EL^NEA. 191 



most secondaries dark brown edged with white ; bastard-wing 

 and primary-coverts uniform pale brown ; flight-quills dark 

 brown narrowly edged with white on the outer webs and more 

 broadly on the inner ones ; tail dark brown with narrow olive 

 edges to the feathers on the outer webs ; a well-marked coronal 

 patch of white ; sides of face and ear-coverts similar to the back ; 

 throat pale ash-grey ; breast and sides of the body yellowish olive- 

 grey ; abdomen, under tail-coverts, axillaries, and under wing- 

 coverts very pale sulphur-yellow ; quills below brown with pale 

 inner edges ; lower aspect of tail pale brown. 



Total length 132 mm., exposed culmen 9, wing 71, tail 54, 

 tarsus 17. 



The female from wliich the description is taken was collected 

 on the Abary River in September 1906. 



Adult male. Similar to the adult female, but differs in being 

 rather larger. Wing 75 mm. 



Breeding-season. Unknown in British Guiana. 

 ■ Nest. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 



Eggs. Undescribed from British Guiana. 



Range in British, Guiana. Upper Takatu Mountains, Abary 

 River (McConnell collection); Mount Roraima, Merume Moun- 

 tains {Whitely) ; Georgetown {Quelch). 



Extralimital Range. Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, 

 Argentina. 



Habits. Mr. J. J. Quelch (Timehri (2) v. pp. 90, 91), who 

 observed this species in Georgetown, remarks : — "Among some 

 of the commonest of the birds seen about the streets and gardens 

 of the town are various species of greyish Tyrant-birds, with 

 rather small flattened bills, commonly known as Muff-birds. 

 These are species of the genus Elainea, the two commonest are 

 E. pagana and E. alhiceps. 



"These birds feed on seeds and insects, but parj;icularly the 

 latter; and when thej-^have secured some tit-bit are often to be 

 seen chased by the Kiskadees and compelled to drop the treasure. 

 At such times they erect their crests to great advantage as though 

 with a desire to fight, but they have neither strength nor courage 

 to face their tyrants." 



