THE GIFT OF 
 
 FLORENCE V. V. DICKEY 
 
 TO THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES 
 
 THE DONALD R. DICKEY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY
 
 THE MUSEUM 
 
 OF 
 THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 
 
 SCIENCE BULLETIN 
 
 VOL. 2, NO. 6 
 
 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY 
 OF THE ORINOCO REGION - 
 
 BY 
 GEORGE KCHERRIE 
 
 K.CH 
 
 Published for the 
 BROOKLYN MUSEUM 
 
 EASTERN PARKWAY, BROOKLYN, N. Y. 
 SEPTEMBER I, 1916
 
 
 
 THE MUSEUM 
 
 OF 
 THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 
 
 SCIENCE BULLETIN 
 VOL. 2, NO. 6. 
 
 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF THE 
 ORINOCO REGION. 
 
 BY GEORGE K. CHERRIE. 
 
 This paper is based chiefly on specimens in the collection of the 
 Museum of The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, obtained by 
 the writer, together with his field notes on the same. 1 It includes, how- 
 ever, observations on the specimens sent to the American Museum of 
 Natural History from the vicinity of Ciudad Bolivar on the Orinoco 
 and various points on the Caura River by Mr. Samuel M. Klages. 
 
 In 1905 collections were made by the writer for the 
 Brooklyn Museum in the vicinity of Ciudad Bolivar and the 
 village of Caicara covering the period from April 3rd to June 
 24th inclusive. In 1907 collecting was carried on in the same local- 
 ities as in 1905, and in addition at various points on the River San 
 Feliz, near its junction with the River Cuchivero, a tributary of the 
 Orinoco, entering that stream some forty miles below the village of 
 Caicara. Also a week's time was spent in the middle delta region of 
 the Orinoco at the village of Las Barrancas. The collecting in 1907 
 covered the period between April 6th and August 7th inclusive. In 
 addition, however, to the notes on specimens in the Brooklyn Museum 
 collection, there have been added certain notes and observations on 
 species collected and observed by Stella M. Cherrie and the writer in 
 the valley of the Orinoco in 1897, 1898, and 1899, while engaged in 
 collecting birds for the Tring Museum, England. Thus not only are 
 
 'The manuscript for this paper was completed some five or six years ago, and passed out of the 
 author's hands at that time. After some vicissitudes, it was being published under the editorship of 
 the late Edward L. Morris, acting Curator-in-Chief of the Brooklyn Museum. His untimely death left 
 it partly in page proof and partly in galley proof. The old proof sheets have been placed in the writer's 
 tritvl.s, and recently published investigations of various students of tropical American ornithology have 
 made considerable revision necessary. The paper, therefore, is not as complete as might be desired, nor does 
 it represent the most recent views on classification. 
 
 I vyish to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Waldron DeWitt Miller for his patient, careful work 
 in reading the proof. To Dr. J. A. Allen and Dr. F'rank M. Chapman I am also indebted for granting me 
 full use of the collections in the American Museum of Natural History. THE AUTHOR. 
 
 133* 
 
 5014G3
 
 134 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE) MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 species actually represented in the Brooklyn Museum collections 
 included, but also all additional forms that were collected or observed 
 on my first expedition to the Orinoco ; while, to make the paper more 
 complete, and particularly in the interest of those who may not have 
 access to Berlepsch and Hartert's paper "On the Birds of the Orinoco 
 Region, 1 " there are added all species from the Orinoco proper, and 
 its tributary the Caura River, included in that paper, but not ob- 
 served by the writer. Also, species that have been recorded from the 
 Orinoco region, since the publication of Berlepsch and Hartert's paper, 
 and that have come to the notice of the writer are included. 
 
 Where colors are given of the eye and naked parts about the head, 
 of the bill, and of the feet, they are the result of a direct comparison 
 with the colored plates in Ridgway's "Nomenclature of Colors" and 
 were made in the field from freshly killed specimens. 
 
 For almost all groups "keys" for the more ready determination of 
 the various genera, and their species, have been inserted, following the 
 preliminary observations under each of the family headings. Many of 
 these keys, with slight alterations, were prepared by the writer for his 
 convenience in the identification of specimens in the field. And while 
 the keys were constructed primarily as aids in identifying the species 
 known to inhabit the immediate valley of the Orinoco, there are 
 frequently included the necessary "characters" distinguishing many 
 species known to be found in contiguous territory. It must be under- 
 stood, however, that no effort has been made to supply "keys" to the 
 birds of other regions of northern South America. 
 
 The nomenclature and determination of species is much the 
 same as that employed by Berlepsch and Hartert in their paper 
 which was based chiefly on the collection made in the same region by 
 Mrs. Cherrie and myself in 1897 to 1899, and the Andre and Klages 
 collections from the Caura River district. 
 
 The references to Berlepsch and Hartert, unless specifically noted 
 to the contrary, are to their paper, and the nomenclature where not 
 otherwise indicated is the same. 
 
 TURDIDAE THE THRUSHES. 
 
 Six thrushes are found on the Orinoco : five are resident forms of 
 the genus Planesticus and one a North American migrant of the genus 
 Hylocichla. The latter is probably never found in juvenal plumage 
 
 Novitates Zoologicae IX. 1902. p. 134.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 135 
 
 on the Orinoco, consequently the character of having 'the breast 
 spotted will serve to distinguish Hylocichla from adult examples of 
 Planesticus among birds seen or taken in the Orinoco region. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF TURDIDAE. 
 
 a. None of the primaries sinuated on the outer webs Calharus. l 
 
 a'. Some of the primaries sinuated on the outer webs. 
 
 b. Not more than three primaries sinuated on the outer webs Hylocichla aliciae aliciae. 
 
 b'. Four primaries sinuated on the outer webs Planeslicus. 
 
 c. Skin about eye bare (in life bright citron yellow) Planesticus gymnophthalmus 
 
 '. Skin about eye feathered. 
 
 d. A white patch below the blackish or dusky streaks on the throat. 
 
 e. Above a rich olive brown strongly washed with rufous Planeslicus phaeopygus 
 
 phaeopygus. 
 
 e'. Above rich olive brown with greenish wash Planesticus phaeopygus 
 
 phaeopygoides. 
 d'. No white patch below the streaks on the throat. 
 
 e. General color above a subdued olive brown, below greyish brown. Planesticus albiventer. 
 
 e'. General color above tawny olive brown, below ochraceous brown. Planesticus fumigatus. 
 
 PLANESTICUS GYMNOPHTHALMUS (Cabanis). 
 
 Turdus gymnophthalmus Cab. in Schomb. Reise Brit. Guiana III. 1848. 
 p. 665 ; Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 2. 
 
 Retiring and shy, frequenting clumps of trees and thickets in the 
 ppen savanna, and the underbrush near the borders of large timber. 
 It has a pleasing song, and call and alarm notes that somewhat 
 resemble those of the American Robin. Insects and fruits are included 
 in the diet and obtained chiefly from among the branches as I rarely 
 saw this thrush on the ground. The common native name for this 
 and the following species is "Paraulata Montanera." They are occa- 
 sionally kept as cage birds and become exceedingly tame. 
 
 In life the eye is chestnut, the bare skin about eye citron yellow; 
 bill dusky olive buff with pale cutting edges ; feet smoke grey. A 
 male bird taken at Maipures above the first falls on the Orinoco, had 
 the bare skin about eye ochre yellow arid the eyelids orange-rufous. 
 
 Nesting begins with the approach of the rainy season in the 
 vicinity of Caicara, early in May and continues until the end of June. 
 A nest taken at Caicara June 9, 1905, (Brooklyn Museum Collection) 
 was loosely placed on the thickly matted horizontal branches of a low 
 shrub, about 1.21 m. from the ground. It was a rather bulky affair 
 with the exterior outlines of a truncated cone, 9 centimeters high, 25 
 centimeters in diameter at the base and 12 at the top. The bulky 
 
 'The "Orinoco Valley" is taken as type locality (I) for Catharus birchalli Seebohm.
 
 136 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 part of the nest consists of coarse dead grass, weed stems, rootlets, 
 and a few dead leaves. Then comes the nest cavity built up of 
 rather fine rootlets and dead grasses mixed with mud, with an inner 
 lining of coarse rootlets. The inside of the nest measures 9 cm. in 
 diameter by 4 cm. in depth. Incubation was so far advanced in the 
 two eggs taken with this nest that only one could be saved. The egg 
 is a pale greenish blue rather thickly speckled all over with russet. 
 In addition spots of burnt umber are thickly mixed with the russet 
 about the larger end, and some underlying ecru-drab spots. This egg 
 measures 30 x 21.5 mm. 
 
 Another nest collected at Caicara June 21. 1907. was taken inside 
 the village limits in a courtyard and not over 7 m. from the door of a 
 house where a large family of children were constantly passing back 
 and forth. This nest was about 3.5 m. from the ground at the base 
 of a large horizontal limb of a Guava tree. It resembled the first in 
 all essential features. The dimensions of this nest are: outside, depth 
 7 cm., diameter at rim 11.5 cm.; inside depth 4 cm., diameter 8.2 cm. 
 The outlines of this nest are not as symmetrical as the one in the pre- 
 vious description. Incubation had begun in the three eggs taken 
 with this nest. The eggs themselves are smaller than the one previ- 
 ously described and are more typically ovate in form ; they measure 
 29x19; 27.5x19.5 and 28.5x19.5 mm. respectively. The greenish 
 blue ground color is less clear, and in two of the set the markings are 
 much larger, and more thickly speckled over the surface, especially 
 about the larger end ; in the last of the set the specks and spots are 
 nearly uniformly distributed over the entire surface. 
 
 In yet another set of three eggs, collected on the 2Oth of June, the 
 pattern of coloration differs considerably from those described above. 
 In one of the three the greenish blue ground color has a yellowish or 
 buff wash ; the irregular small spots and dots of color are larger all 
 over the surface and very thickly massed about the larger end. In 
 the other two eggs the ground color is the same pale greenish blue but 
 the markings are confined entirely to the larger end. In one egg 
 these form a chestnut cap, the edges of which are broken into spots 
 and dots of chestnut overlying rufous. In the last egg the spots and 
 blotches of chestnut overlying others of rufous form a broad band 
 about the larger end. These eggs measure 27. x 19.5 ; 28.75 x 2O - 2 > 
 28.5 x 20 mm., respectively. 
 
 The nest from which these eggs were taken and from which the
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 137 
 
 parent bird was flushed, was located about 3.5 m. up amid the thick 
 branches of a small tree standing in a thicket on the edge of the 
 savanna. When discovered there was over half an inch of water in 
 the bottom of the nest, the mud that had been used in its construction 
 having been so firmly packed and mixed with the grasses and other 
 nesting materials that after a heavy rain the water escaped through 
 very slowly. 
 
 My observations indicated that the number of eggs in a set varies 
 from two to four; the latter number is, however, unusual. 
 
 Specimens of the Bare-eyed Thrush from Trinidad, together 
 with one example from the delta region of the Orinoco, are uniformly 
 richer, less greyish olive above than examples from the middle 
 Orinoco, and there appears to be a greater amount of white on the 
 lower breast and abdomen. It seems not improbable that the exam- 
 ination of a large series would justify the subspecific separation of 
 the two forms. 
 
 PLANESTICUS AI.BIVENTER (Spix). 
 
 Turdus albiventer Spix. Av. Bras. I. 1824. p. 70 ; Berlepsch & Hartert 
 p. 2. 
 
 Specimens were collected on the Orinoco at various points, 
 including Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia, Caicara, Quiribana de Caicara, 
 Urbana and Maipures, from the delta region at Las Barrancas up- 
 ward, as far as the mouth of the Vichada River. 
 
 In life the eye is vandyk'e brown; bill mouse grey with yellowish 
 cutting edges; feet smoke grey. 
 
 Spix's Thrush, like the preceding species, frequents dense thickets 
 and is shy and retiring. In many of its actions this bird resembles 
 the American Robin but is usually conspicuous by its absence about 
 the houses, both in the country and in the villages. The nesting 
 habits and nests are similar to those of T. gymnophthalmus. A nest 
 taken at Caicara, June 14, 1904, was found in a dense thicket, in the 
 forks of a small sapling, 1.52 m. from the ground. This nest con- 
 tained three eggs, only one of which was preserved, owing to the 
 advanced state of incubation. This egg is a pale bluish green thickly 
 marked with blotches and spots varying in color from cinnamon- 
 rufous to chestnut overlying pale ecru-drab blotches; it is ovate in 
 form and measures 20 x 28 mm.
 
 138 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Three fresh eggs and a nest were taken at Caicara, June 6, 1905. 
 This nest was only about 1.2 m. from the ground in the forks of 
 a sapling. These eggs have the same ground color as that described 
 above, but two of them are so thickly marked with small spots and 
 specks of rufous and chestnut as to remind one of eggs of the Brown 
 Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). The remaining egg is marked less thickly 
 and with larger spots of varying shades of color from rufous to chestnut 
 overlying pale ecru-drab spotting. The eggs are all ovate. They measure 
 26 x 20 mm. ; 27 x 21 mm. and 28 x 21 mm. 
 
