570 BIRDS OF BRITISH GL'IAKA. 



tliroat and remainder of the under surface of the body dull 

 fawn-colour tinged with red on the breast, edge of wing, and 

 abdomen ; streaked with black on the lower flanks and lower 

 abdomen, and V)arred with black on the under tail-coverts; axil- 

 laries and under wing-coverts blackish; under surface of flight- 

 quills pale brown ; lower aspect of tail similar to its upper surface 

 but paler. Wing i^'2 mm. 



The Ijrecdiiig-season of this bird, judging from a series of nine 

 males in the McConnell collection obtained on the Abary River in 

 July and November 1?0G, would appear to be during those dates, 

 as the non-breeding dress seems to be indicated on the black 

 portion of the plumage by pale margins to the feathers and white 

 fringes on the red portion. Both of these appear to wear otf 

 during the breeding-season, as the dark portion becomes uniform 

 black, so the rod loses its white fringes and become more brilliant 

 in November. 



J^reediiuj-seasnn. ?Jnlv to November. 



Isest. "In open pasture-land, built on the ground" {Lloi/d 

 Price). 



E[)fis. " Brownish-white speckled with light red " (Lloyd Pr'ue). 



liaiuje in Briiisli Guiana. Upper Takutu Mountains, Ituribisi 

 River, Supenaam River, Abary River (McCoimell collection); 

 Mount Roraima ( WJdteli/); Gt'ovgetown (Qnelch); Jjuriica {Beebe). 



B.rtralimital Rarxje. Trinidad, Venezuela, C'olonibia, North 

 Brazil, East Peru. 



Habits. Schomburgk states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 681) that he 

 found this species nt^ar the coast searching for food on the grass 

 by the sides of the roads and footj)atlis, every now and then 

 flying up perpendicularly into the air about twenty feet emitting a 

 peculiar note, and returning again just as quickly to the same place. 

 Its note is somewhat like our Siskin. Although it is one of the 

 commonest birds in the settlers' town, I never ff)und its nest. I 

 met with it now and then on the savannas during the dry season 

 on the dried-up bogs. Its food consists of insects. The 

 " Warraus" call it Olcsi and the "Macusis" Matscluki. 



Mr. H. Lloyd Price (Timehri (2) v. p. 65), writing on the 

 nests and eggs of some common Guiana l)irds, remarks: — ''In 

 open pasture-lands the colonial Red-lneast {Leistes quianensis) 

 Imilds on the ground ; the eggs are of a brownish-white speckled 

 with liiiht red." 



