20 TYRANXID.E. 



and the spots on the wing-coverts not quite so prominent. Mr. Sclater regards this 

 species as probably the same as P. ophthalmicus (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 98), over 

 which name P. zehdoni has several years' priority. 



SEEPHOPHAGA. 



Serpophaga, Gould, Zool. Voy. Beagle, iii. p. 49 (1841) (type Sylvia subcristata, Vieill.) . 

 Serphophaga, Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 53 ; Sol. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 101. 



Serphofhaga consists of seven species widely distributed over South America as far 

 south as the Argentine Republic. Only one species, the wide-spread Andean S. cinerea, 

 enteis our fauna as far as Costa B-ica. 



Black, grey, and white are the prevailing colours of the various species of Serpho- 

 phaga. They are all small birds, some of them with peculiar habits as described 

 below. The bill of S. cinerea is rather wide for its length, the sides converging rather 

 rapidly to the tip, the width at the rictus being about half the length of the tomia, 

 the nostrils are open at the end of the nasal fossa, the rictal bristles not very well 

 developed, considerably less than those of the foregoing genera, but more so than in 

 Mionectes, which follows ; the tarsi and feet are rather stouter than in the preceding 

 genera, the former being covered with scutellse ; the wing is rounded, the 3rd quill 

 slightly > the 2nd and 4th, 1st = 8th ; tail moderate and slightly rounded, consider- 

 ably < wing, < 3 tarsus. Wing a little > 3 tarsus. 



1. Serphophaga cinerea. 



Euscarthmus dnereus, Strickl. Ann. & Mag. N. H. xiii. p. 414 ^. 



Serpophaga cinerea, Scl. P. Z. S. 1858, p. 458 ^ ; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 147 ' ; Ibis, 1869, p. 319 * ; 



Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 62 '. 

 Serphophaga cinerea, Cab. & Heine Mus. Hein. ii. p. 53^ ; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1879, pp. 512^, 



613 ' ; Salv. Cat. Strictl. Coll. p. 304 ' ; Tacz. Om. Per. ii. p. 236 " ; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. 



Mus. xiv. p. 103 ", 

 Serpophaga grisea, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. x. p. 139 ". 



Supra cinerea, uropygio fusco ; capite summo (aliquando albo medialifcer notato) et lafceribus nigricantibiis ; aUs 

 et Cauda ejusdem coloris, iUaruin tectricibus, hujus apice albido terminatis : subtus albida ; hypochondriis 

 et crisso griseo tinctis : rostro et pedibus nigris. Long, tota 4-0, alse 2-0, caudae 1-7, rostri a rictu 0-45, 

 tarsi 0-6. (Descr. exempl. ex Costa Eica. Mus. nostr.) 



Hab. Costa Rica [Endres^, CarmioU^), Naranjo {Boucard^); Panama, Santa Fe 

 {Arce ^). — Colombia ^ ; Ecuador ^^ ; Peru ^o ; Bolivia ^- 



The only diflference we can see between Central-American and Southern specimens is 

 their small size, a character we seldom like to admit to be of specific value. In the 

 present case there is more difference between two examples from Sical in Ecuador than 

 between any of the Central-American and the other South-American specimens before 

 us, so that size cannot here be considered of much importance. 



The other characters referred to by Mr. Lawrence when defining his S. grisea as 