 Another nest collected on May 22nd, at Caicara is rather unusual, 
 being less bulky than is the rule, and constructed almost entirely of 
 the long fine rootlets that spring from about the trunks and larger 
 branches of some of the trees of the genus Ficus. Only a very 
 little mud is used in the structure. There is .a lining of larger root- 
 lets as in the ordinary nest. The inside measurements of the nest 
 are 8.5 cm. in diameter by 4 cm. in depth. The three eggs taken 
 with this nest, as is the case with those described above, show much 
 individual variation. They average smaller, measuring 19x24; 19 x 
 25 and 18 x 23.5 mm. 
 
 A nest with four fresh eggs (No. 1451 Brooklyn Museum Collec- 
 tion) collected at Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar, April 15, 1907, was 
 unusual in that no mud had been employed in its construction. It 
 was located in a niche, 2.4 m. up, in the side of a huge boulder that 
 was surrounded by low trees and tangled bushes of the savanna. 
 That mud had not been used in the building of this nest was prob- 
 ably due to the fact that it could not have been obtained within a dis- 
 tance of less than two miles : the dry season was at its height, and 
 the savanna on all sides was parched and dry. This nest was placed 
 so closely against the wall of rock that at its back only the thickness 
 of the inner lining of rootlets intervened between them. Parallel 
 with the face of the rock the base of the nest measured 24 cm. : at right 
 angles to the face 18 cm.: the outside depth was 7.5 cm. The nest 
 cavity measures 9 cm. diameter by 4.5 cm. in depth, almost a per- 
 fect hemisphere. The body of the nest is made up of very fine bits 
 of grass and plant stems, strips of soft inner bark, dead leaves, etc. 
 Of the four eggs taken with this nest two are thickly marked with 
 small spots and specks (chiefly pale rufous) nearly evenly distributed 
 over the entire surface. The other two are marked with much larger
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 139 
 
 spots and blotches of various shades of brown, from rufous to chest- 
 nut ; in one, nearly uniformly distributed, in the other thickest about 
 the larger end. They are ovate in form and measure 28.25x20; 
 28.75 x 1 9 ; 2 6-5 y- 19 and 27.75 x 2O mm - respectively. The eggs of 
 P. albiventer cannot be distinguished from those of its congener 
 P. gymnophthalmus. 
 
 PLANESTICUS FUMIGATUS (Lichtenstein). 
 
 Turdus fumigatus Licht., Verz. Doubl. 1823. p. 38; Berlepsch & Hartert 
 
 P- 3- 
 
 The marked variation in color presented by a series of these 
 thrushes from various localities throughout northern South America 
 has been already commented on by ornithologists. The series before 
 the writer is entirely too small and too meagre in localities repre- 
 sented, to give any satisfactory idea of the geographical distribution 
 of the three or four races into which it seems the species might be 
 separable. Indeed, the distribution indicated by the material at hand 
 is most perplexing. 
 
 The writer has met with this thrush on the upper Orinoco, above 
 the falls of Atures and those of Maipures, and in Trinidad. At 
 the present time he has for comparison, specimens from Trinidad, 
 British Guiana, El Pilar on the north coast of Venezuela, Nericagua 
 on the upper Orinoco, Cayenne, and three points in Brazil, viz., Santarem, 
 Diamantina and Maranhao. 
 
 From the upper Orinoco region (Nericagua) only one bird is 
 available for comparison. It is a female, taken April 23rd, and agrees 
 almost exactly in color with an example from Santarem, Brazil (with- 
 out sex or other data), but is decidedly smaller, the wing measuring 
 only 105 mm. and the tail 95, while in the Brazilian specimen the wing 
 measures 118 mm. and the tail no mm. 
 
 The specimens from Trinidad are uniformly much lighter in 
 ( color than those from the other localities in the series before me, 
 being a raw umber, with a pronounced olive wash and with a narrow 
 russet edging to the outer edges of the quills, greater, and middle 
 wing coverts. The Nericagua and Santarem birds are dark mummy 
 brown above with a wash of vandyke, while the tips and outer edges 
 of greater and middle coverts are cinnamon-rufous in the Nericagua 
 example (a characteristic which may be due to immaturity). The
 
 140 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE) MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Trinidad birds are so different that I have recently separated them as 
 P. fumigatus aqitilonalis. 1 
 
 PLANESTICUS PHAEOPYGUS PHAEOPYGUS (Cabanis). 
 Turdus phaeopygus Cab. in Schomb. Reise Brit. Guiana II. 1848. p. 666; 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert p. 3. 
 
 Collected on the Caura River 2 by Klages (Mountains west of 
 Suapure) and by Andre (La Pricion). It is replaced in the delta 
 region of the Orinoco by the Tobagan subspecies. (P. p. phaeopygoides.) 
 
 PLANESTICUS PHAEOPYGUS PHAEOPYGOIDES (Seebohm). 
 Turdus phaeopygoides Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. V. 1881. p. 404 
 
 (Tobago). 
 Turdus phaeopygus phaeopygoides Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII, 1906. 
 
 p. 4 (Guanoco, Orinoco Delta). 
 
 Hellmayr in preparing his paper on the birds of Trinidad records 
 a specimen from Guanoco in the Orinoco delta, collected by Andre. 
 
 HYLOCICHLA ALICIAE ALICIAE (Baird). 
 Turdus aliciae Baird, Rep. Pacific R. R. Surv. IX. 1858. p. 217; Ber- 
 
 lepsch & Hartert p. 3. 
 
 On my first expedition to the Orinoco the Grey-cheeked Thrush 
 was observed at irregular intervals from December until the middle 
 of April. Specimens were collected at Quiribana de Caicara and at 
 Maipures above the falls. Only solitary birds' were seen. None have 
 been observed on the more recent expeditions. 
 
 MIMIDAE THE MOCKING BIRDS. 
 
 This family is represented in the Orinoco region by a single sub- 
 species of the genus M.imus and one species of the genus Donacobius. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA OF MIMIDAE. 
 
 a. "No naked space on side of neck; tail graduated for less than one-fourth 
 
 its length." 3 .................................................... Mimus. 
 
 ge naked space on side of neck; tail graduated for nearly half its 
 length " 3 ....................................................... 
 
 MIMUS GILVUS MELANOPTERUS Lawrence. 
 
 Mimus melanopterus Lawr., Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1849. P- 35- 
 Mimus gilvus melanopterus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 3. 
 
 ^Sci. Bull. Mus. Bklyn. Inst. I. 1909. p. 387. 
 
 2 The Caura is a tributary of the Orinoco entering from the right side, and draining a considerable 
 portion of the mountainous region between British Guiana and Venezuela. 
 'Ridgway Birds of North and Middle America, IV. 1907. p. 183.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 14! 
 
 Native name Paraulata. Common everywhere on the savannas, 
 frequenting the small clumps of trees and more open thickets. The 
 habits are similar to those of our own mocking-bird, although it is 
 perhaps less shy. Nests are frequently built in the immediate vicin- 
 ity of the native ranch houses. 
 
 At San Mateo de Caicara on May 22, 1905, three fresh eggs were 
 taken from a nest, found in a small tree, about 1.5 m. from the ground. 
 The tree stood alone, close to a house and the nest was in plain view 
 from all sides. The eggs are marked with reddish brown spots, which 
 in two of them were so thickly set as to nearly obscure the pale blu- 
 ish green ground color. The third egg is rather sparsely spotted, 
 except about the larger end, and the color of the spots is darker, while 
 the ground is a richer bluish green. The eggs are ovate in form and 
 measure 25.5 x 19.75 > 2 &- 2 x J 9-75 an d 2 5-5 x T 9-5 mm - Four days 
 elapsed after the completion of the nest before any eggs were laid, 
 then one egg was deposited every twenty-four hours. 
 
 A nest taken by the writer at Quiribana de Caicara, April 21, 
 1898, was found in a low bush at the edge of the open savanna about 
 91.5 cm. from the ground. It was constructed of coarse dry sticks 
 lined with dry grasses and rootlets. The eggs taken with this nest 
 measure "27 x 19.5 ; 25.6 x 19.5 ; and 25.6 x 19.8 mm." 1 
 
 Another nest found May 25, 1898, was in a dense clump of thorny 
 bushes at the edge of the open savanna. This nest was only 61 cm. from 
 the ground. 
 
 At Caicara on the 6th day of May, 1907, a nest with three eggs 
 was taken that was similarly placed to that of the .last, only about 
 61 cm. up in a thicket of thorny palm stems. Incubation had begun, 
 and was much further advanced in one egg than in the other two. 
 The eggs measure 27.4 x 19.5 ; 27.5 x 20. and 27.75 x 19 mm. Com- 
 pared with the set first described the markings are somewhat darker 
 and in larger spots. In the smallest of the three eggs the markings 
 are uniformly distributed over the entire surface and very thickly set. 
 In the largest egg the markings are lightest in color, fewest in number 
 and clustered most about the larger end. 
 
 Eggs of the Colombia Mocking-bird are indistinguishable from 
 those of either Planesticus albiventer or P. gymnophthalmus. 
 
 A male in Juvenal plumage taken at Caicara, June 2, 1905, has a 
 greyish eye and dusky bill and feet. It is smoke grey above, clear on 
 
 'Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 3-
 
 142 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6'. 
 
 the head and mottled with a wash of wood brown. The wings and 
 tail are black, tips and outer edges of primaries and alula white. Ter- 
 tials, secondaries and coverts are tipped and edged with pale buffy 
 wood brown. Outer edges of outer pair and tips of five outer rec- 
 trices white. Below dull white washed with buff and spotted with 
 dusky brown except on crissum and belly. Postocular and malar 
 streaks and auriculars grayish white. Lores and subocular streak 
 blackish. A faintly indicated dusky sub-malar streak. 
 
 DONACOBIUS ATRICAPILLUS ATRiCAPiLLUS (Linnaeus). 
 Turdus atricapillus Linn., Syst. Nat: ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 295. ("Cap 
 
 Bon Spei" Berlepsch & Hartert substitute E. Brazil.) 
 Donacobius atricapillus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 4. 
 
 Klages sent a specimen that he collected on the Mato River, one 
 of the small tributaries of the Caura River, to the Tring Museum; and 
 Mr. Beebe collected and noted this species as abundant in the delta 
 at Guanoco. 
 
 TROGLODYTIDAE THE WRENS. 
 
 Five genera are represented in the Orinoco region including six 
 species and four subspecies. All are notable as songsters and char- 
 acteristic birds of the regions that they frequent. 
 
 KEY TO GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF TROGLODYTIDAE. 
 
 a. Tail equal to or longer than wing Heleodytes. 
 
 b. Under parts white without spots or markings. 
 
 c. Upper parts greyish brown with scarcely a trace of umber, smaller. . . H. griseus. 
 c'. Upper parts strongly raw umber brown or washed with brown (be- 
 tween a raw umber and mummy), larger H. minor. 
 
 b'. Under parts white with breast, sides, flanks and under tail-coverts 
 
 spotted with blackish H. nuchalis. 
 
 a'. Tail shorter than wing. 
 
 b. Chin and throat pale and without dusky or blackish cross bars. 
 
 c. Feathers on sides of neck mottled black and white, the centres being 
 
 white, edges black Leucolepis musicus. ' 
 
 c 1 . Feathers on sides of neck not black and white mottled. 
 
 d. Nostrils rounded, at forward end of the nasal fossa Thryophilus. 
 
 e. Throat white, remainder of under parts buff, on sides, 
 flanks and under tail-coverts becoming ochraceous. (On 
 the Caura River, the Cuchivero River and probably other 
 tributaries of the Orinoco, entering that stream from the 
 Guiana side) T. albipectus albipectus. 
 
 'This wren so far as known is found only in British Guiana, but it is not improbable that it may 
 be taken in the delta region of the Orinoco.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OP THE ORINOCO REGION. 143 
 
 e'. Much paler below, the brownish-olive color being confined 
 almost entirely to the flanks and under tail-coverts; upper 
 surface also paler with less rufous. (Middle stretches of 
 the Orinoco from the delta region Las Barrancas up as 
 
 far as the first Falls, Atures) T. albipeclus hypoleucus. 
 
 e". Entire upper parts much darker rufous brown, below, sides, 
 flanks and crissum deep ochraceous, very much richer in 
 color than either of the preceding forms. (The Upper 
 
 Orinoco from above the Falls of Atures) T. albipecttis bogolensis. 
 
 d'. Nostrils, if rounded, not at forward end of nasal fossa. 
 e. Nostrils linear, opening along lower edge of nasal fossa. 
 
 /. Throat white, breast grey Pheugopedius griseipectus 
 
 caurensis. 
 
 f. Throat and breast buff y Troglodytes musculus clarus. 
 
 e'. Nostrils rounded, near center of nasal fossa. 
 /. Prominent white wing-bands formed by subterminal white 
 
 tips to greater wing-coverts Microcerculus caurensis. 
 
 f. No wing-bands Henicorhina leucosticta. 
 
