MTRMOTHERULA. 211 



j3'. Gula nigra. 



3. Myrmotherula melsena. 



Formicivora melana, Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 130 ' ; Lawr. Anu. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 6 ^ 

 Myrmotherula melmna, Cassin, Pr, Ac. Phil. 1860/ p. 191 '; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 356*: 



Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 107"; Salv. Ibis, 1874, p. 311°; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, 



p. ei'j Taez. Orn. Per. ii. p. 48'; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 115'; 



Scl. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 239". 

 Myrmotherula ornata, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1860, p. 191" (partim, nee Scl.) (cf. Salv. Ibis, 1874, 



p. 311). 

 Myrmotherula albigula, Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 131"; ix. p. 108" (cf. Salv. Ibis, 1874, 



p. 317).' 



Nigra, supra unioolor, tectrioibus alarum omnibus albo terminatis, subalaribus et hypoohondriis pure albis, 

 caudse reotricibus quoque albo terminatis : rostro et pedibus nigris. Long, tota 4'0, alee 2'1, caudee 1*4, 

 rostri a riotu 0-6, tarsi 0'6o. (Deser. maris ex Angostura, Costa Eica. Mus. nostr.) 

 $ olivaceo-brunnea, alis et cauda nigrioanti-brunneis extrorsum paulo rufescentibus, illius tectricibua fulvo 

 terminatis : subtus pallide cervina, gula albicantiore. (Descr. feminse ex Panama. Mus. Brit.) 



Hob. Costa 'Eigk {Boucard"^), Angostura ^^ i^, Pacuare (Carmiol^, Zeledon^), Naranjo 

 de Cartago, Las Trojas (Zeledon ^) ; Panama, Lion Hill {M'Leannan ^ *), Chepo 

 (Arce), R. Truando (Wood^). — South America from Colombia to Peru^ and the 

 Upper Amazons Valley ^. 



M. melcena was separated from its near ally M. axillaris by Mr. Sclater in 1857, his 

 description being founded on trade skins from Bogota i. Its difference from the latter 

 consists in the blacker, less cinereous tint of its plumage ; both birds have the pure 

 white flanks peculiar to this section of the genus. 



. From Colombia M. melcena ranges widely southwards to Peru and over the portion 

 of the valley of the Amazons appertaining to that republic. Northwards it spreads 

 through the Isthmus of Panama to Costa Rica, where it has been met with in the 

 forests of the eastern part of that country by several collectors. 



The diversity of sexes of this species has been a source of confusion to several 

 writers. Cassin failed to recognize the specimens from Darien that came before 

 him, and mixing them with examples of M. fulviventris, called them all with doubt 

 M. oriiata ^^. Mr. Lawrence, again, described the female as a distinct species under 

 the name M. albigula^^. These names are now rightly, we believe, assigned to 

 M. melcena. 



Of the habits of this species little has been recorded. Salmon merely says of the iris 

 that it is dark in life. Stolzmann states that it is a rather common bird at Yurima- 

 guas in Teru, where it lives, like other species of the virgin forest, amongst the tops of 

 the lower trees and follows the wandering bands of birds*. 



4. Myrmotherula menetriesi. 



Myrmothera menetriesi, d'Orb. Voy. Am. Mer., Ois. p. 184 \ 



MyrmotheMa menetriesi, Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 144 » ; 1870, p. 195 ' ; Ibis, 1874, p. 310 ' ; Boucard, 



27* 



