280 TANAGEIDiE. 



Hill Station (M'Leannan^^), Paraiso Station [TTughes), Obispo {0. S.). — South 

 America, from Colombia "^ and Guiana to Bolivia ^ and Brazil ^ ^ 9. 



Western and north-western birds of this species long passed under the name of 

 Tanagra melanoptera *, as in most of them the olive edging to the primaries is so indis- 

 tinct when compared with that of South-eastern Brazilian examples as to render the 

 outer half of the wing almost black. The difference is very slight at the most, and 

 somewhat variable in extent, and being so, we think that the more recent practice of 

 recognizing only a single species of this form the most correct. We notice, however, 

 that the black-winged birds spread over a large part of Tropical America, extending 

 from Guiana, the Upper Amazons, and Bolivia to Ecuador, Colombia, and Central 

 America as far as Costa Eica. The Brazilian bird, the true Tanagra palmarum, is almost 

 restricted to the south-eastern and southern parts of that empire ; but Mr. Wallace's 

 Para specimens are of this race rather than of the dark-winged one found in Guiana on 

 the northern side of the Amazons. 



Mr. Bartlett ^ speaks of this Tanager as abundant on the upper and lower Ucayali 

 and in the neighbouring districts, where these birds congregate and feed in flocks. 

 They are active and cheerful, he adds, and have a rather shrill note. Salmon "^ obtained 

 its nest at Eemedios in Colombia : this he describes as placed in the fork of a shrub or 

 small tree, and formed of grass-stalks mixed with roots and fibres, and lined and orna- 

 mented on the outside with green moss. He says he never saw more than one egg in 

 a nest, though he examined many. The eggs have a pale whitish ground, and are very 

 thickly freckled with red-brown spots. 



In Costa Eica this bird entirely takes the place of T. abhas, but in Honduras and 

 northwards of this point the latter species prevails. One of the two no doubt is 

 found in Nicaragua, but which one remains to be noted. 



EHAMPHOCCELUS. 



Ramphocelus, Desmarest, Hist. Nat. d. Tangaras, p. 5 (1805) ; Sol. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 127. 

 Ramphopis, Vieill. Anal. p. 32 (1816). 



We are acquainted with about twelve species of this purely Neotropical genus, five 

 of which appear in our fauna. Of these two, Ehamphomlus passerinii and B. uro- 

 pygialis are peculiar to it. R. icteronotus and B. dimidiatus are species of North- 

 western South America, and only enter our limits in the State of Panama, and 

 B. Iwciani of the same State passes southwards into Eastern Peru. The widely ranging 



* This name is attributed by Mr. Sclater to Dr. Hartlaiib, and tbe reference given to the ' Eevne Zoologique,' 

 bat mthout year or page. We have never succeeded in finding this description. The name, however, is 

 sufficiently defined by Mr. Sclater in the P. Z. 8. for 1856, p. 235. 



