MOIN^ACHA GRANDIOR. 



TEE LARGER WHITE-FACED NUNBIRD. 

 PLATE LII. 



Monasa grandior, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 327. 

 Monasa peruana, Lawr. Ann. L. N. Y. ix. p. 118 (1870). 

 Monasa grandior, Salvin, Ibis, 1872, p. 322. 

 Monasa grandior, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 106 (1873). 



Nigro-schiistacea, in ventre vix dilutior ; capite toto atro ; remigibus et rectricibus nigris ; fronte angusta et 

 gula sTimmS, albis ; subalaribus et remigum marginibus internis cinei'eis ; rostro ruberrimo ; pedibus 

 fascescenti-nigris : long, tota 11'7, alse 5'8, caudse 5'0, rostri a rictu 1-6. Fem. mari similis. 



Hab. in America centralis Costarica, Nicaragua et Mosquitia. 



Obs. Affinissima M. morpheo, et, nisi ob crassitiem majorem et capitis colorem magis nigrum, vix separanda. 



I BECAME aware of the existence of a species of White-faced Nunbird in Central America some 

 years ago from some drawings of the birds of the territory of the Mosquito Indians made by a 

 Mr. Bell. In 1868 the first specimen arrived in this country, in a collection from Costa Rica 

 forwarded to Messrs. Salvin and Godman by Mr. Carmiol, and was shortly afterwards exhibited 

 and described before the Zoological Society of London by Mr. Salvin and myself, and named 

 " grandior " from its comparatively large size. After pointing out the characters which distin- 

 guish it from M. morpheus of Brazil, we remarked that, the intermediate territory between these 

 two near allies being occupied by two other species {M. pallesceiis and M. peruana), we had 

 deemed it advisable to give this form also a name, although the points of difference were 

 but slight. 



More recently Messrs. Salvin and Godman have acquired further specimens of this species 

 among the birds collected by the late distinguished naturalist Mr. Thomas Belt near the 

 Chontales mines in Nicaragua. 



The only reference I can find of other writers to this Nunbird is in Mr. Lawrence's list of 

 Costarican birds published in 1870 in the 'Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New 

 York.' There can be no doubt that the examples met with by Mr. J. Cooper at San Carlos, San 

 Jose, Pacnare, and Payra in Costa Rica, will be found to belong to this form, and not to 

 M. peruana as determined by Mr. Lawrence, who comments upon their larger size. 



It will be observed in the figure of this species that the little patch of feathers at the base 

 of the lower mandible on each side is coloured black, and not white. But this does not seem to 



