THAMNOPHILUS. 201 



(Boucard ^) ; Panama, Santiago de Veraguas (Arce ^), Lion Hill {M'Leannan ^ ^^), 

 Chepo {Arc6 ^°), E. Truando ( Wood i).— South America, Colombia ^ and Western 

 Ecuador ^o. 



The typical form of this bird, the true Thamnophilus ncevius, is from Cayenne, and 

 compared with specimens from British Guiana the Central American bird is a little 

 darker with rather more black on the middle of the back and nape; the female, too, is 

 darker and not nearly so rufescent on the crown. 



These diiferences, which were noticed by Taczanowski ^, seem to be so strictly 

 associated with the definite range indicated above, that we think it best to separate 

 this northern and western form from the true T. ncevius ; with the latter bird we 

 associate v. Pelzeln's T. cinereinucha, but whether the bird of South-eastern Brazil 

 forms another distinct race we are hardly in a position to determine, the series before 

 us being insufficient. A Brazilian bird in the British Museum we believe to be a 

 female of this form differs considerably from specimens of that sex from Guiana and 

 Central America, and also from the female of T. coerulescens, which is another closely 

 allied race of T. ncBvius. 



At one time Mr. Lawrence considered the Panama bird to belong to T. amazonicus, 

 Scl. 1^, but he subsequently referred Costa Eica examples to T. ncevius'^, and this has 

 been the practice of all subsequent writers until now. The colour of the iris was 

 noted by M'Leannan as brown ^i, whilst Salmon gives it as white ^, As this section of 

 the genus has little to do with that of which T. doliatus, a white-irised species, is 

 typical, we are inclined to consider M'Leannan's determination correct. 



The same collector states that the bird is not common at Panama, where it is found 

 in low trees and bushes ^i. Mr. Wood, who accompanied Lieut. Michler's expedition to 

 Darien, frequently saw individuals of this species, generally on the ground in patches 

 of the plant called Spanish bayonet, where they seemed to be catching insects ^. 



c. Minores : caput plus minusve cristatum ; alee nigrce., albo marginafce ; 



Cauda albo terndnata. 



7. Thamnophilus pulchellus. 



Thamnophilus, sp. ?, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 189. no. 88 ]. 



Hypolophus pulchellus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. ii. p. 16 ^ 



Thamnophilus pulchellus, Berl. Ibis, 1881, p. 245'; Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 20i*. 



Supra rufo-brunneus, capite toto nigro, lateribus cum fronte et gula albo variegatis ; alls nigricanti-fuscis albo 

 late limbatis, tectricibus supra caudalibua longioribus nigris albo terminatis ; Cauda nigra albo terminata, 

 rectrice extima in pogonio externo quoque albo : subtus albus, pectore et abdomine antico nigris, hypo- 

 chondriis rufo lavatis : rostro nigrioante, mandibula infra pallida, pedibus plumbeis. Long, tota 6*0, 

 alse 2-8, caudse rectr. med. 2'3, rectr. lat. 1-7, rostri a rictu 0-9, tarsi 1-1. (Descr. maris ex Santa 

 Marta, Colombia. Mus. nostr.) 



$ ^upra rufa, capite summo dorso concolori, capitis lateribus albidis nigro variegatis : subtus cervina, abdomine 

 medio albicantiore ; alis fuseis, tectricibus et secundariis internis albido limbatis, reliquis cum remioibus 



BIOL. CENTR -AMER., Aves, Vol. II., February 1892. 26 



