218 POEMICAEIID^. 



Mr. Lawrence describes the female as resembling the male on the upper surface, but 

 of a very deep chestnut-red on the under surface. The female of i^. boucardi would 

 thus appear to differ considerably, being decidedly grey above and lighter chestnut 

 beneath. The type, which as well as the male has been kindly lent us by the authorities 

 of the American Museum of Natural History, shows these differences ; but the tint of 

 the under surface is not pronounced, and can be nearly matched in specimens of 

 F. boucardi. 



We do not know enough of this bird to be able to form a decided opinion as to its 

 status with respect to F. boucardi. 



b. Nares operculatas, rostrum quam caput longior, mandibulce tomia levis. 



EHAMPHOCiENUS. 



Bamphocanus, Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxix. p. 5 (1819). 

 Rhamphoccenus, Scl. Ibis, 1883, p. 92 ; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xv. p. 260. 



Hhamphoccenus is one of the most peculiar genera of f ormicariidse, and to whatever 

 position it is assigned in the family it must occupy an isolated position. Cabanis -and 

 Heine place it at the head of their family Eriodoridse — Terenura and then ElUpura and 

 Formicivora following. Mr. Sclater includes it in the subfamily Formicariinse, and places 

 it between Terenura and Cercomacra. We are not satisfied with either arrangement. The 

 bill of Bhamphoccenus is very long, the culmen slightly curved, with hardly any terminal 

 hook and a very slight sub terminal notch on the tomia of the maxilla and none what- 

 ever on the mandible. The nostrils are situated a considerable distance beyond the 

 frontal feathers ; they are elongated and overhung to some extent by a membrane which 

 has a lobe near the middle. Rictal bristles are well developed. The tarsi are covered 

 behind by a continuous entire scutellum, which bears no signs of divisional sutures ; 

 the toes are rather feeble, the hallux being rather long. The wings are rounded, but 

 present no peculiarity ; the tail in one section of the genus is long, much rounded, the 

 rectrices being narrow : in the other section it is shorter and squarer. 



On the whole, we think Bhamphoccenus best placed near Formicivora, notwithstandino- 

 the very different form of the bill and the structure of the nostrils. Both genera have 

 well-developed rictal bristles, a feature not at all usual in Formicariidae. 



Mr. Sclater divides Bhamphoccenus into two sections — a long-tailed section and a 

 short-tailed section *. This arrangement we follow. One member of each section 



* Mr. Sclater places in the second section Microhates eollaris, but we are doubtful if this is correct. Apart 

 from its peculiar coloration, J/, eollaris has open oval nostrils, thus diflfering considerably from Ehampho- 

 eceiiug. That 2Iicrohates is allied to Bhamphoccenus is obvious ; both have similar bills, the mandible being 

 destitute of any trace of a subterminal notch. This character might be used to separate these two genera from 

 the rest of this section of the Formicariidae, and the nostrils to divide them from one another. 