 HELEODYTES GRISEUS (Swainson). 1 
 
 Fnrnarius griseus Swains., Anim. in Menag. 1838. p. 325. 
 Campylorhynchus griseus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 4. 
 
 Native name Cucarachero. In life the eye is vandyke brown; bill 
 black above, greyish horn color below ; feet slate color. 
 
 Birds of this species are usually seen (and heard) in pairs, or, 
 after the breeding season, from April to July, in family parties of from 
 three to eight. They are rarely seen in the dense forest, keeping 
 near the borders of open savannas and localities abounding with scat- 
 tering scrub oaks and clumps of underbrush. 
 
 The nesting habits of this species are quite unusual. Early in 
 my acquaintance with it I had believed it constructed its own nests, 
 but that the nests built one year were not employed, at least not for 
 the rearing of a brood of young, until the following season. Later 
 observations have convinced me, however, that rarely, if ever, does 
 this wren do more in the way of nest building than to refurnish the 
 abandoned nest of some other bird, and that the more dilapidated the 
 structure is in outward appearance, the more acceptable it is as a true 
 nesting site. The old abandoned nests of Pitangus sulphuratus are 
 the ones that appear to be selected most frequently. Several of these 
 nests together with nests of Myiozetetes are frequently found in the 
 same tree, often within three or four feet of one another, and if one of 
 the Pitangus nests is the real nest of a pair of wrens the owners may 
 be seen entering the other old nests quite as frequently as they do their 
 
 'Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 4, have called attention to the error in the British Museum Catalogue 
 regarding this species and bicolor. the .names having been transposed.
 
 144 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 own. Not only do they enter the other nests but they may be seen 
 industriously carrying in nesting material. This curious habit, I have 
 observed, is indulged in chiefly when the birds are being watched. 
 when they feel their homes may be in danger. While nesting mate- 
 rials, such as .soft dry grasses, may be carried into any and .all of the 
 old nests in the tree where a Large Cactus Wren is nesting, only one 
 nest will receive a lining of the soft down-like substance that envelops 
 the seed of the silk-cotton tree, and there the eggs or young will 
 be found. I never ascertained that more than one pair of birds nested 
 in a single tree, but found from three to eight nests in a tree occupied 
 by a single pair of birds. 
 
 I first took eggs of this species at Quiribana de Caicara, April 10, 
 1898. The clutch contained only three eggs in which incubation was 
 far advanced. The nest was an old one, doubtless that of Pitangus 
 sulphuratus rufipennis with a fresh lining. It was a large globular 
 affair composed of dry grasses, set in a tangle of small limbs of a 
 scrub oak, about 3.5 m. from the ground. The entrance was at one 
 side near the top. In the same tree were six other nests, none of 
 which were occupied and there was apparently only the one pair of 
 birds in the neighborhood. 
 
 Another clutch of three eggs with incubation far advanced was 
 taken April I7th. The nest was about 4.5 m. up in a scrub oak, that 
 stood well out in the savanna. It was an old nest, globular in form, 
 ragged and dilapidated in appearance, but it had been supplied with 
 a little fresh lining of soft grasses. A new nest of Pitangus had been 
 built in the same tree, not ten feet from the old one, but had been 
 deserted by the original owners and the wrens had selected the old 
 one in preference. 
 
 A clutch of five incubated eggs of this species (now in the Tring 
 Museum), was taken at Caicara, June 27, 1898. They were of a 
 "glossy brownish brick-red, darker spots being traceable." 1 Others 
 are "whitish red, the brick-red patches leaving some of the ground 
 color free." 1 They measure "24.5 x 18.5; 24.5 x 17.4; 24 x 17.5 mm." 1 
 The nest in this case was as usual an old one and much dilapidated. 
 It was situated about 2.4 m. up in a small scrub oak. There was a 
 much newer nest in the same tree not over 1.2 m. from the one con- 
 taining the eggs. Both birds were present and manifested much 
 concern, scolding me soundly. Before I climbed the tree to search 
 
 'Berlepsch & Hartert. p. 4.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 145 
 
 for eggs I watched the parents for some time and noted them fre- 
 quently entering and leaving the new nest but not approaching the 
 old one in which were the eggs. While I was taking the clutch of 
 eggs on April i/th the parent birds remained close by but seemed to 
 take little notice of my presence. 
 
 A nest which together with a set of four eggs and the parent birds 
 was taken at Caicara May 5th, 1907 (No. 14,655 Geo. K. Cherrie 
 Coll.) was a nest of Pitangus sulphuratus rufipennis that, having served 
 as a home for a brood of its builders' young, had been abandoned by 
 that builder and appropriated by a Cactus Wren. A new lining of 
 coarse dry grasses only had been taken in. The nest was located at 
 the extreme end of a long horizontal branch of a Guaramal tree and 
 was about 2.4 m. above the ground. The parent birds, both 
 of which were collected, were not at all demonstrative. The female 
 was shot as she left the nest. The ground color of the eggs varies 
 from a salmon-buff to a vinaceous-cinnamon. They are everywhere 
 thickly speckled with hazel and chestnut. Of the four eggs, one was 
 on the point of hatching, one about half incubated, one fresh, the 
 fourth rotten and pierced with two small holes on the larger end. 
 They measure 24x17.5; 23x17.5; 23.5 xi775 and 24.5x16.5 mm. 
 respectively. Three are ovate in form and one decidedly elongate 
 ovate. 
 
 On the 22nd of May, 1907, near La Cascabel on the River San 
 Feliz, a nest was found containing two half grown young and one 
 rotten egg. The nest was undoubtedly one that had been built by a 
 Pitangus. It was about 4.5 m. from the ground. The egg is ovate 
 in form and measures 25 x 18 mm. In color the ground is nearly a 
 salmon-tuff and is thickly speckled with vinaceous-cinnamon. Mr. 
 Hartert in describing the eggs sent by the writer to the Tring 
 Museum refers to them as "glossy," but that term would hardly be 
 applicable to the examples that are before me. 
 
 HELEODYTES MINOR Cabanis. 1 
 
 Heleodytcs minor Cab., Mus-. Hein. I. 1851. p. 80. 
 
 This species was collected at Ciudad Bolivar by Klages, and the 
 
 'In the American Museum collection is a series of specimens from the Santa Marta region, Colombia, 
 identified by Allen as H. griseus (Swains) Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.. XIII. 1900. p. 180 that seem to 
 belong to this species, but doubtless represent a different race that differs from the Venezuelan birds by the 
 almost total lack of barring to the tail-feathers (being faintly indicated in three or four only), and in the 
 greater extent and deeper shade of chestnut red on the back, rump, and wing-quill edges.
 
 146 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 writer secured a single example at Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar on 
 the 1907 expedition. There is also in the American Museum collection a 
 small series of specimens collected by Klages from Maripa, in the Caura 
 River region. 
 
 HELEODYTES NUCHALIS (Cabanis). 
 
 Campylorhynchus nvchalis Cab., Orn. Not. in Arch. Naturg. XIII. 
 
 1847. p. 206; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 5. 
 
 An abundant species along the middle Orinoco. Specimens 
 were collected at Altagracia, Caicara and Quiribana de Caicara. It 
 frequents similar localities to those where H. griseus is found and may 
 be usually seen in pairs or family parties. 
 
 In fresh specimens the colors are : eye straw yellow ; feet slate 
 grey ; bill above dusky, below pale flesh color. 
 
 The nesting habits of this species are somewhat similar to those 
 of H. griseus, and equally interesting.' A nest containing four fresh 
 eggs was found at Caicara, May 12, 1907 (No. 14,737 Cherrie Coll.). 
 It was one of half a dozen irregular shapeless masses of fine soft root- 
 lets, grasses, feathers and tufts of the soft silky down from fruits of the 
 silk-cotton (balsamo) tree. Each of the nests, apparently masses of rub- 
 bish, was provided with two or three entrances to as many chambers, or 
 instead of opening into separate chambers they were in some cases 
 entrances to tunnels through the nest mass ! Only one of the several 
 nest masses, however, was in use as a nest proper. That contained 
 four fresh eggs. To the nest cavity proper there was only one en- 
 trance, but in addition there were in the same nest mass two tunnels 
 running from side to side. At the time when the eggs were secured 
 both parent birds were present and showed the greatest excitement. 
 Their actions were most extraordinary, and in-stead of employing 
 their time with cries of distress, or scolding the intruder, they im- 
 mediately went to work, industriously carrying mouthfuls of soft 
 feathers and balsamo from one nest mass to another, but not going 
 near the real nest. However, when they realized that the enemy 
 could not be deceived by their artifice, they turned their attention to 
 the nest mass containing the eggs, and worked with such a will, and 
 with such good effect, packing the entrance with balsamo and soft 
 feathers, even while I was engaged in cutting the branch that supporte'd 
 the nest, that by the time' the nest was on the ground no entrance was 
 visible. For a moment I was inclined to believe I had made a mistake.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 147 
 
 I believe the nests of this wren, like those of H. griseus always 
 have as a foundation the abandoned, and frequently half-decayed nests 
 of either Pitangus or some species of Mylosetetes. 
 
 The eggs are elongated-ovate in shape and a delicate pure white in 
 color. 
 
 HENICORHINA LEUCOSTICTA (Cabanis). 
 Cyphorhinus leucostictus Cab., Orn. Not. in Arch. Naturg. XIII. 1847. 
 
 p. 206. 
 Henicorhina leucosticta Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 5. 
 
 Andre collected specimens of this wren on the Caura River. 
 
 MICROCERCULUS CAURENSIS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Microcerculus caurensis Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 5. 
 A single specimen of this wren, said by its describers to be 
 ''closely allied to M. bambla from Guiana" was collected by Andre at 
 Nicare on the Caura River. 
 
 THRYOPHILUS ALBIPECTUS ALBIPECTUS Cabanis. 
 
 Thryophilus albipectus Cab. in Schomb. Reise Brit. Guiana, III. 1848. 
 
 p. 673 (Cayenne) ; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 6 (Suapure, La Pricion, 
 
 La Union and Nicare, Caura River). 
 
 In the Brooklyn Museum collection and that of the American 
 Museum of Natural History, the writer has had for study Venezu- 
 elan specimens from localities in the Orinoco region as follows : On 
 the Orinoco proper; Nericagua, Munduapo, Caicara, Ciudad Bolivar, 
 Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar and Las Barrancas; La Cascabel (on 
 the River San Feliz near its junction with the River Cuchivero) ; 
 Mato River (near its junction with the Caura River) ; Maripa and 
 La Union on the Caura River. Typical examples of three forms are 
 represented, together with specimens that are intermediate in char- 
 acter. 
 
 Specimens collected by the writer at "La Cascabel" compared 
 with an example of typical albipectus from Cayenne (No. 668 Cherrie 
 and Gault Coll.) in the American Museum collection, agree almost 
 exactly in color both above and below, but lack the faint traces 
 of dusky bars on the back that are to be seen in that specimen. The 
 American Museum series from Maripa and a single example among 
 those labeled "La Union" (Klages Coll.) are referable to this form. 
 Typical examples have been also recorded from Saupure, La Pricion,
 
 148 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 La Union and Nicare on the Caura River. The Brooklyn Museum 
 specimens from Las Barrancas (Orinoco Delta region) are referred 
 to this form but are somewhat intermediate in character between 
 albipectus albipectus and albipectus hypoleucus. 
 
 THRYOPHILUS ALBIPECTUS HYPOLEUCUS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Thryophilus albipectus hypoleucus Berlp. & Hart., Bull. B. O. C. XII. 
 
 1901. p. 12; Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. 6. 
 
 This, the lightest colored form of the white-breasted wren, is 
 found everywhere along the Orinoco from Ciudad Bolivar up as far 
 as, possibly beyond, the mouth of the Meta River. It, in common 
 with the other races of this species, frequents the denser clumps of 
 trees and bushes that dot the edges of savanna regions. 
 
 Fresh birds have the eye mummy brown; bill blackish above, slate 
 color below ; feet plumbeous. 
 
 Specimens were collected at Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar, 
 Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia, Caicara and Quiribana de Caicara. The 
 specimens collected by the writer at Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar 
 and at Ciudad Bolivar are somewhat intermediate in character, form- 
 ing with the Las Barrancas specimens of albipectus albipectus links in 
 the evidence -pointing to the common origin of the two forms. 
 
 THRYOPHILUS ALBIPECTUS BOGOTENSIS Hellmayr. 
 
 Thryophilus albipectus bogotensis Hellmayr, Verhandl. Zool.-Botan. 
 
 Gesellsch. Wien, LI. 1901. p. 774. (Type in Berlepsch Museum, 
 
 Bogota Coll.). 
 Thryophilus albipectus subsp. Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 6. 
 
