XlPHORHYNCHLiS. 



121 



Key to the Species. 



A. Larger, wing more than 110 mm X. sororius, p. 121. 



13. Smaller, wing less than 110 mm. 



a. Throat and middle of the feathers on the 

 fore-neck and breast buffy white ; bill 



stouter X. polystictus, p. 123. 



h. Throat and middle of the feathers on the 

 fore-neck and breast fulvous ; bill more 

 slender , X. pardalotus, ^. 122. 



427. Xiphorhynchus sororius. 



Venezuelan Wood-hewbr. 



XipJiorliynclius sororius Berlepsch & Hartert, Nov. Zool. ix. p. 63, 1902 



(Maipures, Eio Oironoco) ; Brabourne & Chubb, B. S. Amer. i. 



p. 250, no. 2540, 1912. . ...' 



Dendrocolaptes quttatus (nee Licht.) Cab. in Schomb. Reis. Gruian. iii. 



p. 690, 1848. 

 Dendrornis guttatoides (nee Lafr.) Salvln, Ibis, 1885, p. 422 (Bartica 



Grove); Sclater, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xv. p. 128, 1890 (Bartica 



Grove). 



Adult, Head, hind-neck, and sides of face dark brown with 

 smoky-white pear-shaped markings on the middle of the feathers 

 wliich are minute on the sides of the face and forehead, larger 

 and widening out on tlie nape and hind-neck ; mantle and upper 

 wing-coverts rust-brown, some of the feathers on the mantle 

 have smoke-coloured shaft-streaks which are margined with 

 black ; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, primary and 

 secoiularj quills rufous chestnut with pale brown tips to the 

 outer primaries ; tail dark chestnut ; throat buff, with minute 

 dark margins to the feathers which increase in width on the 

 lower throat ; breast, abdomen, sides of body, and under tail- 

 coverts umber-brown with wide shaft-lines of buff many of which 

 are narrowly margined with dark brown ; under wing-coverts- 

 ochreous buff; quill-lining pale rufous, becoming pale brown on 

 the tips of the outer priinaries ; lower aspect of tail pale rufous. 



Total length 240 mm., exposed cuhnen 39, wing 11&, tail 96, 

 tarsus 24. 



The specimen from which the description is taken was collected 

 on the Abary Eiver in July 1906. 



Breeding-season. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 



Nest. In the holes of trees (Schomburgk) . 



Eggs. Undescribed from British Gruiana. 



