358 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



Genus CISTOTHORUS Cab. 



Cistothorus Cabanis, Mus. Hein. i. p. 77 note, 1851. Type C stellaris 

 (Naum.). 



Fig. 138.— To illustrate the short bill. 



The species that constitute this genus are birds of small size 

 with pointed bills, streaked backs, and barred wings and tails. 

 The bill is about two-thirds the length of the tarsus and the tail 

 about two-thirds the length of the wing. Coloration : male and 

 female alike. 



569. Cistothorus alticola. 



RoRAiMA Grass-Wren, 



? Thryothorus platensis (nee Lath.) Cab. in Sehomb. Eeis. Guian. ill. 



p. 673, 1848. 

 Gistothorus alticola Salvin & Godman, Ibis, 1883, p. 204 (Eoraima) ; 



Salvin, op. cit. 1885, p. 202 (Roraima, 3500 ft.); Brabourne & 



Chubb, B. S. Amer. i. p. 336, no. 3433, 1912. 



Adult male (type of the species). General colour above fawn- 

 brown, with white shaft-streaks and blackish margins' to the 

 feathers on the back and dark brown cross-bars to the wing- and 

 tail-feathers ; the inner webs of the flight-quills hair-brown ; sides 

 of face, sides of body, and under tail-coverts fawn-colour ; lores 

 and a slightly indicated superciliary streak whitish ; throat, 

 breast, and abdomen cream-white, with a tinge of fawn-colour 

 across the breast ; axillaries and under wing-coverts silk-white ; 

 quills below similar in colour to the inner webs on their upper 

 surface ; lower aspect of tail like its upper surface. 



Total length 110 mm., exposed culmen 11, wing 44, tail 40, 

 tarsus 16. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male. Wing 41 mm. 



This species is not represented in the McConnell collection; 

 the specimens described were collected by the late Henry Whitely 

 at Mount Roraima, and are now in the British Museum, Salvin- 

 Godman collection. 



Breeding-season. Unknown, 