 This dark race was observed and collected by the writer on the 
 Upper Orinoco at Perico, Maipures, Munduapo and Nericagua. In 
 the American Museum collection there are specimens from La Union 
 (on the Caura River) and from the Mato River collected by S. M. 
 Klages, and two examples from Surinam (Chunkoo Coll.) that, by 
 comparison with specimens collected by the writer at Maipures and 
 Nericagua on the Upper Orinoco, seem to be typical of this race. 
 
 In a female from Nericagua there are faint traces of narrow dusky 
 bars on the back. In the female from Surinam such bars are quite 
 evident and they are indicated in both a male and female example 
 from La Union.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 149 
 
 PHEUGOPEDIUS GRISEIPECTUS CAURENSIS (Berlepsch & Hartert). 
 
 Thryothorus griseipectus caurensis Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. 
 
 IX. 1902. p. 7. 
 
 Described from specimens secured on the Caura River by Mr. 
 Eugene Andre. It has been recorded from La Union, La Pricion and 
 Nicare (type locality). 
 
 TROGLODYTES MUSCULUS CLARUS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Troglodytes musculus clarus Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 
 1902, p. 8. (Type, Bartica Grove, British Guiana.) 
 
 Common throughout the Orinoco region at least as far as the 
 Falls of Atures. 
 
 Specimens were collected at Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia, Caicara 
 and Quiribana de Caicara. 
 
 In life the eye is seal brown; bill above blackish, below pale grey; 
 feet dusky slate grey. 
 
 A set of four slightly incubated eggs, together with the parent 
 birds, were taken at Caicara, July 10, 1906 (15,078 Cherrie Coll.). 
 The eggs are short ovate in form and measure 17.5x14; 16.9x13.5; 
 17x13.75 and 17.5x13.6 mm. They are thickly dotted over the 
 entire surface with brown varying in shade on the different examples 
 from vinaceous to chestnut. In two of the eggs the specks and dots 
 are more thickly clustered about the larger end, forming a cap. The 
 ground color is a pale buffy pink. The nest was located in a natural 
 cavity in the trunk of a Chaparo oak about 2.1 m. from the ground. 
 Very little nesting material had been taken into the nest cavity, and 
 consisted of a few black hair-like vegetable fibres on top of which was 
 a lining of the wing and tail feathers of small birds so arranged that 
 the quills stuck outward and upward around the edge of the nest, and 
 the soft tips rested on the bottom. Here and there between the 
 feathers were bits of the cast skin of some small lizard. 
 
 The parent birds were shy and wary. The female when flushed 
 would fly directly to a thicket some twenty-five yards distant where 
 she would remain quietly in hiding until she believed all danger to 
 have passed. 
 
 SYLVIIDAE THE KINGLETS AND GNATCATCHERS. 
 Only a single species pertaining to this family was observed on 
 the Orinoco.
 
 150 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Mr. Hellmayr, who has made a careful study of the South Ameri- 
 can members of the genus Polioptila, has, in his last word on the 
 subject 1 , concluded that there are six recognizable races of P. livida. 
 
 Only one of this number has been recorded from the Orinoco 
 region but as there are two others whose geographical distribution 
 when better known may be found to extend to the territory under 
 consideration, I have included them in the following key. 
 
 KEY TO SUBSPECIES OF POLIOPTILA LIVIDA. 
 
 a. Outer tail-feathers black at base of both inner and outer webs Polioptila livida plumbiceps. 
 
 a'. Outer tail-feathers entirely white. 
 
 b. Upper wing-coverts edged with whitish and broad white edgings of the 
 tertials reaching almost to the shaft. (Cayenne, Surinam, Lower Ama- 
 zonia from Para to Santarem) Polioptila livida livida. 
 
 b'. Upper wing-coverts edged with pale bluish grey and white edges to 
 
 tertials much narrower. (British Guiana, Rio Branco in North Brazil) Polioptila livida innotata. 
 
 POLIOPTILA LIVIDA PLUMBICEPS (Lawrence). 
 Polioptila plumbiceps Lawrence, Proc. Acad. N. Sc. Phila. XVII. 1865. 
 
 p. 37 (Venezuela). 
 
 Polioptila nigriceps Berlepsch & Hartert (non Baird) p. 9. 
 P[olioptila] livida plumbiceps Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV, 1907. p. 4. 
 
 This species is common along the Middle Orinoco from Ciudad 
 Bolivar to the Falls of Atures, and less abundant above the falls 
 where specimens were collected at Maipures. 
 
 A nest of this species, which the young were just leaving, was 
 found at Caicara June 20, 1907. It closely resembled nests of the 
 Blue-grey Gnatcatcher of Eastern North America, being a neat, trim, 
 lichen-covered cup, saddled on to a horizontal branch. The nest 
 measures outside : depth 45, diameter at middle of nest, 55 ; inside : depth 
 31 ; diameter at rim 35; diameter half way down 41 mm. It was about 
 5 m. from the ground on one of the branches of a Chaparo oak 
 that stood near the edge of the open savanna. It is by merest chance 
 that such a nest is discovered as it is so small, so inconspicuous and 
 its lichen covered walls match so exactly the color of the branch on 
 which it rests. 2 
 
 Wovitates Zoologicae XIV. 1907. pp. 4-5. 
 
 2 It seems somewhat doubtful to the writer if the nest described as that of Lawrence's Gnatcatchei 
 by Clark (Auk XIX. 1902. p. 266.) from Margarita Island could have belonged to that species. Gnat- 
 catcher nests certainly do not resemble those of the yellow Warbler.
 
 : ORNITHOLOGY Of THE ORINOCO REGION. 15! 
 
 MNIOTILTIDAE THE WARBLERS. 
 
 The author has collected seven species of Warblers on the Ori- 
 noco, four of which number were North American migrants. One 
 other species (Basileuterus mesoleucus) was included in Berlepsch and 
 Hartert's paper and was collected by Klages at Suapure on the Caura 
 River. Now I am able to add Basileuterus auricapillus olivascens based 
 on a specimen collected by Mr. C. William Beebe at Guanoco in the 
 delta region and Oporornis agilis collected by L. E. Miller at Maipures. 
 
 In the following key I have included some other species and sub- 
 species that are recorded from various points in British Guiana that 
 not improbably may be later found to enter the Orinoco valley. 
 
 KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF MNIOTILTIDAE. 
 
 a. Having a distinct superciliary stripe and breast not red. 
 
 b. Breast and sides streaked with dusky or blackish Seiurus noveboracensis. 
 
 b'. No streaks on breast and sides. 
 
 c. Throat, breast and belly white Basileulerus mesoleucus. 
 
 c'. Throat, breast and belly yellow Basileuterus auricapillus 
 
 olivascens. 
 a'. No distinct superciliary stripe; or, if present, then centre of breast and 
 
 belly vermilion (geranium red). 
 b. Throat white, whitish grey or black, and sides and breast not streaked. 
 
 c. Centre of breast and belly red, sides and flanks grey Granatellus pelzelni. 
 
 <^. Centre of breast and belly not red. 
 
 d. Centre of breast and belly white or whitish, sides of breast yellow- 
 ish or reddish pink ; Setophaga ruticilla. 
 
 d'. Belly yellow, throat and upper breast slate grey or pale grayish 
 
 brown Oporornis agilis. 
 
 b'. Throat yellow, or, sides and flanks streaked with blackish. 
 
 c. Under tail-coverts of the same general color as other under parts. 
 d. Inner webs of outer tail-feathers marked with yellow or white. 
 
 e. Under parts white with dusky or blackish streaks on sides Dendroica striata. 
 
 e'. Under parts yellow, wither without russet or brownish streaks. Dendroica aestiva. 
 
 d'. No markings on inner webs of outer tail-feathers Geothlypis aequinoclialis. 
 
 c'. Under tail-coverts white in sharp contrast to the yellow breast. 
 
 d. Above slate grey with olive green triangular patch in centre of 
 
 back Compsothlypis piliayumi 
 
 elegans. 
 d'. Above, head yellow shading into olive green on back, rump slate 
 
 grey Protonolaria citrea. l 
 
 COMPSOTHLYPIS PITIAYUMI ELEGANS Todd. 
 
 Sylvia pitiayumi Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. XL 1817. p. 276. 
 Parula pitiayumi Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 10. 
 
 C[ompsothlypis] p[itiayumi] pitiayumi Ridgw. Auk. XIX. 1902. p. 69 in 
 text. 
 
 'Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. VI: 1804: 24, included the Prothonotary Warbler in his list of the birds of 
 Trinidad. Future collecting may discover it in the delta region of the Orinoco.
 
 152 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Compsothlypis pitiayumi elegans Todd Ann. Carnegie Mus. VIII. 1912, 
 p. 204 (Type $ , Anzoategui, Lara. Venez., in Carnegie Museum). 
 
 At Altagracia, midway between Ciudad Bolivar and Caicara, this 
 little warbler was not uncommon during January and February, 1897, 
 and on the 1907 expedition I found it common at Agua Salada de 
 Ciudad Bolivar during April and at Caicara during May. 
 
 GRANATELLUS PELZELNI PELZELNI Sclater 1 
 
 Granatellus pelzelni Sclater, P. Z. S. 1864. p. 607; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 10. 
 G[ranatellus] p[elzelni] pelzelni Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 
 
 355- 
 
 A single specimen of this handsome warbler, an adult female, 
 was captured in the thick forest at Munduapo (above the second 
 falls) in February, 1899. Klages collected it at La Pricion, Andre 
 at Nicare and La Union on the Caura, and the writer secured 
 a single specimen at La Cascabel, May 26, 1907. In the La Cascabel 
 specimen the eye was dark ; bill black above, slate grey below ; feet slate 
 grey. It is a male not yet in full plumage, having the entire 
 top of the head slate blue like the back but with the feathers black 
 basally ; the feathers on the forehead are tipped with ochraceous ; 
 lores, cheeks and streak above eye and ear coverts ochraceous buff 
 flecked with blackish on lores and sides of face ; auriculars slate blue 
 with some buffy shaft streaks. 
 
 GEOTHLYPIS AEQUINOCTIALIS (Gmelin). 
 
 Motacilla aequinoctialis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1789. p. 972 ("Cayenna"). 
 Geothlypis aequinoctialis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. n. 
 
 Many taken at Quiribana de Caicara and at Altagracia in i897-'98. 
 At the former place it was common in the tall grass and sedges, 
 growing along the low marshy banks of Quiribana Creek, some six 
 or seven miles back from the Orinoco, on the open savanna. When 
 flushed these birds would flutter just above the tops of the grasses for 
 twenty or thirty yards and then drop out of sight. The action was 
 what one would look for in a rail and very unwarbler-like. 
 
 'In Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. X. 1885. p. 369, under the "key to species," Mr. Sharpe erroneously places 
 O. pelzelni m a section "having a black pectoral collar, " but there is no pectoral collar in specimens I have 
 seen and the white throat is followed immediately by the red breast.
 
 : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 153 
 
 At La Casabel and Las Guacas in 1907 this species was found 
 common in the tall grasses bordering the marshes. 
 
 OPORORNIS AGILIS (Wilson). 
 Sylvia agilis Wilson, Am. Orn., 1812, p. 64 (Connecticut). 
 
 There is in the American Museum collection a specimen collected 
 by Miller and Iglseder at Maipures. I believe this to be the first record 
 of the species in the Orinoco valley. 
 
 BASILEUTERUS MESOLEUCUS Sclater. 
 
 Basileuterus mesoleucus Scl., P. Z. S. 1865. p. 286; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. n. 
 
 Klages sent examples of this species to the Tring Museum that 
 he obtained at Suapure on the Caura River. 
 
 BASILEUTERUS AURICAPILLUS OLIVASCENS Chapman. 
 
 Basileuterus vermivorus olivascens Chapm., Auk. X. 1893, P- 343 
 (Trinidad). 
 
 This is an abundant species in Trinidad and Mr. C. William 
 Beebe secured a good example, in April, at Guanoco in the Orinoco 
 Delta region which agrees exactly with the Brooklyn .Museum series 
 from Trinidad. 
 
 SETOPHAGA RUTICILLA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Motacilla Ruticilla Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 10. X. 1758. p. 186. 
 Setophaga ruticilla Berlepsch & Hartert, p. n. 
 
 Not uncommon about Ouiribana de Caicara during April, 1898, but 
 observed only during the first week in May on the two recent expedi- 
 tions. 
 
 DENDROICA AESTIVA AESTIVA (Gmelin). 
 Motacilla aestiva Gm. Syst Nat. I. 1788. p. 996. 
 Dendroica aestiva Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 9. 
 
 The Yellow Warbler was noted from November 3rd to May 3rd 
 and was not uncommon. 
 
 DENDROICA STRIATA (Forster). 
 
 Muscicapa striata Forster, Phil. Trans. LXXII. 1772. p. 406. 
 Dendroica striata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 9.
 
