240 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



507. Oxyruncus hypog'laucus. 



\. White-bellied Shakpbill. 



Oxyrham'phus hypoglaucus Salvin & Godman, Ibis, 1883, p 206 

 (Mount Eoraima) ; Salvin, op. cit. 1885, p. 291 (Merume Mts.) ; 

 Sclater, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 282, 1888 (Mount Roraima, 

 Merume Mts.) ; Brabourne & Chubb, B. S. Amer. i. p. 306, 

 no. 3110, 1912. 



Adult male. Greneral colour o£ the upper surface green including 

 the head, back, wings, and tail ; the short feathers on the forehead, 

 above the eye, and sides of the face barred with white and tipped, 

 or otherwise marked with blackish ; middle of crown more or less 

 blackish, with a somewhat concealed crest of narrow silky-red 

 feathers ; the feathers on the hind-neck dark at the tips, by 

 which a narrow dark collar is indicated ; the bases of the feathers 

 on the back are pale grey which sometimes show through ; some 

 of the median and greater upper wing-coverts have dark centres 

 and pale edges to the feathers like the innermost secondaries ; 

 bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish edged with 

 green, inner webs of quills margined with white towards the base ; 

 tail-feathers blackish, margined with green and tipped with white ; 

 throat, breast, and abdomen white with dark ovate spots ; sides of 

 body and under tailjcoverts similar but washed with sulphur- 

 yellow ; axillaries and inner under wing-coverts uniform sulphur- 

 yellow, the outer or marginal coverts tipped with brown ; under 

 surface of quills brown with sulphur-yellow inner edges ; lower 

 aspect of tail pale greyish brown with pale tips to the feathers. 



Total length 146 mm.^ exposed culmen 17, wing 91, tail 57, 

 tarsus 20. 



The specimen described was collected by Mr. McConnell at 

 Mount Roraima in October 1»98. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male. Wing 88 mm. 



Breeding -season. Unknown. 



Nest. Unrecorded. 



Eggs. Undescribed. 



Range confined to British Guiana. Mount Roraima {McConnell 

 collection); Mount Roraima, Merume Mountains [Whitely). 



Habits, Unrecorded. 



