570 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



ihroat and remainder of the under surface of the body dull 

 fawn-colour tinged with red on the breast, edge of wing, and 

 abdomen ; streaked with black on the lower flanks and lower 

 abdomen, and barred with black on the under tail-coverts; axil- 

 laries and under wing-coverts blackish; under surface of flight- 

 quills pale brown ; lower aspect of tail similar to its upper surface 

 but paler. Wing 82 mm. 



The breeding-season of this bird, judging from a series of nine 

 males in the McConnell collection obtained on the Abary River in 

 July and November 1906, would appear to be during those dates, 

 as the non-breeding dress seems to be indicated on the black 

 portion of the plumage by pale margins to the feathers and white 

 fringes on the red portion. Both of these appear to wear off 

 during the breeding-season, as the dark portion becomes uniform 

 black, so the red loses its white fringes and become more brilliant 

 in November. 



Breeding-season. ? July to November. 



Nest. " In open pasture-bind, built on the ground " (Lloyd 

 Price) . 



Eggs. " Brownish-white speckled with light red " (Lloyd Price). 



Range in British Guiana. Upper Takutu Mountains, Ituribisi 

 River, Supenaain River, Abary River (McConnell collection) ; 

 Mount Roraima ( Wkitely) ; Georgetown (Quelcli); Bartica (Beebe). 



Extralimital Range. Trinidad, Venezuela, Colombia, North 

 Brazil, East Peru. 



Habits. Schomburgk states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 681) that he 

 found this species near the coast searching for food on the grass 

 by the sides of the roads and footpaths, every now and then 

 flying up perpendicularly into the air about twenty feet emitting a 

 peculiar note, and returning again just as quickly to the same place. 

 Its note is somewhat like our Siskin. Although it is one of the 

 commonest birds in the settlers' town, I never found its nest. I 

 met with it now and then on the savannas during the dry season 

 on the dried-up bogs. Its food consists of insects. The 

 " Warraus" call it Olisi and the "Macusis" Matschiki. 



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

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

 open pasture-lands the colonial Red-breast {Leistes guianensis) 

 builds on the ground ; the eggs are of a brownish-white speckled 

 with light red." 



