116 



the great works in which he made known the discoveries of his celebrated Brazilian journey, as 

 Bucco rufus. Spix's name has been almost universally employed for the species since that date, 

 the only exception I know being that Tschudi mentions it in the text of his ' Fauna Peruana ' 

 as " Capito senilis, Poeppig." But Capita senilis of Poeppig, based on specimens in the Leipsic 

 Museum, obtained by that collector in the province of Maynas, Peru, is nothing more than the 

 present species. 



Spix gives the " forests of the Amazons " as the locality of this species, without further 

 limitation. This is correct enough, as it certainly occurs both in Upper and Lower Amazonia. 

 Natterer met with it near Para in 1835; and Mr. Wallace obtained specimens in the same 

 district in May 1849, one of which is in my collection. Natterer notes the iris as brown, and 

 the legs and feet as olive-grey. In the preserved skins the latter are rather of a pale dirty 

 brown. In the stomach Natterer found " remains of insects." 



In Upper Amazonia M. rufa has been obtained by several travellers. Besides Poeppig, 

 whom I have already mentioned in connexion with this species, Mr. E. Bartlett procured 

 examples at Sarayacu on the Ucayali, and at Santa Cruz on the Huallaga, and Jelski at Mon- 

 terico, in Central Peru. The last-mentioned collector records the colour of the iris as " rouge 

 de sang " *. 



The following is a list of the specimens of this species now before me : — 



Patria. Long, tota, 



Para [Wallace). 6-6 



Upper Amazons. 7'0 



Upper Amazons {E. Bartlett). 7'2 



The figure (Plate XXXVIII.) and description are taken from No. 2. 



* Taczanowski, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 548. 



No. 



Sex. 



Mus. 



1. 



2 



P. L. S 



2. 



— 



P. L. S 



3. 



— 



S.-G. 



alae, 



caudfB, 



rostri. 



3-5 



2-6 



11 



3-5 



2-6 



1-2 



3-4 



2-7 



1-2 



