Plate LXXXVI. 



AMPELION ARCUATUS. 



(BANDED COTINGA). 



Ampelis arcuatus 

 PyrrJiorhynchus arcuatus 

 Ampelion arcuatus 

 Ampelio arcuatus 



Lafr. Eev. Zool. 1843, p. 98. 



Bp. Consp. p. 177. 



Scl. P.Z.S. 1855, p. 152, 1858, p. 553 et 1860, p. 



Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 255. 



Viridis, capite et gutture toto nigris : alis caudaque nigris extus viridi partim limbatis j tectricibus majoribus et 

 secondariis in pogoniis externis fiavido maculatis, horum necnon caudse rectricum apicibus albo anguste terminatis : 

 subtus flavus, nigro regulariter transfasciatus : rostro rubro, pedibus aurantiacis : long, tota 9*3, alee 4*5, caudae 3'5, 

 tarsi l'l. Fern. Mari similis, sed capite viridi, gula parce nigro trans-lineata. 



Sab. in montibus Novae Granadiae et reipubl. iEquatorialis. 



The late Baron de Lafresnay first described this fine species of Cotinga in one of his papers 

 on new American birds published in the " Eevue Zoologique." The locality there given to it is 

 New Granada. It is not, however, of very frequent occurrence in Bogota collections, but few 

 specimens having come under our examination in the many thousands of bird-skins we have 

 seen from this district. 



In his journey to Western Ecuador in 1858-60 Mr. Fraser met with this bird in two 

 localities — at Matos on the plateau of Kiobamba, and above Puellaro, a village on the Eio 

 Perucho north of Quito, where his collecting-ground was about 8000 feet above the sea-level. 

 Mr. Fraser states that the stomachs of specimens examined contained fruit, and that the bird 

 frequents the trees on the mountain-tops and has a sweet note. He describes the irides as 

 " grayish," or " light-hazel," the legs and feet " deep orange," and the bill " red." 



This Cotinga belongs to the strongly-formed green group allied to Pipreola which 

 Dr. Cabanis has called Ampelion* and subsequently Amjpelw^ Its nearest ally seems to be 

 Ampelion melanocephalus, figured in Swainson's "Zoological Illustrations" (series i. t. 25), 

 but it is immediately recognizable by its red bill and distinctly barred under-surface — in the 

 former point approaching more nearly to the genus Pipreola. 



Our figures of this species are taken from specimens in Sclater's collection. The male is a 

 " Bogota" skin ; and the female one of Fraser's examples, killed at Matos. 



* Tschudi's Faun. Per. Aves, p. 137. 



f Mus. Hein. ii. p. 104. 



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