1893.] MR. p. L. SCLA.TEII OX A BARE ARGEXXIXE BIRD. 167 



' Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum,' iu w hieh all reference 

 to Facliijrluimjihus albiaiu-lia was unaecouutahh' omitted. 



In 1S9L Mr. Eidgway discovered a specimen of Fachi/rhamphus 

 albiaacha, received from Dr. Burmeister himself, among the trea- 

 sures of the U. S. National Museiun, where it had lain unnoticed for 

 17 years, and gave an excellent account of it iu the 'Proceedings 

 of the U. S. National Museum,' no. 870, which, according to the list 

 of the " dates of publication " printed along with the " Contents," 

 was published on Oct. 22nd of that year. Mr, Eidgway pointed 

 out that the bird is not a true Pach)j rhamplius, and instituted a 

 new genus, " Xenopscvis,^' for its reception, referring it to the 

 subfamily Lipaugiuce of the Cotiugidae. 



At about the same date as the rediscovery of this little bird at 

 "Washington, an example of it, transmitted by Herr Fritz Schulz, 

 appears to have reached another centre of ornithological work, 

 lierlin, and to have attracted Dr. Cabanis's attention. Dr. Cabauis 

 also I'ecognized the necessity of separating this form from Pachy- 

 rhanqjhiis, aud referred it to a new genus of Tyi'annidse, "■ Fros- 

 poietug,'' to be placed near Serpliopliaga. 



On reading these two notices, and knowing that there was no 

 specimen of this peculiar bird in this country, I wrote to Dr. Carlos 

 Berg, M'ho had succeeded Dr. Burmeister in the Directorship of 

 the National Museum of Buenos Ayres, and asked him to procure 

 me some examples of it. This, in reply, he kindly promised to do 

 if possible, and in the meantime sends for examination one of the 

 typical specimens belonging to the Museum of Buenos Ayres, which 

 I ha\e now the pleasure of exhibiting. As regards the systematic 

 position of this form I agree very nearly with Mr. Eidgway, and, 

 in order to render the subject complete, I append to these remarks 

 his generic and specific characters of this little-known bird very 

 slightly modified. 



Genus Xenopsaris. 



Xenopsaris, Eidgway, Btill. U. S. N. Mus. xiv. p. 479 (Oct. 1891). 



Prospoietus, Cab. Bericht orn. Gresellscli. Berlin, ix. p. 4 (Nov. 

 1891). 



Char. (jen. Similar to C'asiornis, Bp., but bill very much smaller, 

 narrower, and more elevated at the base, with culinen gradually- 

 curved throughout its length ; nasal and rictal bristles much loss 

 develojjed ; tail nearly as long as the wing, eniarginate and rounded 

 (i. e. double-rounded), the feathers rather narrow ; primaries 

 exceeding secondaries by more than length of bill; the second, 

 third, and fourth quills nearly e(|ual and longest; first pi-imary 

 equal to sixth; tarsus about eipial to length of bill measured from 

 the rictus; middle toe considiirably shorter than tarsus (slightly 

 less than exposed cuhneu) ; feathers of pileum lengthened and 

 Ijfoad, forming, when erected, a full rounded crest; along each 

 side of the lowiu' baeU and rump a conspicuous tuft of pure white 

 cottony feathers. Colour (both sexes) griiyish above, with glossy 



l^/i^ 