 154 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Only four species of North American warblers are found in the 
 valley of the Orinoco, the Black-poll, Yellow Warbler, Redstart, and 
 the "Water-Thrush." The Yellow Warbler and Black-poll are not 
 uncommon from October to early May. The "Water-Thrush" is found 
 during the same months but is much less common. Redstarts I only 
 observed during April and the first week in May. 
 
 SEIURUS NOVEBORACENSIS NOVEBORACENSIS (Gmelin). 
 Motacilla noveboracensis Gm. Syst. Nat. 1788. p. 958. - 
 Seiurus noveboracensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 10. 
 
 Not uncommon. The sight of a "Water-Thrush" daintily bowing 
 from left to right as he wandered along the shore of some stream or 
 pond was as cheering as seeing the face of an old friend from home. 
 
 VIREONIDAE THE VIREOS, PACHYSYLVIAS AND PEPPER- 
 SHRIKES. 
 
 Some eight or nine members of this family are to be found in the 
 Orinoco Region, but of this number the writer has collected only four. 
 Berlepsch and Hartert in their paper include seven species of which 
 they had specimens. I am now able to add Pachysylvia aurantiifrons 
 saturata of the northern coast of Venezuela and Trinidad, based on 
 specimens from the delta while P. brunneiceps, P. hypoxantha, P. 
 semicinerea Vireosylva calidris calidris and Vireosylva olivacea enter 
 the region from the upper Orinoco. 
 
 KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF VIREONIDAE. 
 
 a. Outermost primary (tenth) obsolete, and wing rather long and pointed. 
 
 b. With a dusky or blackish submalar streak 1 'ireosylva calidris calidris. 
 
 b'. Without dusky or blackish submalar streak. 
 
 c. Sides and flanks strongly washed with olive yellow, under tail-coverts 
 
 sulphur yellow, wing less than 75 Vireosylva chivi agilis. 
 
 c'. Sides and flanks only faintly washed with. olive yellow, under tail- 
 coverts pale yellowish or white, wing more than 75 Vireosylva olivacea. 
 
 a'. Outermost primary (tenth) about half as long as the ninth, and wing short 
 
 and rounded. 
 b. Bill slender and but slightly decurved terminally; wing less than 65 
 
 mm. long. 
 c. A distinct olive yellow jugular band Pachysylvia thoracicus grise- 
 
 c'. Without olive yellow jugular band. 
 
 d. General color of under parts yellow Pachysylvia auranliifrons 
 
 d'. General color below not yellow. 
 
 e. Forehead, crown and tail strongly rufous Pachysylria ferrugineifrons. 
 
 '. No rufous on tail. 
 
 /. General color of under parts buffy brownish Pachysylvia flavipes acuti- 
 
 cauda.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 155 
 
 /'. Under parts not buffy brownish. 
 
 g. Crown and nape grey in sharp contrast with olive green 
 
 back Pachysylvia muscicapina 
 
 muscicapina. 
 
 g'. Crown and nape not grey in sharp contrast withcolorof back. . 
 h. Under tail-coverts greyish white, uniform with centre of 
 
 abdomen Pachysylvia thoracicus semi- 
 
 cinerea. 
 h'. Under tail-coverts pale yellow in contrast with greyish 
 
 white of centre of abdomen Pachysylvia brunneiceps. 
 
 b'. Bill stout and strongly decurved terminally; wing more than 70 mm. 
 
 in length. 
 c. Throat and fore neck orange-yellow, rest of under parts washed with 
 
 green Vireolanius leucotis chloro- 
 
 gaster. 
 c'. Throat and breast lemon or greenish yellow, rest of under parts white 
 
 or pale buffy white Cyclorhis gujanensis flati* 
 
 pectus. 
 
 VIREOSYLVA CALIDRIS CALiDRis (Linnaeus). 
 
 [Motacilla] calidris Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1758, p. 184 (Ja- 
 maica). 
 In the American Museum collection is a specimen collected at 
 
 Boca de Sina, Rio Cunucunuma, Upper Orinoco, by Miller and Iglseder. 
 This species has not previously been recorded from the Orinoco. 
 
 VIREOSYLVA CHIVI AGILIS (Lichtenstein). 
 
 Sylvia chivi Vieill. Nov. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. XL 1817. p. 174. 
 Lanius agilis Lichtenstein, Verz. Doubl. 1823. p. 526. 
 Vireo chivi Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 13. 
 
 Common. A nest containing young was found June 8th, and on 
 June 24 many young were seen. The nest is much like that of the 
 common V. olivacea of Eastern North America, suspended between the 
 slender twigs of a small branch, about 2.5 m. from the ground, and 
 measures : outside depth 4.5 cm. inside depth 3.5 cm. ^ outside diameter 
 about 5.5 cm., inside diameter about 4.5 cm. at the rim, which is slightly 
 contracted. The general outlines of the nest are somewhat irregular, as 
 it conforms more or less to the triangular supports from which it is 
 suspended. The nest walls are frail and composed of soft dry grasses 
 over which there is a veneer of half decayed leaves held in place by 
 spider webs; there is no inner lining. 
 
 In my series from the Orinoco there are quite as many birds of 
 this species having the bill blackish as there are those that have the 
 bill brownish horn-color, and there is no appreciable difference in size 
 between them and birds from the island of Trinidad. 1 
 
 'This is entirely at variance with Mr, Hellmayr's conclusions, based on the series in the Tring Museum. 
 Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. ii.
 
 156 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 VIREOSYLVA OLIVACEA (Linnaeus). 
 [Muscicapa] olivacea Linnaeus Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1766, p. 327. 
 
 This species has not been observed by the writer, but Miller and 
 Iglseder sent to the American Museum two examples from Boca de 
 Sina, Rio Cunucunuma, Upper Orinoco. 
 
 PACHYSYLVIA THORACICA GRISEIVENTRIS (Berlepsch & Hartert). 
 H\'lophilus thoracicus griseiventris Berlepsch & Hartert. Novit. Zool. 
 
 XL 1902. p. ii. 
 
 Klages collected the type (male) and a female at Suapure on the 
 Caura River in November, 1899. They were sent to the Tring 
 Museum, as was also a male specimen collected by Andre at La 
 Pricion on the Caura. The writer did not find this species on the 
 Orinoco proper. 
 
 PACHYSYLVIA AURANTIIFRONS SATURATA Hellmayr. 
 
 Pachysylvia aurantiifrons saturata Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. 
 
 p. 12 (Type, San Antonio, Cumana, Venezuela). 
 
 Mr. C. W. Beebe collected specimens of this Pachysylvia at Guanoco 
 which agree exactly with Trinidad skins. 
 
 PACHYSYLVIA FERRUGINEIFRONS (Sclater). 
 
 Hylophilus ferrugineifrons Sclater, P. Z. S. 1862. p. no; Berlepsch & 
 Hartert, p. 12. 
 
 In the heavily wooded regions above the falls of the Orinoco this 
 species replaces the abundant P. Havipes acuticauda of the middle and 
 lower stretches of the river. Except during the nesting season it 
 associates in small flocks or family parties which frequently join the 
 mixed companies of birds that are so characteristic of tropical forests. 
 This species was also collected on the Caura River at Suapure 
 (Klages) and Nicare and La Pricion (Andre).- 
 
 PACHYSYLVIA FLAVIPES ACUTICAUDA (Lawrence). 
 Hylophilus acuticauda Lawr., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. XVII. 1865. 
 
 P- 37- 
 Hylophilus Havipes acuticauda Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 12. 
 
 Common at Ciudad Bolivar and Caicara. 
 
 All specimens procured indicated that the species was brooding 
 in May and June, but I did not succeed in finding either nest or eggs.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF 1 THE ORINOCO REGION. 157 
 
 In life the eye is drab grey: bill dusky above, pale below; feet pale 
 flesh color. 
 
 PACHYSYI,VIA MUSCICAPINA MUSCICAPINA (Sclater & Salvin). 
 
 Hylophilus muscicapinus Sclater & Salvin, Nomencl. Av. Neotr. 1873. 
 
 p. 156; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 12. 
 
 This is another species taken on the Caura River by both Andre 
 and Klages but one that I did not see on the Orinoco proper. Miller and 
 Iglseder have recently taken examples at the foot of Mount Duida. 
 
 PACHYSYLVIA THORACICUS SEMICINEREA (Sclater & Salvin). 
 Hylophilus semicinereus Sclater & Salvin, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 570 (Para). 
 
 In the Miller and Igleseder collection made near the foot of Mount 
 Duida, Upper Orinoco (Am. Mus. collection), is a single specimen that 
 probably pertains to this race. 
 
 This specimen, an apparently adult female, taken Mch. 3ist, is 
 dark citron green above, the feathers of the crown and nape showing 
 much slate grey basally and centrally (the feathers of the nape and 
 crown might be said to be slate grey heavily bordered with the color 
 of the back) : ear-coverts pale brownish drab. Below grey, dark 
 neutral grey on throat and upper breast, pale neutral grey on sides and 
 flanks, centre of breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts very pale grey ; 
 sides of neck, throat and breast washed lightly with color of back 
 throat and upper breast faintly washed with buffy. Axillaries, under 
 wing-coverts and narrow inner edges of wing-quills lemon yellow. Wing 
 56 mm., tail 45 mm. 
 
 There is no indication of the olive green jugular band of P. m. 
 muscicapina. 
 
 PACHYSYLVIA BRUNNEICEPS (Sclater). 
 Hylophilus brunneiceps Scl. P. Z. S. 1866: p. 322 (Barcellos, Rio 
 
 Negro) . 
 
 The American Museum collection also contains an example of this 
 rare vireo from San Fernando de Atabapo, Upper Orinoco, collected 
 by Miller and Igleseder. 
 
 VIREOLANIUS LEUCOTIS CHLOROGASTER Bonaparte. 
 Vireolanius chlorogaster Bonap., Compt. Rendus, XXXVIII. 1854. p. 
 
 381. 
 Vireolanius leucotis chlorogaster Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 13.
 
 158 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 A single specimen collected by Mr. Klages at Suapure on the 
 Caura River (/. c.} was sent to the Trine: Museum. 
 
 CYCLARHIS GUJANENSIS FLAVIPECTUS Sclater. 
 Cyclarhis ftavipectus Scl., P. Z. S. 1858. p. 448 (Trinidad); Berlepsch 
 
 & Hartert, p. 13. 
 
 Common. In life the eye is tawny ochraceous ; bill drab above, 
 plumbeous grey below ; feet vinaceous buff. 
 
 On my first expedition to the Orinoco I found this species 
 breeding at the end of August. In 1907 I found a nest at La Cas- 
 cabel (near the mouth of the San Feliz on the Cuchivero River) on 
 the 23rd day of May. The nest was situated in a Chaparo oak that 
 stood near the edge of an extensive open savanna. It was placed at 
 the extreme tip of a long horizontal limb, about 4.5 m. from the 
 ground, suspended between forked twigs. For a pendant nest it was 
 unusually shallow; the walls thin, and it might be described 
 almost as a net woven between the forks and sagging in the centre. 
 Outwardly it was composed entirely of soft grasses, and there was an 
 inner lining of a very few hair-like vegetable fibres. The attachment 
 to the supporting twigs was slight and frail-looking. The nest walls 
 were so thin and the meshes so open, that the eggs were visible when 
 looking from the ground through the bottom of the nest. The nest 
 cavity is oval in form and measures inside 7.2 by 6 cm., depth 1.6 cm. 1 
 The eggs, three in number, were fresh. They are ovate in form; white, 
 faintly washed with buffy pink and marked with blotches, spots and tiny 
 dots, varying in color from hazel brown to dark chestnut. The eggs 
 measure 22 x 16.5 ; 23 x 16.5 and 22.75 x J 6.5 mm. respectively. The 
 male was shot as he left the nest ; the female was not seen. 
 
 HIRUNDINIDAE THE MARTINS AND SWALLOWS. 
 
 Seven species are included :n Berlepsch and Hartert's paper on 
 the Birds of the Orinoco Region. The writer secured only five of the 
 species there listed but has since collected another species, one not 
 previously recorded from the region. All but the Barn Swallow are 
 probably resident species and three of the number have been found 
 breeding. Progne, Iridoprocne and Diplochclidon 2 were the most com- 
 mon, the latter two very abundant. 
 
 'The nest found at Urbana, on the Orinoco, Aug. 28, 1898, measured inside 7 cm., depth 3.5 cm. 
 "Ridgway, Birds of North and Middle America. III. 1904. p. 27.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 
 
 159 
 
 KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPIECES OF HIRUNDINIDAE. 
 
