TACHYP BONUS. 531 



Genus TACHYPHONUS Vieill. 



Tacltyphonus Vieillot, Anal. Nouv. Ornith. p. 33, 1816. Type T. rufus 

 (Bodd.). 



Fig. 198. — Tachyphonus rufus. 



The species on which this genus was based have short velvet- 

 like leathers at the base of the forehead. The bill is somewhat 

 long and slender, its width at the base and height at the nostrils 

 are about equal- to half the length of the exposed culmen, the tip 

 of the upper mandible is slightly hooked, but there appears to 

 be no tooth on the cutting-edges, and the nostrils are exposed. 

 The wing is rounded, the third, fourth, and fifth primaries 

 longest and equal, the second is equal to the sixth and tlie first 

 to the eighth. The tail is slightly rounded at the tip and about 

 seven-eighths the length of the wing. The tarsus exceeds the 

 length of the exposed culmen by about one-fourth. Coloration : 

 male and female different. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Crown of head black like the back. 

 a. Larger, wing more than 80 mm. 



a. General colom- black T. rufus, (f.p. 532. 



h'. General colour rufous T. rufus, 5 . P- 532 . 



h. Smaller, wing less than 80 mm. 



c . General colour of upper surface 



black; shoulder of wing red T. pliosniceus, cJ , p. 533. 



d'. General colour of upper surface 



dusky-brown, tinged with gi'ey on 



the head T. phosniceiis, 5 , p. 533. 



e'. Head black like the back ; shoulder 



of wing white T. luctuosus, d , p. 534. 



f. Head grey in conti'ast to the back, 



which is olive-green T. luctuosus, 5 , p. 534'. 



B. Crown of head orange in contrast to the 



upper back, which is black. 



c. Middle of throat black ; larger, wing 



more than 80 mm T. surinamus, 6 , p. 535. 



g' . Crown of head grey; back dark 



olive-green T. surinamus, 5 , p. 535. 



d. Middle of throat rufous ; smaller, wing 



less than 80 mm T. intereedens, S , p. 536. 



h'. Crownof headochreousliketheback. T. intereedens, J , p. 530. 



2m2 



