72 



of this jBucco. Mr. Wallace met with it in the forests near Para during his sojourn in that city 

 in 1848. Mr. Layard, when consul at Para, procured three specimens of it in the same district 

 in 1873, one of which is now in my collection. In his article " on the Birds observed at Para," 

 published in 'The Ibis' for 1873, Mr. Layard gives us the subjoined interesting notes on this 

 species : — 



" I watched this powerful bird for some time before I shot it, on the 4th of January, 

 1873. It was hopping about the thick branches of a large tree, and in all its actions reminded 

 me of a ' Kinghunter ' [Halcyon). In its stomach I found a large green Cetonia, just crushed 

 and swallowed whole. I subsequently obtained two more, and was struck with their extreme 

 stupidity. 



" Three birds were in company on a very high tree. I had only my little collecting-gun, 

 with a quarter of a dram of powder and dust-shot, but, selecting the lowest, fired at him. He 

 swung round on his twig and hung suspended. I loaded quickly and aimed at the next, who 

 never moved ; at the first report he fell dead, and the third remained. I fired again, without 

 effect ; but the next shot brought it down. On firing again at the clinging bird it dropt into a 

 lower tree, and lodged where I could not get it." 



It seems evident, therefore, that Lower Amazonia, as it is generally termed (that is, the 

 eastern portion of the great valley of the Amazons and Rio Negro), is the true home of this 

 species. When Mr. Salvin and I wrote our article upon Mr. Wallace's collections in this 

 district, w'e were inclined to regard Bucco hyperrhynchus as one of the forms peculiar to the 

 vicinity of Para, and stated our opinion that the locality '• Upper Amazons " commonly attributed 

 to it was erroneous. Such, however, would not appear to be the case ; for that this Bucco 

 intrudes into Upper Amazonia appears certain from the fact that Mr. Edward Bartlett obtained 

 a specimen of it at Chamicuros, on the Huallaga, in 1867. A skin in my own collection, 

 prepared by Mr. Hauxwell, is probably from the same district ; but the exact locality is not 

 attached to it. 



The examples in the French national collection which Prince Bonaparte designated " Tamatia 

 hyperrhynchus^' and which I subsequently described under his MS. name, are likewise said to be 

 from the Upper Amazons. 



The existence of this species in the Rio Negro district, where B. macrorhynchus is found, 

 and in Upper Amazonia, where B. dysoni likewise occurs, is certainly a curious fact in distri- 

 bution, as such closely allied representative species usually occupy distinct areas. Herr v. Pelzeln 

 (Sitz. Ak. Wien, xx. p. 498) is inclined to think that B. giganteus may be only the adult male of 

 B. macrorhynchus, and speaks of having seen intermediate forms. I think if this had been the 

 case we should have met with examples of B. macrorhynchus in collections from Cayenne, where, 

 however, so far as I know, it has never occurred. Nor have I ever seen any specimens of the 

 present bird that could not be readily distinguished from B. macrorhynchus. 



The examples of this species in my collection measure as follows : — • 



S-o. 



Sex. 



Patria. 



Long, tota, 



alffi, 



caudse, 



rostri. 



1. 



inc. 



E. Peru [Hauxwell) . 



10-2 



4-5 



3-3 



2-2 



2. 



? 



Para {Layard). 



10-0 



4-3 



3-6 



2-1 



The figure (Plate XXII.) was prepared from No. 1. 