 . Nostrils rounded, opening upward, and under parts not entirely white; no 
 
 white spots on inner webs of rectrices. 
 b. Size large; wing more than 120 mm. 
 
 c. Chin and upper throat nearly uniform with breast. Entire upper 
 
 parts, in adults, glossy blue black, in young blackish, washed with 
 
 glossy steel bluish; lateral rectrices narrowed terminally. 
 
 d. Under parts glossy steel blue like upper parts (adult male), or else 
 
 feathers of throat and chest edged with paler, giving a squamate 
 
 appearance (female and young) 
 
 d'. Under parts not glossy steel blue like upper parts, and throat and 
 chest feathers without prominent paler margins not squamate. . . 
 c'. Chin and upper throat much paler than breast. Upper parts brown- 
 ish grey with a faint gloss; lateral rectrices more rounded terminally. 
 
 b'. Smaller; wing less than 115 mm. 
 c. Tail less than half as long as wing. 
 
 c'. Tail half as long or more than half as long as wing 
 
 d. Under tail-coverts white (with blackish subterminal spots in 
 same) and throat or crown, or both, rufous or tawny. 
 
 e. Both crown and throat tawny or rufous 
 
 e'. Throat only, tawny or rufous; outer primary roughened by 
 recurved tips to the barbs (not apparent in young) 
 
 d'. Under tail-coverts black, blackish or brown with slight purplish 
 wash, no rufous or tawny on either throat or crown; tail 
 rather deeply forked. 
 
 e. In adults a blue black band across breast, throat and belly 
 white 
 
 e'. Under parts glossy blue-black (like the back) with a band of 
 
 white across the breast 
 
 '. Nostrils longitudinal, opening laterally, at lower edge of nasal fossa; under 
 parts white, or rectrices marked with white spots on inner webs near tips. 
 
 b. Rectrices with white spot on inner webs 
 
 b'. Rectrices not marked with white spots near tips on inner webs 
 
 Progne subis subis. 
 Progne chalybea chalybea. 
 
 Pkaeoprogne tapera imma- 
 culata. 
 
 Pygochelidon ' cyanole 
 
 Alopochelidon 3 fucata 4 
 
 Stelgidopteryx ruficollis 
 aequalis. 
 
 Diplochelidon melanoleuca 
 Ailicora fasciata. 
 
 Hirundo erythrogaster. 
 Iridoprocne albivenler. 
 
 PROGNE SUBIS SUBIS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Hirundo subis L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10 I. 1758. p. 192. 
 Progne subis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 14. 
 
 Not met with on the Orinoco proper but Klages sent examples 
 to the Tring Museum that were collected at Suapure on the Caura 
 River in March and April as recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 l Pygochelidon, Baird, Review Am. Birds. 1865. pp. 270, 305, 308 (Type, Hirundo cyanoleuca Vieillot). 
 
 "While I find no record of this species having been taken in the region under consideration further 
 collecting will doubtless discover it as it has occurred at La Guayra, Venezuela, on the Island of Trinidad 
 and at several points in British Guiana. 
 
 'Alopochelidon, Ridgway, Birds N. & M. Amer., III. 1904. p. 26 (Type, Hirundo fucala Temmnick). 
 
 Although this species has not been recorded from the Orinoco, I include it in the key on the strength 
 of its having been taken in the Roraima district in British Guiana. 
 
 6 1 have not sufficient material to properly characterize the young of this form, but from specimens 
 before me I am led to think that in juvenal plumage the throat is greyish brown, with the feathers narrowly 
 margined with pale greyish; breast, belly and shorter under-tail coverts white; longer tail coverts brown 
 washed with purplish blue near tips. 
 
 "This species has been recorded from the island of Curacao, from Barbados, from Trinidad, and from 
 several points in British Guiana, but there are as yet apparently no records for the Orinoco region.
 
 l6o BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 PROGNE CHALYBEA CHALYBEA (Gmelin). 
 
 Hirundo chalybea Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 1026. 
 Progne chalybea Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 14. 
 
 Native name Golondrina. Common at Altagracia, Caicara and 
 Quiribana de Caicara from December to April. Immature birds 
 were collected at Las Guacas on the San Feliz River (near the Cuchi- 
 vero River) in May. 
 
 Klages collected specimens on the Caura (Am. Mus. Coll.) in 
 July and August. 
 
 PHAEOPROGNE 1 TAPERA IMMACULATA Chapman 
 
 Hirundo taper a L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 345. 
 
 Progne tapera Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 14. 
 
 Phaeoprogne tapera immaculata Chapman. Bull. Am. Mus Nat. Hist. 
 XXXI. 1912. p. 156 (Type $ Chicoral, Tolima, Colombia, in Ameri- 
 can Museum of Natural History). 
 
 A single specimen of this species was collected at Caicara, July 
 4th, 1898. None were observed on my more recent expeditions. 
 
 In the American Museum is a series of ten specimens collected by 
 Klages sent from Suapure and Maripa on the Caura River, and two 
 examples of Progne chalybea chalybea, one from La Union and the 
 other from Maripa, indicating that this is th^. common form on the 
 Caura, while my own experience showed P. chalybca to be the common 
 form along the middle stretches of the Orinoco. 
 
 The American Museum specimens of P. tapera immaculata from 
 the Caura river were collected during April, May and December. 
 
 STELGIDOPTERYX RUFICOLLIS AEQUALIS Bangs. 
 Stelgidopteryx ruficollis aequalis Bangs, Proc. New Engl. Zool. Club. 
 
 II. 1901. p. 58 (Type, Santa Marta, Colombia). 
 Stelgidopteryx ruficollis uropygialis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 15. 
 
 Common all along the middle and lower Orinoco throughout the 
 year. Specimens were collected in February, March, May, June and 
 August. 
 
 Two specimens in juvenal plumage were taken at Caicara during 
 June. These young birds are interesting in that one does not show 
 
 ^Phaeoprogne, Baird Review Am. Birds 1865. pp. 272, 283.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION.. 161 
 
 a sign of the dusky or blackish spot at the tip of the longer under 
 tail-coverts while in the other there is a small dusky spot near the tip 
 of one web only. The outer web of the outer primaries of these 
 juvenile birds is wider than in adults and the recurved tips to the 
 barbs are scarcely evident. The plumage above resembles that of 
 the adults, but the feathers of the back are narrowly edged with buff. 
 The pale rufous or buffy tips to the greater wing-coverts form a 
 decided band on the wing, and there are broad tips and edgings to the 
 tertials. Below, the breast and sides are washed with pale rufous, 
 paler than that on the throat. The centre of the white belly is 
 washed with pale primrose yellow. An adult male taken at Las 
 Barrancas seems to approach ruficollis ruficollis in the less evident paler 
 rump and in the somewhat deeper rufous of the throat. 
 
 DlPLOCHELIDON 1 MELANOLEUCA (Wied). 
 
 Hirundo melanoleuca Wied, Reise. Bras. I. 1820. p. 342 
 Atticora melanoleuca Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 15. 
 
 Common along the middle stretches of the river and rarely seen 
 far from the river bank. 
 
 In life the eye is blackish ; bill and feet black. 
 
 I found this species breeding at Caicara during February and 
 March, 1898. The nests were placed far back in crevices between 
 the rocks of a long low rocky peninsula which extends far out into 
 *the river, and was less than 2 m. above the surface of the river at 
 that time. During the rainy season it would be many feet sub- 
 merged. The nests were slight affairs made up of a small quantity 
 of soft dead grasses lined with soft feathers. The eggs are a delicate 
 pure white. 
 
 This species played an important part in an interesting spectacle 
 that I witnessed, on the evening of the igih of July, 1898, half way 
 between Caicara and Altagracia. I had made my canoe fast in a tree 
 top, above one of the many submerged islands that are so common in 
 the Orinoco, at that season of the year. As a storm was gathering 
 and it was near sun-down, we were too far from either shore to 
 attempt to reach solid ground for a camp. But the bird drama I wit- 
 nessed that evening amply repaid me for the night spent in the tree 
 tops. Just before darkness I noted immense numbers of Progne chaly- 
 
 iDiplochelidon, Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XVI. 1903. p. 106. (Type Hirundo melanoleuca 
 
 Wied*)
 
 l62 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 bea, Iridoprocne albiventer, Diplochelidon melanoleuca and perhaps other 
 species, arriving at or above one of the nearby islands of green tree tops, 
 where already there seemed to be tens of thousands of birds wheeling 
 and circling about. The great masses of winged bits of life seemed 
 to be influenced by a single mind, rolling like a wind driven storm 
 cloud, first to one end of the island and then to the other. Now rising- 
 high in the air, the next moment dropping almost into the tree-tops, 
 then rising and circling again, the moving mass would resolve itself 
 into a living cone descending rapidly point downward with a roar 
 like a whirlwind. During this movement thousands appeared to 
 drop into the tree-tops, then all orderly formation would be lost and 
 the remaining multitudes returned to the rolling circling mass that 
 marshalled its forces for another plunge toward the tree-tops. Dark- 
 ness and the black angry clouds of the coming storm hid the last acts 
 of the bird drama and we crept beneath the carosa 1 of our dugout canoe, 
 where protected from the storm we were soon lulled to sleep by the 
 rocking of the boat. 
 
 ATTICORA EASCIATA (Gmelin). 
 
 Hinmdo fasciata Gmelin Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 1022 (Cayenne). 
 Atticora fasciata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 15. 
 
 This species was not collected on the Orinoco proper, but 
 examples were sent from the Caura River district to the Tring 
 Museum by Klages (Berlepsch and Hartert); and in the American 
 Museum collection are examples, also collected by Klages, from the 
 Mato River (at its entrance into the Caura), taken in January. 
 
 IRIDOPROCNE ALBIVENTER (Boddaert). 
 Hirundo albiventer Bodd., Tab. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 32. 
 Tachycineta albiventer Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 14. 
 
 Common along the river, frequenting the localities where there is 
 little current, these birds may be seen sailing tirelessly back and 
 forth close over the surface of the water. 
 
 I found this species breeding at Altagracia in February, 1898. 
 Nests were placed over the water in the hollow trunks and branches 
 
 'The roof or cover of the roofed-over part of a river canoe, in form like that of the canvas top of a 
 ^rp^^'^f ^' y ?S nS d StS f ? 1 - ight frame of bent P les havin S the two ends securely tied to the oppo- 
 
 ? t v f Can e< i e ^u ps be u lng held ln P sition ab ove by other light poles bound on lengthwise of 
 the canoe; this frame work is then thatched commonly with leaves of some species of palm.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 163 
 
 of trees that lay as half submerged "snags." In 1907 I took a nest 
 and set of eggs at Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar on the I3th of 
 April. The nest was placed in a crevice between two huge boulders 
 on the shore of the river and was about 1.5 m. above the level of the 
 water. It was composed outwardly of fine rootlets and was lined 
 with soft feathers. Five eggs were in the nest ; two of them per- 
 fectly fresh, two just on the point of hatching, and one blackened in 
 color and with its contents dried down into one end of the egg shell. 
 This last egg was probably from a previous nesting. In color, the 
 eggs are pure white; in form, short ovate, and measure i8x 13.5; 17.5 
 x 13.5 ; 17.25 x 13.5 and 17 x 13.25 mm., respectively. 
 
 Both parent birds were present and evinced much solicitude for 
 their home. Both were collected. They are in rather worn plum- 
 age with scarcely a trace of the white tips and outer edges to the 
 greater wing coverts, while the white edging to the outer web of the 
 inner secondaries is very narrow. This pair of birds also seem 
 unusually small, the male measuring: wing 98, tail 46 mm. : female, wing 
 97, tail 47 mm. 
 
 COEREBIDAE THE HONEY-CREEPERS. 
 
 Seven species were included in Berlepsch and Hartert's paper, of 
 which number the writer met with only three (Dacnis cayana cayana, 
 Cyanerpes caerulea cherriei and Coereba luteola) on the Orinoco proper. 
 Two additional forms have been recorded from the region since the 
 publication of the above mentioned paper, and it is probable that future 
 collecting will increase the number by four or five more species already 
 recorded from adjoining territory. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF COEREBIDAE. 
 
 , Bill abruptly hooked at tip '. Diglossa. 
 
 . Bill not abruptly bent and hooked at tip. 
 b. Superciliaries not white nor yellowish white. 
 c. Bill longer than tarsus. 
 
 d. Mandible yellow or yellowish Chlorophanes spiza spiza. 
 
 d'. Bill black (both maxilla and mandible) ; males rich blue above 
 and below; females green, or greenish, above; paler below and 
 
 more or less streaked Cyanerpes. 
 
 e. Adult males, with interscapulum black and throat blue like 
 breast; females and immature males with under wing-coverts 
 and innar edges of wing quills yellow Cyanerpes cyanea cyanea. 
 
 'The only species of Diglossa at all likely to come into the region under consideration would be 
 D. major from British Guiana (Roraima).
 
 164 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 e'. Adult males, interscapulum blue, chin and throat black; 
 females and immature specimens with white, or yellowish 
 white, under wing-coverts and inner edges to wing quills. 
 /. Black of throat not extending on to the chest. 
 
 g. Larger; wing, 56 to 59 cm.; tail, 28 to 31 cm., and blue 
 
 of back and head deeper and richer Cyanerpes caerulea caerulea . 
 
 g'. Smaller; wing, 53 to 55 cm.; tail, 26 to 26.5 cm.; general 
 color a paler blue, the anterior part of crown and cheeks 
 
 a pale azure blue Cyanerpes caerulea cherriei. i 
 
 /'. Black of throat extending on to the chest Cyanerpes nitida. 
 
 c'. Bill not longer than tarsus Dacnts. 
 
 d. Males, more or less black about the head (chin, throat lores, 
 etc.); or, nearly uniform dark purplish blue, or bluish grey above. 
 e. Chin and throat black or blackish. 
 
