566 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



round bright yellow. Remainder of the plumage, including the 

 lores, short feathers round the eye, chin, and a narrow line at 

 the base of the forehead black. 



Total length 163 mm., exposed culmen 21, wing 89, tail 66, 

 tarsus 24. 



Adult female. Crown of head, sides of face, hind-neck, and 

 sides of neck dark citron-yellow, rather paler on the sides of the 

 crown ; entire back, wings, and tail blackish, with pale margins 

 to some of the feathers and lead-grey bases to the feathers on the 

 back ; throat and fore-neck bright yellow ; breast, abdomen, and 

 sides of body drab-grey with a wash of yellow on the breast ; 

 under tail-coverts and under wing-coverts inclining to soot-black; 

 under surface of flight-quills dark brown ; lower aspect of tail 

 similar but darker. Wing 79 mm. 



The male and female described were collected on the Abary 

 River in July 1906. 



Immature male. Soot-black, except the throat and fore-neck, 

 which is approaching yellow. 



This specimen was collected on the Takutu River in 1907. 



Breeding- season. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 



West. " Composed of dry cane, trash, and grass, is fastened to 

 the reeds by its sides, generally nearly the top " {Lloyd Price). 



Eggs. " Three in number are pale blue, spotted with black " 

 (Lloyd Price). 



Range in British Guiana. Takutu River, Abary River, Woke- 

 naam {MoConnell collection); Georgetovfn (British Museum). 



Extralimital Range, Trinidad, Venezuela, North Brazil, 

 Colombia, Peru. 



Habits. According to Schomburgk (Reis. Gruian. iii, p. 681) 

 this species frequents the coast region only with its plantations 

 and open spaces studded with bushes. 



Mr. H. Lloyd Price (Timehri (2) v. pp. 64, 65), writing on the 

 nests and eggs of some common Guiana birds, remarks : — " In 

 the long reeds and bulrushes common in the trenches of abandoned 

 cane fields, a small but handsome bird builds. This is sometimes 

 called the Reed-bird (Xanthosomus icterocephald). The nest, com- 

 posed of dry cane, trash, and grass, is fastened to the reeds by its 

 sides, generally nearly the top ; the eggs, three in number, are 

 pale blue, spotted with black." 



Mr. J. J. Quelch (Timehri (2) v. p. 87) observed this species 



