86 



To the well-known Bavarian naturalist Spix we are indebted for the discovery of the first 

 of these species, Spix, however, tells us very little about Bucco macrodactylus, merely adding 

 to his description and figure that he met with it in the " forests of the Amazons." Spix refers 

 his bird to a new genus Gyplios* — derived, I suppose, from its mode of sitting — but I do not 

 consider that there are sufficient grounds for separating it from other species of Bucco. He also 

 remarks on its long toes, whence he calls it " macrodactylus r But the toes of this bird do not 

 appear to me to be proportionally longer than in the allied species. 



Little more is told us about the present Pufi"-bird until 1837, when Prince Bonaparte included 

 it in his list of a collection formed on the confines of Brazil and Peru, which had been placed in 

 his hands for examination by Leadbeater, the well-known dealer. We are not told of the exact 

 locality of this collection ; but it was obviously formed somewhere on the Upper Amazons, in the 

 same district where Spix discovered the present species. In 1845 Tschudi likewise enumerated 

 Bucco macrodactylus as being one of the members of this group that occur in the Peruvian 

 wood-district on the Upper Amazons. 



My personal knowledge of this Puff"-bird was first acquired from "Bogota" skins, one of 

 which was in my collection when I prepared my synopsis of the Bucconidge in 1854, while others 

 of the same " make " were in the British Museum. These, however, are, in all probability, 

 obtained not from the valley of the Magdalena, where, so far as I know, there is no trace of 

 the occurrence of this species, but from the edge of the great Amazonian basin which lies south 

 of the Colombian capital. We likewise find that B. macrodactylus occurs on the Rio Napo, in 

 Eastern Ecuador, whence examples, transmitted by Professor Jameson, were received by the late 

 Sir William Jardine some years ago. 



As will be seen by the list which is given below, the recent collectors on the Upper Amazons 

 have obtained specimens of this Puff-bird in many localities. Mr. Edward Bartlett met with it 

 at Sarayacu, on the Ucayali, as also at Yurimaguas, Xeberos, Chyavetas, and Chamicuros. 

 Mr. Bates, when on the Upper Amazons, transmitted examples of it from the Rio Javari ; and 

 Mr. Hauxwell has recently sent home numerous skins of it from Elvira and Loreto-yacu. 

 Moreover Natterer obtained a single example of this Puff-bird in 1829 high up on the Rio 

 Madeira. It would appear, therefore, that Bucco macrodactylus is widely distributed throughout 

 the wood-region drained by the upper confluents of the Amazons. 



The present species is very distinct in its plumage, and cannot be readily confounded with 

 any of its congeners. I have not observed any material differences in colour in the numerous 

 examples that have come under my examination ; and I believe the male and female to be exactly 

 alike, though I have not had the opportunity of examining specimens positively ascertained to 

 be of the male sex. Unfortunately we have as yet no information as to its habits or mode of 

 nesting. 



The examples of Bucco macrodactylus in my collection and that of Messrs. Salvin and 

 Godman, and their dimensions, are as follows : — 



* Kv<p6s, curvus. 



