ATTILA. 287 



Total length 165 mm., exposed culmen 18, wing 85, tail 62, 

 tarsus 23. 



The specimen described was collected on the Lower Mazaruni 

 River by Mr. McConnell during his expedition to Mount E-oraima 

 in 1898, and is in similar plumage to that described by Cabanis 

 in Schomb. Reis. Guian. iii. p. 686. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male but rather smaller. 

 Wing 82 mm. 



Although I have examined a fairly large series (between twenty 

 and thirty individuals), the number of sexed and dated specimens 

 is insufficient to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion in regard to 

 the sequence of plumages. It appears to me desirable, therefore, 

 to uphold the two species that have been described from the 

 colony until the time when there is sufficient material to solve 

 the problem ; but from the variety of plumages exhibited in this 

 series, I should not be surprised to learn that there is a third 

 species even, as there are two specimens in the McCohnell 

 collection which are quite different from the rest. 



Breeding-season. Unknown in British Guiana. 



JSest. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 



Eggs. Undescribed from British Guiana. 



Range in British Guiana. Upper Takutu Mountains, Ituribisi 

 River, Supenaam River, Lower Mazaruni River, Bartica, Bona- 

 sika River, Makauria River, Arawai River, Berbece River 

 (McConnell collection) ; Bartica, Kamakusa, Kamarang River 

 (Whitely). 



Extralimital Range. Cayenne, Surinam (Penard), Trinidad, 

 Venezuela. 



Habits. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 



When Brabourne & Chubb compiled their ' List of the Birds of 

 South America ' they followed some of the previous authors in 

 supposing that Lesson's bird — Attila brasiliensis — came from 

 Cayenne, not from " Brasil ■" as he himself stated. On looking 

 up the literature again, however, I see no direct evidence why 

 Lesson's locality should be made to read Cayenne, as his original 

 description appears to apply equally well to Muscicapa uropygiata 

 Wied, and I notice, too, that the late Dr. P. L. Sclater was of that 

 opinion also, as he has marked one of the specimens in the 

 British Museum from South-East Brazil, which was previously in 

 his collection, '■'■Attila brasiliensis compared with type in Mus. 

 Par. P. L. S." 



