90 



Lichtenstein's unpublished appellation for the species. But he made an unfortunate mistake in 

 the locality, which he gave as "Mexico," whereas, as we are informed by Messrs. Cabanis 

 and Heine, the typical examples were undoubtedly collected by Haberlin in the vicinity of 

 Carthagena. 



It was perhaps owing to this error that in 1838 this Puff-bird was redescribed by 

 MM. d'Orbigny and Lafresnaye under the fresh name gularis. The types of these naturalists 

 were also obtained near Carthagena by the French naval officer Cande, the same individual, I 

 believe, after whom Chiromachceris candcei was named. 



In 1863 the brothers Verreaux, of Paris, received several examples of B. ruficollis from a 

 collector then in correspondence with them at Santa Marta, a well-known port of the Colombian 

 republic, situated to the east of Carthagena. One of these specimens is still in my collection, 

 and is the subject of the accompanying figure (Plate XXIX). 



All other examples of the present species which I have met with have been obtained either 

 in the same tract of country or at no very great distance off. In the collection of Messrs. Salvin 

 and Godman is a specimen from Savanilla, received through the Smithsonian Institution, and 

 another procured by Mr. F. Simons at VaUe Dupar, in the district of the Sierra Nevada of Santa 

 Marta, in February 1878*. The latter is marked "eyes pale brown." Mr. Claude Wyatt, 

 during his journey into the adjoining province of Ocana in 1871, obtained several examples of 

 this Puff-bird. Mr. Wyatt tells us that it is a common bird near Santa Marta, but was met 

 with only on a single occasion " up the country." The crops of those examined were full of 

 beetles. Finally, Mr. Anton Goering, during his visit to the Andes of Merida in 1869, obtained 

 an example of Bucco ruficollis to the south-east of that city, probably on his route to it from 

 the Lake of Maracaibo. 



It will be seen therefore that, so far as our present knowledge extends, the present bird is 

 nearly confined to the north littoral portion of the U. S. of Colombia — that is, to the extreme 

 lower part of the Magdalena valley. 



There is no difficulty in distinguishing Bucco ruficollis from its congeners. It is the only 

 member of the brown group of the genus besides B. macrodactylus that has a single well-defined 

 black pectoral bar. From B. macrodactylus it may be readily known by its much larger size 

 and bright rufous throat. 



The dimensions of the specimens of this species in my collection and that of Messrs. Salvin 

 and Godman are as follows :— 



No. 



Sex. 



Mus. 



Patria. 



Long, tota, 



alae, 



caudse, 



rostri, 



1. 



— 



P. L. S. 



Santa Marta {Verreaux, 1853) 



8-4 



3-5 



3-4 



1-6 



2. 



— 



S.-G. 



Savanilla, U. S. Col. 



7-7 



3-5 



3-3 



1-5 



3. 



— 



S.-G. 



Ocana, U.S. Col. {Wyatt). 



7-7 



3-6 



3-4 



1-4 



4. 



— 



S.-G. 



Valle Dupar, U.S. Col. {Simons). 



7-7 



3-4 



3-2 



1-6 



* For an account of Mr. Simons's explorations, see Journ. E. Geogr. Soc. 1880, p. 689. 



I 



