "' Arekunas '■* call it 

 Jlerioha. 



Mr. Barrington Brown writes (Canoe and Camp Life, p. 153) : — 

 " A small dark-coloured bird, very common on the Quitaro and, 

 in fact, on all the rivers of Guiana, where it is seen sitting on the 

 limbs of high, dead trees, patiently awaiting for some insect to 

 pass, wiiich it catches on the wing. 



"' It is a stumpy-built biril, and its flight is very bat-like. It 

 makes a liole in tlie side ot" a sand-hill, in wliich it lays its eggs 

 and hatches its young.'" 



.Mr. .] . J. (^uelch writes (Tfmehri (2) ii. p. 375) that the only 

 Barbct that lie met with during his trip on the Abar\ River was 

 <_'hiliil()jifcra te/u'l>ri>sa. the S\vallo\v-win;^ed Barbel. 