 /. General color blue Dacnis cayana cayana. 
 
 f. General color yellow Dacnis flaviventris. 
 
 ef. Chin and throat not black or blackish. 
 
 /. Bright blue below, centre of belly white Dacnis angelica. J 
 
 f. Not bright blue below. 
 
 g. Above dark purplish blue Ateleodacnis analis. 
 
 g'. Above blueish grey Aieleodacnis bicolor. 
 
 b'. Superciliaries white, or yellowish white. 
 
 c. A white spot at base of primaries Coereba luteola. 
 
 d. Averaging smaller (wing average 54 mm.) yellow of breast, ab- 
 domen and upper tail coverts paler Coereba luieola luteola. 
 
 d'. Averaging larger (wing 57 mm.) yellow color darker and richer . .. Coereba luieola hellmayri. 
 c 1 . No white spot at base of primaries Coereba guianensis. 
 
 CHLOROPHANES SPIZA SPIZA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Motacilla spiza L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I. 1758. p. 188. excl. var. ft. 
 Chlorophanes spiza Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 15. 
 Chlarophanes spiza spiza Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 10. 
 
 While I have not observed this species either on the middle or on 
 the Upper Orinoco, it has been recorded from Guanoco in the Orinoco 
 Delta by Hellmayr, and Klages sent specimens from Suapure and Nicare 
 on the Caura River to the Tring Museum, as recorded by Berlepsch and 
 Hartert. 
 
 CYANERPES CYANEA CYANEA (Linnaeus). 
 Certhia cyanea L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 188. 
 Cyanerpes cyanea cyanea Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 10. 
 
 This species has been recorded from the Orinoco Delta (Guanoco) 
 by Hellmayr, and Beebe secured specimens at the same locality in 
 April, 1908. 
 
 CYANERPES CAERULEA CAERULEA (Linnaeus). 
 Certhia caerulea L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I. 1758, p. 118. (Surinam). 
 Cyanerpes caerulea caerulea Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 8. 
 Recorded from Guanoco (Orinoco Delta) by Hellmayr. 
 
 1 C. caerulea trinitatis Bonaparte (Hellm. Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 8) is believed to be^confined 
 to the island of Trinidad. It may, however, occur on the mainland of Venezuela. From C. c. caerulea and 
 c. cherriei it is distinguished by its larger and (at the base) broader bill; and by the dark blue of the crown 
 being uniform from the forehead to the nape. 
 
 'Recorded from British Guiana. 
 
 'Recorded from Cayenne.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY Of THE ORINOCO REGION. 165 
 
 CYANERPES CAERULEA CHERRIEI Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Cyanerpes caerulea cherriei Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. 
 
 p. 16. (Type, Munduapo, Orinoco River.) 
 
 The type and five other individuals were taken at Munduapo, in 
 the heavily forested region above the falls. Neither this nor Dacnis 
 cayana, which was also observed above the falls of the Orinoco, were 
 noted on the middle or lower stretches of the river. 
 
 CYANERPES NITIDA (Hartlaub). 
 
 Coereba nitida Hartl. Rev. Zool. 1847. p. 84; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 16. 
 Specimens collected on the Caura River at Suapure by Klages 
 and at Nicare by Andre were recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert. Not . 
 observed on the Orinoco proper. 
 
 DACNIS CAYANA CAYANA (Linnaeus). 
 Motacilla cayana L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 336. 
 Dacnis cayana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 15. 
 
 Common at Maipures, at the second falls of the Orinoco. Al- 
 though not noted by the writer elsewhere on the river, Beebe took 
 specimens at Guanoco in the delta region. 
 
 DACNIS ELAVIVENTRIS Lafresnaye & D'Orbigny. 
 Dacnis naviventris Lafr. & D'Orb., Mag. de Zool. VII. 1837. P- 21 "> 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 16. 
 
 A single specimen collected at Nicare on the Caura River was 
 sent by Andre to the Tring Museum and recorded in Berlepsch and 
 Hartert's paper. 
 
 DACNIS BICOLOR (Vieillot). 
 
 Sylvia bicolor Vieillot, Ois. Amer. Sept. II. 1807. p. 32. 
 Dacnis bicolor Beebe, Zoologica, N. Y. Zoo. Soc. I. Dec. 1909. 
 
 p. 102 (Cafios an Juan, Guanoco, Orinoco Delta). 
 
 This species was not observed by the writer and I believe Mr. 
 Beebe's record is the first and only one for the Orinoco region. 
 
 COEREBA LUTEOLA LUTEOLA (Cabanis). 
 Certhiola luteola Cabanis, Mus. Hein. I. 1850. p. 96; Berlepsch, Ibis, 
 
 1884. p. 432 (Angostura). 
 Coereba luteola Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 16.
 
 l66 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Abundant. This species is found breeding most abundantly 
 throughout the dry season ; but, from my observations, 1 believe that 
 they are to be found nesting during every month of the year. The 
 nests are usually placed in small trees or bushes from I to 3.5 m. 
 from the ground, the average height not being over 2 m. A nest taken 
 at Caicara, June 27th was about 2 m. between upright forks, in the 
 top of a bush. It is globular in form, about 12 cm. in diameter with 
 a small round entrance at nearly the centre on one side. The mater- 
 ials used in construction are rather coarse and consist of dead 
 grasses, leaves, weed stems, strips of fibrous bark and pieces torn 
 from banana leaves. There is a lining of fine soft dead grass. The 
 three eggs found in this nest are ovate in form and measure 15.75 x 11.75 
 and 15.5x11.75 mm. 
 
 On April 9, 1907, a nest and set of two badly incubated eggs were 
 taken at nearly the same spot where those described above were 
 found. This nest was about 2.4 m. from the ground. The eggs are 
 less thickly marked, although the individual markings seem larger. 
 In one they are pretty evenly scattered over the entire surface of the 
 egg, being massed together only in a comparatively small area about 
 the larger end. In the other egg the markings over the general sur- 
 face are tiny dots, but there is a band of color just at the point of 
 greatest diameter. The form is ovate, and they measure 16.75x12.75 
 and 17x12.5 mm. respectively. 
 
 Another nest that was collected is very compactly built, com- 
 posed almost exclusively of very fine vegetable fiber woven into 
 spherical shape, and was securely placed between the upright forks of 
 one of the branches of a low shrub about i m. from the ground. 
 
 Nests of this species, collectively, show considerable individual 
 taste in the selection of nesting material, and the finished nests indi- 
 cate that some birds are far more expert builders than others, their 
 finished work being compact and symmetrical, while that of others 
 has a slovenly, ragged appearance. 
 
 COEREBA LUTEOLA HELLMAYRI Riley. 
 
 C[oereba] trinitatis Lowe, Ibis. 1907. p. 566 (Trinidad). 
 
 Coereba luteola hellmayri Riley, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXIII: 1910: 
 
 p. loo. 
 
 This race is included in our list based on specimens from the Paria 
 Peninsula (Cristobol, Colon) in the American Museum collection 
 which compared . with Trinidad examples seem identical. Thus the 
 range of this race is extended to the mainland.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 167 
 
 CoEREBA GUIANENSIS (Cabanis). 
 
 Certhiola guianensis Cab., Mus. Hein. I. 1850. p. 97. 
 Coereba guianensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 17. 
 
 Klages sent specimens to the Tring Museum that were collected 
 at Suapure on the Caura River; and there is a typical example in the 
 American Museum collection, sent by the same collector from Ciudad 
 Bolivar. So that C. I. lutcola and C. guianensis are found together at 
 that point. 
 
 TANGARIDAE EUPHONIAS AND TANAGERS. 
 
 Eighteen species and subspecies were collected by the writer on 
 the middle and upper Orinoco, in the immediate vicinity of the river, 
 which together with twelve additional species taken at various points 
 on the Caura River formed the list of thirty included in Berlepsch and 
 Hartert's paper. 
 
 Probably all, excepting Piranga rubra, are resident species, although 
 the number of species or the number of individuals that may be found 
 in any particular locality at any given season is influenced largely by 
 the ripening of the various fruits that constitute their chief food. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF TANGARIDAE. 
 
 a. Middle of belly and general color of under parts yellow, yellowish or 
 rufous orange (not ochraceous nor buff) the throat and upper breast 
 and the sides and flanks may or may not be uniform with the belly. 
 b. No blue or black markings on sides or flanks. 
 c. Throat black, blue-black or purplish black. 
 
 d. No yellow or yellowish markings on the head (male) Tanagra ' rufiventris. 
 
 d'. Forehead and more or less of crown yellow or yellowish. 
 
 e. Under tail coverts white Tanagra olivacea olivacea. 
 
 e'. Under tail coverts yellow or yellowish white. 
 /. Under parts dark chrome yellow; yellow crown patch ex- 
 tending little, if any, back of eye and truncated, rather than 
 rounded in outline; back and nape with a decided violace- 
 ous gloss Tanagra chlorotica aurea. 
 
 /'. Under parts pale orange-yellow; yellow crown patch ex- 
 tending back of eye and posterior outline convex rather than 
 
 truncated ; back and nape with a decided steel blue gloss Tanagra Irinitatis. 
 
 c'. Throat not black, blue-black, or violaceous black. 
 
 d. Upper parts olive or olive-greenish (and crown not blue) . 
 
 e. Crissum rufous-orange (female) Tanagra rufiventris. 
 
 e'. Crissum, orange-yellowish, yellow, yellowish or yellowish white. 
 
 I chlorotica aurea. 
 
 f. Wing less than 60 mm. (females) Tanagra \ trinitatis. 
 
 \olivacea olivacea. 
 * (violacea lichten- 
 
 f. Wing not less than 60 mm. (females) Tanagra j sieini. 
 
 [melanura. 
 d'. Upper parts black with violaceous or steel blue gloss. 
 
 e. Outer tail-feathers marked with white on inner webs Tanagra violacea lichten- 
 
 steini. 
 
 e'. No white markings on inner webs of outer tail-feathers Tanagra melanura. 
 
 b'. Sides and flanks blue flecked with black. 
 
 c. M iddle of breast and abdomen pale sulphur yellow ; shoulder patch of 
 caerulean rather than greenish blue (Upper Orinoco and Upper 
 Caura riverregion) Tangara mexicana medta. 
 
 l The characters here employed to distinguish the various species of Tanagra apply, with rare excep- 
 tions, to the males only.
 
 i68 
 
 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 d. Middle of breast and abdomen bright yellow, and shoulder patches 
 
 greenish blue (Trinidad and Eastern Coast district of Venezuela) .... Tangara mexicana vieilloti. 
 General color of under parts not yellow or if middle of belly is yellow 
 it is in combination with decidedly green breast and sides. 
 >. General color of under parts olive green (with or without purplish 
 
 gloss), blue, grey, pale grey or white, and without a dark breast band. 
 c. Throat black, blackish, purple or yellow (in adults). 
 d. Throat yellow (males). 
 
 . Above dull sooty black; lower back bright yellow 
 
 '. Above cinereous ; head and neck orange red 
 
 d'. Throat black, blackish or purple. 
 
 . Crissum black 
 
 '. Crissum, not black. 
 
 /. Tail long and graduated, feathers tipped with white 
 
 /'. Tail feathers not white tipped 
 
 c'. Throat not black, blackish nor yellow 
 
 d. Middle of belly chestnut 
 
 d'. Middle of belly not chestnut. 
 e. Above olive green. 
 /. Crown bright blue 
 
 Hemithraupisflavicollis auri- 
 
 gularis l . 
 Thlypopsis sordida sordida. 
 
 Tangara paradisea. 
 
 Cissopis leveriana. 
 Schistochlamys aterrima. 
 
 Tanagrella iridina. 
 
 /'. Crown olive green Thraupis 
 
 '. Not olive green above. 
 
 /. Under parts pale greyish or whitish and wing not over 80 mm. 
 (male, cap black; female, nearly uniform cinereus grey above). 
 /'. Wing more than 80 mm. 
 
 g. Under tail coverts (crissum) white or pale bluish white 
 
 g'. Under tail coverts not white nor pale bluish-white. 
 
 h. Lesser wing coverts violaceous or violet (and the under 
 parts in adult plumage glossed with greater or lesser in- 
 tensity with violet) 
 
 h'. Lesser wing coverts blue and under parts with a greenish 
 
 rather than a violet or bluish gloss 
 
 b'. General color of under parts not olive-green, blue, grey, pale grey nor 
 white or else with a distinct dark breast band. 
 
 c. Above and below bright vermilion 
 
 c". Not bright vermilion. 
 
 d. A distinct blackish band across breast 
 
 d'. No dark breast band. 
 
 e. General color of under parts green. 
 
 f. Head chestnut brown and middle of belly blue or green. 
 
 g. Bend of wing golden yellow 
 
 g'. Bend of wing uniform with remaining upper surface 
 
 /.' Head green, feathers black at base; middle of belly yellow 
 
 '. General color of under parts not green. 
 
 f. Outer edges of wing-quills greenish blue or bluish green 
 
 /'. Outer edges of wing-quills not greenish nor bluish. 
 
 g. Mandible enlarged and swollen at base; breast dark maroon 
 
 (male). 
 
 h. Back and belly black (males) ; females, above dusky seal 
 brown ' 
 
 h'. Upper paits velvety blackish maroon glossed with crim- 
 son (males) ; females, above dark mummy brown. 
 . Larger; wing 80 mm. or more 
 
 '. Smaller; wing less than 80 mm 
 
 g'. Mandible not noticeably enlarged and swollen at base. 
 h. With a well marked median vertical crest (males). 
 
