PSILOEHINFS. 505 



PSILORHINUS. 



Psilorhinus, Riippell, Mus. Senckenb. p. 188 (1837) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. iii. p. 139. 



Psilorhinus is usually placed amongst the genera in which the nostrils are completely 

 exposed, and we have seen specimens in this condition ; in others the supranasal feathers 

 thinly cover the nostrils, and the arrangement of the feathers of this portion of the 

 head is but a slight modification of that of Cyanocorax ; there is also an indication of a 

 malar spot which points to a similar affinity. Psilorhinus nevertheless is a fairly definite 

 genus, having a much stronger bill than any of the American Garrulinse. The wings 

 too are longer than in Gyanocwax, the primaries exceeding the secondaries by nearly 

 an inch and a half. 



Psilorhinus is peculiar to our region, and is represented by two species — one of which 

 spreads from the B,io Grande to Costa Rica, the other occupies an, at present, ill-defined, 

 area in Mexico. 



1. Psilorhinus morio. 



Pica morio, Wagl. Isis, 1829, p. 751"; 1831, p. 527 ^ 



Corvus morio, Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vog. p. 1 ; J. f . Orn. 1863, p. 56 '. 



Corvus morio, Eyd. & Gerv. Voy. ' Favorite,' Zool. p. 54 *. 



Psilorhinus morio, Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 381'; Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 300'; 1859, p. 365"; Scl. & 

 Salv. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 363'; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 554'; Baird^ 

 Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 304'°; Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 25"; 

 Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. iii. p. 139"; Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 153". 



Pica fuliginosa, Less. Traite d'Orn. p. 333". 



Bmnneus ; alis et cauda vix dilutioribus ; oapite undique cum gutture toto saturatioribus ; eorpore subtus reliquo 

 pallide bninneo ; rostro nigro, interdum flavo variegato, pedibus nigris. Long, tota 15*8, alse 8-0, caudss 

 rect. med. 8-0, rect. lat. 6-3, rostri a rictu 1-6, tarsi 1-9. (Desor. exerapl. ex Jalapa, Mexico. Mus. 

 nostr.) 



Hah. Mexico^^^ Eio Grande valley i^, Boquillo and China in Nuevo Leon {Couch ^^\ 

 city of Mexico (le Strange ^), State of Vera Cruz {Sumichrast ^), Cordova {SallS ^), 

 Jalapa {de Oca'', Perez '^^), Mirador i", Plan del Eio {Perez '^'^), Guichicovi {Sumi- 

 chrast ^^). 



The dififerences between this bird and P. mexicanus are obvious enough at first sight, 

 the white tips to all but the central feathers of the tail in the latter bird being a 

 conspicuous character ; but their range is hardly what would be expected, both forms 

 being found in the same districts of Mexico, as at Mirador and elsewhere. 



But P. morio is a purely Mexican bird, and is confined to the hot and temperate 

 regions. According to Sumichrast, it inhabits the greater portion of the State of Vera 

 Cruz up to an elevation of about 5000 feet ^. Its habits are described as gregarious and 

 extremely noisy ; it frequents the forests of high trees. Nothing has been recorded of 

 its nesting-habits which can be relied upon ; but Sumichrast says that he was assured 



BIOL. CENTK.-AMEK., Aves, Vol. I., April 1887. 64 



