596 PSITTACID^. 



Olivaceo-yiridis, tectricibus alanim minoribus oleagineis, pallide fusco tenninatis ; pileo summo et loris niveis, 

 plumis omnibus cerviois, capitis laterum et pectoris late cseruleo limbatis, gutture medio albo ; alis saturate 

 cyaneis viridi terminatis, tectricibus majoribus ejusdem ooloris, secundariis cyaneis viridi marginatis ; 

 Cauda viridi, reotricibus lateralibus ad basin et tectricibus subcaudalibus coccineis ; rostro albicante corneo ; 

 pedibus carneis. Long, tota circa 9-0, alas 6-9, caudae 3-2, rostri culminis 1-3, tarsi 0-6. (Descr. maris 

 ex Cuesta de Misantla, Vera Cruz, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 



5 mari similis, coloribus omnibus pallidioribus, pileo antico tantum albo. 



Hah. Mexico {Bullock ^^), Cuesta de Misantla {F. I). G.), Mirador [Sartorius, Sumi- 

 chrast ^°), Cordova (SallS ^), Potrero, Orizaba {Sumichrast ^'^), Villa Alta [Boucard) ; 

 British Hondueas, Orange Walk (G. F. Gaumer), Belize {Blancaneaux) ; Guatemala 

 {Skinner'^), Chisec, Choctum, Coban, Lanquin {0. S. & F. D. G.^); Honduras, San 

 Pedro ( G. M. Whifely ^) ; Nicaragua, Escondido E. {Eichmond i^]. La Libertad, 

 Rama, San Emilio ( W. B. Bichardson), Grey town {Holland ^*) ; Costa Rica, 

 Angostura {Carmiol), San Jose {v. Frantzius ^^, M. L. Calleja ^*), Alajuela, Zarcero 

 de Alajuela, Los Trojas, Barranca, Jimenez, Monte Redondo {Zeledon ^^), San 

 Carlos {Boucard ^), Orosi, Tucjarriqui {o. Frantzius ^J. 



Though described by Spix in his great work on the birds of Brazil, this Pionus does 

 not belong to that country, but is a purely Mexican and Central-American species, 

 ranging from the State of Vera Cruz through British Honduras, Guatemala, and 

 Nicaragua to Costa Rica, but, so far as we know, keeping strictly to the country lying 

 to the eastward of the central mountain-range. We found it to be abundant in Vera 

 Paz as high as the town of Coban, and low down in the valley to the eastward at 

 Lanquin. Mr. Richmond speaks of it as abundant on the Escondido in Nicaragua, and 

 he noted that the iris in life is orange ^^. 



The white head of the adult bird of this species renders it easily distinguished from 

 the blue-headed P. menstruus, the only other Pionus found within our limits. 



PIONOPSITTACUS. 



Pionopsitta, Bonaparte, Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1854, p. 152. 

 Pionopsiftacus, Salvador!, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xx. p. 338. 



This genus has much the appearance of Pionus, but its members generally are 

 smaller, more brightly coloured birds ; but the essential difference is the presence of a 

 tufted oil-gland which Pionopsittacus possesses in common with a number of other 

 South-American genera of Pioninse not represented in Central America, Its nearest 

 ally is Caica, from which it differs, according to Count Salvadori, in the outline of the 

 wing, the second and third primaries being the longest, and the first equal to the fourth, 

 instead of the second, third, and fourth being the longest, and the first equal to the 

 fifth. 



Count Salvadori admits nine species of Pionopsittacus, of which two belong to our 

 region, viz. : P. hcematotis, of rather wide range from Southern Mexico to Western 

 Panama, and the very closely-allied P. coccineicollaris, which is only known from the 

 Line of the Panama Railway. 



