122 
by six bands of dull black, wider than the brownish-gray interspaces. 
Lower parts as in the adult, but feathers of the breast and sides marked 
with narrow stripes of dilute brown. Wing, 7.80; tail, 7.00. (Merida, 
Venezuela, 1873. A. Goering ; coll. O. Salvin.) 
At first sight, this new species appears very similar to K.chionogastcr , 
especially in the whiteness of the lower, parts. A close examination 
reveals so many important points of difference, however, entirely out¬ 
side the range of variation in that species, that it seems clearly distinct. 
Indeed, we consider it more closely related to A. ventralis , with which it 
closely agrees in the color of the tibiae, the narrowness of the light 
bands on the tail, and in the general aspect of the upper parts. The 
chief differences from N. chionogaster consist in the deep rufous instead 
of ochraceous tibiae, dusky instead of white auriculars, and much nar¬ 
rower gray bands on the tail, in which respects it agrees with N. ven¬ 
tralis ; while from the latter it differs in the pure white lower parts of 
both old and young. 
mSUS NIGKOPLUMBEUS. 
Accipiter mgro-plnmheus Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Lyc. 1669, 270 (Quito Valley. Ecuador).— 
Orton, Am. Nat. iv, Feb. 1871, 711. 
Sp. ch. — Adult male: —Wing, 6.75; tail, 6.30; culmen, 0.45; tarsus, 
1.95; middle toe, 1.30. Fourth quill longest; fifth scarcely shorter; 
first shortest; outer five with inner webs sinuated. Tail very slightly 
rounded, almost even. Prevailing color uniform dark plumbeous, the 
lower surface somewhat more glaucous and mixed on the abdomen, 
anal region, and crissum with ferrugineous-rufous ; this continuous on 
the middle of the abdomen and in cloudings on the center of the feathers, 
and paler in tint on the crissum. Tail narrowly tipped with white and 
crossed by four bands of black, rather broader than the plumbeous ones, 
which incline to a slaty-brownish tint. Longer scapulars and tertials 
showing concealed large roundish spots of pure white; occipital feathers 
snowy-white beneath the surface; upper tail-coverts with concealed 
bands of ashy, growing white at the base of the feathers. Lining of 
the wing about equally clouded with light cinnamon and bluish-plumbe¬ 
ous; inner webs of primaries pure white for basal half and hoarv slate 
for terminal half, the white portion crossed by broad bands of blackish 
slate, which become gradually obsolete in the slaty portion. Tarsal 
scutellte fused into a continuous plate. u Iris orange-yellow ; tarsi and 
toes yellow. 7 ’ 
Bab .—“ Eastern side of Quito Valley, on slope of Antisona, altitude 
10,000 to 12,000 feet, 77 
The general appearance of this bird strongly suggests the possibility 
of its being a melanism of V. ventralis. The markings of the tail are 
the same, and the picture of the under surface of the wing is similar, 
only darker. The color of the upper parts in their entirety differs solely 
in being of a darker shade; while in the size, and in the details of 
structure, it corresponds exactly with the male of ventralis. 
NISUS CHIONOGASTER. 
Xisus chionogaster K.vur, P. Z. S. 185], 41 (Guatemala). 
Accipiter cliionogaslcr Bonap. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1854, 536 .—Scl. A Sai.v. Ex. Orn. 
ii, 1867, 27, pi. xiv; xi, 170; Norn. Neotr. 1873, 120.— Gray, Hand List, i. 1869, 
32.— Siiarpe, Cat. Acc. B. M. 1874, 148. 
Accipiter ergthrocnemius Scl. & Sai.v. Ibis, 1859, 213.— Sai.v. Ibis, 1861, 140. 
Bab. —Guatemala. 
Wing, 6.80-8.40; tail, 6.00-7.30; culmen. 0.40-0.52; 
tarsus, 1.90-2.25 