 '. Median crest bright scarlet 
 
 '. Median crest not scarlet. 
 j. With an ochraceous or buffy throat spot. 
 
 k. Crest small, bright orange red bordered with 
 creamy buff 
 
 fe 7 . Crest larger, orange yellow narrowly bordered 
 with creamy buff 
 
 /. No gular spot ; throat uniform with breast (male) . . . 
 h.'. Without elongated median vertical crest. 
 
 Sporathraupis cyanocephala 
 subcinerea. 
 
 palmarum mel- 
 
 anoptera. 
 palmarum pal- 
 marum. 
 
 Nemosia pileata. 
 Thraupis glaucocolpa. 
 
 Thraupis episcopus nesophi 
 lus. 
 
 Thraupis cana cana. 
 
 Piranga rubra rubra. 
 Tangara nigrocinclu. 
 
 Tangara gyrola. 
 Tangara desmaresti. 
 Tangara xanthogastra. 
 
 Tangara cayana. 
 
 Ramphocelus atrosericeUs 
 capilalis. 
 
 Ramphocelus carbo magni- 
 
 roslris. 
 Ramphocelus carbo carbo. 
 
 Phoenicothrc 
 rubica. 
 
 Tachyphonus cristaluf crist- 
 atellus. 
 
 Tachyphonus crislatus inter- 
 
 cedens. 
 Tachyphonus surinamus 
 
 1 See American Museum Bull.
 
 : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 169 
 
 i. Black above and below, with white under wing-coverts 
 and shoulder patch. 
 
 j. Larger ; wing more than 75 mm. (males) Tachyphonus rufus. 
 
 j'. Smaller; wing less than 75 mm. (males) Tachyphonus luctuosus. 
 
 i'. General color above and below not black. 
 j. Pileum (but not sides of head) dark grey with a more 
 
 or less concealed olive green crown patch (female) .... Tachyphonus surinamus 
 
 surinamus. 
 j'. Pileum not dark grey. 
 
 k. Smaller; wing not over 65 mm. (female) Tachyphonus luctuosus. 
 
 V. Larger; wing over 65 mm. (females). 
 
 /. Above plain rufous chestnut Tachyphonus rufus. 
 
 I'. Above bright olive brown; bases of crown 
 feathers bright buffy or yellowish olive forming 
 
 a more or less concealed crown spot Phoenicolhraupis rubica 
 
 rubica. 
 
 TANAGRA CHLOROTICA Linnaeus. 
 
 Tanagra chlowtica L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 317. 
 Euphonia chlorotica Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 17. 
 
 During the first expedition to the Orinoco, a series of Euphonia 
 from Altagracia, Caicara, Ouiribana de Caicara and Maipures were 
 sent to the Tring Museum and identified by Berlepsch and Hartert, 
 as pertaining to this species. At that time I seemed to have observed 
 many more examples of this species than I did of H. trinitatis, but dur- 
 ing the two last expeditions specimens of the latter species only have 
 been collected. 
 
 No specimens of this species were found among the birds sent to 
 the American Museum by Klages either from the neighborhood of 
 .Ciudad Bolivar or from points on the Caura River. 
 
 TANAGRA TRINITATIS (Strickland). 
 Buphonia trinitatis Strickl., Contr. Orn. 1851. p. 72; Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 p. 17. 
 
 Venezuelan common name "Fin-fin" or "Sin-fin." On the recent 
 expeditions I found this species common. 
 
 A female in adult nuptial plumage (taken June I4th) is a rich 
 olive-green above, below, chrome yellow with sides of breast and 
 flanks a deep olive yellow. Females in what is probably the first 
 nuptial plumage are quite different from those in adult plumage and 
 resemble greatly birds in Juvenal dress. A female in what I con- 
 sider the first nuptial plumage, taken April I7th, is greyish olive- 
 green above; below, the throat, sides, flanks and under tail-coverts are 
 olive yellow brightest on the under tail-coverts, centre of breast grey- 
 ish, centre of abdomen greyish white. 
 
 A male in Juvenal plumage, taken May 3Oth is greyish olive- 
 green above (of a lighter shade than the female of May loth) ; below, 
 breast greyish, abdomen white, sides of breast light greyish olive;
 
 170 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 throat, flanks and under tail-coverts light citron yellow, palest on the 
 throat. Females in Juvenal plumage resemble males in the same 
 plumage. 1 
 
 The colors from an adult male taken June 28th were : eye seal ; 
 bill, above black, below plumbeous; feet slate grey. A male just 
 assuming the adult phase had the bill above slate black, below slate 
 grey with blackish tip. 
 
 In the series in the Brooklyn Museum and the Klages specimens 
 in the American Museum the yellow on the crown is about inter- 
 mediate in amount between that on the crown of E. chlorotica violacei- 
 collis from Chapado Matto Grosso, 2 and E. trinitatis 3 from Bonda, Santa 
 Marta, Colombia. The Santa Marta birds probably represent a dis- 
 tinct race. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are specimens, sent by Klages, 
 collected on the Caura River, during September and December, and 
 from Ciudad Bolivar on the Orinoco collected in December. My 
 own notes show that specimens were collected at various points on 
 the Orinoco from March to August inclusive. 
 
 A nest and set of three fresh eggs together with the mother bird 
 was collected at Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar April 17, 1907. The 
 nesting site was a Chaparo oak in the midst of a savanna that was 
 dotted thinly with trees. The nest was located near the tip of a long 
 horizontal branch and only about 1.4 m. from the ground. In 
 shape it is a flattened ball and is constructed entirely of dry grasses, 
 of medium texture loosely woven into shape and is without other lin- 
 ing. The entrance is a round hole in the middle of one side. The 
 nest rested on the main branch and two small horizontal twigs that 
 proceed from opposite sides of the main branch, the result being a 
 cross-shaped support. It was not tied in any way to the supporting 
 branches and certainly gave one the impression that it was very inse- 
 cure. My thought at the time of finding it was that with the first puff 
 of wind it would go tumbling to the ground. The measurements are : 
 horizontal diameter about 15 cm., vertical diameter about 10 cm.; 
 the entrance hole is 3.5 cm. in diameter. The eggs are from ovate 
 to medium short-ovate in form. They measure 15.5x12.25; 17.75x12 
 
 'An examination of the specimens of Tanagra in the collections of the American Museum and the 
 Brooklyn Museum, t9gether with a consideration of my field notes and observations convinces me that 
 our greatest advance in knowledge of the specific character of the various members of the group will result 
 from a careful, systematic study of age and seasonal plumages correlated with field observations. 
 
 Am. Mus. Coll. 
 
 'Idem.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 171 
 
 and 16.5 x 12.5 mm. They are white with brown markings vary- 
 ing in color from a light hazel to a dark chestnut. In two of the 
 eggs the markings consisting of small specks and dots are quite 
 uniformly and thickly distributed over the entire surface of the egg ; 
 in the third egg of the set the markings are much fewer in number, 
 average much larger in size, and are thickly massed about the larger 
 end. 
 
 TANAGRA OLIVACEA OLIVACEA (Desmarest). 
 Enphonia trinitatis Strickl., Contr. Orn. 1851. p. 72; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert. p. 17. 
 
 Reported from Nicare, on the Caura River by Berlepsch and 
 Hartert. 
 
 TANAGRA VIOLACEA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Fringilla violacea L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I. 1758. p. 182. 
 Euphonia violacea Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 18. 
 
 Specimens collected on the Caura River at Saupure, La Pricion 
 and La -Union were sent to the Tring Museum by Andre and by 
 Klages. 
 
 In the American Museum are Klages specimens collected on the 
 Caura River at El Llagual in March, Suapure in April, Maripa in 
 May and at La Union in October. 
 
 TANAGRA MELANURA (Sclater). 
 
 Euphonia melanura Scl., Contr. Orn. 1851. p. 86; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 p. 18. 
 
 Two specimens, male and female, taken at Maipures, December 
 17, 1898. 
 
 TANAGRA RUFIVENTRIS Vieillot. 
 
 Tanagra rufiventris Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XXXIII. 1819. p. 426. 
 Euphonia rufiventris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 18. 
 
 Collected about Manduapo in February, 1899. Not common. 
 
 TANAGRA CHRYSOPASTA (Sclater & Salvin). 
 
 Euphonia chrysopasta Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1869. p. 438; Berlepsch & 
 Hartert, p. 18. 
 
 This was the common form of Tanagra above the falls of the 
 river while T. trinitatis was the common species along the middle part 
 of the river
 
 1/2 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 TANAGRELLA IRIDINA (Hartlaub). 
 
 Tanagra iridina Hartl., Rev. Zool. 1841. p. 305. 
 Tanagrella iridina Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 18. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert report a single specimen, a male, collected 
 at Suapure on the Caura River and sent by Klages to the Tring 
 Museum, and there is an adult male from La Union on the Caura 
 River in the American Museum collection that was collected by 
 Klages October loth. This specimen agrees exactly with one from 
 Bogota in the same collection. 
 
 TANGARA PARADISEA (Swainson). 
 
 Aglaia paradisea Swains., Class. Birds, II. 1837. p. 286. 
 Calliste paradisea Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 18. 
 
 Collected on the Caura River at Suapure by Klages and at 
 Nicare by Andre, and recorded in the Berlepsch and Hartert paper. 
 
 TANGARA XANTHOGASTRA (Sclater). 
 
 Calliste xanthogastra Scl., Contr. Orn. 1851. pp. 23, 55; Berlepsch & 
 Hartert, p. 19. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert report this species as also taken on the 
 Caura at Nicare by Andre. 
 
 TANGARA CAYANA.CAYANA (Linnaeus). 
 Tanagra cay ana L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 315. 
 Calliste cayana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 19. 
 
 This is the most abundant species of this group of Tanagers to 
 be found along the Orinoco. Specimens were collected at many 
 points from Ciudad Bolivar up to above the falls of Maipures; Klages 
 collected a series at Maripa on the Caura River during December, 
 February, April and May. 1 
 
 In life the eye is dark sepia brown ; bill blackish above and slate 
 color below; feet light slate color. Adult birds of this species if held 
 between the observer and the light, on a level or slightly below the 
 level of the eye, appear a beautiful iridescent golden bronze both 
 above and below. 
 
 "Am. Mus. Coll.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 1/3 
 
 The nesting season on the Upper Orinoco begins in December, 
 while on the middle stretches of the river from Caicara downward, 
 breeding does not begin before the first of April. 
 
 A nest of this species taken at Quiribana de Caicara April gih, 
 was taken from the branches of one of the small scrub oaks that 
 grow scattered over the open savanna. It was about 2.4 m. from the 
 ground amid a cluster of small branches, and admirably concealed 
 by green leaves from above and on the sides. The outer walls of the 
 nest were constructed almost entirely of leaf stems; the lining con- 
 sisted of very fine, hair-like grass and rootlets together with a few bits 
 of greenish-white lichens. There were two eggs, both incubated, 
 only one of which was saved. In "color this was a "whitish-brown," 
 finely speckled all over, but more thickly on the larger end, with 
 rufous brown. It measured 20 x 15.1 mm. 
 
 A nest collected at Maipures on the Qth of January, was held 
 between the slender tips of the upright branches of a dwarf scrub 
 oak, which had found a scanty foothold between rocks near the 
 river bank. It was only about 1.5 metres from the ground, was 
 similar in construction to the nest described above, but had a number 
 of half decayed leaves woven into the body of the nest, all bound 
 together with cobwebs. This nest measures, outside 8.2 cm. diameter 
 by 6.5 cm. depth ; inside 5 cm. diameter by 3.4 cm. depth. In the 
 black hair-like vegetable fibres of the inner lining are several 
 bits of greenish-white lichens. The two eggs are ovate in form and 
 measure 20x15.2 mm. In color they are a soiled white, thickly 
 marked all over with fine specks and dots of a shade of brown between 
 vandyke and chestnut which are so closely set about the larger end 
 as to form a band. In one egg the specks and spots are much larger 
 and more prominent than in the other. Not more than two eggs 
 were found in each of more than a dozen nests examined, so that two 
 is probably a normal clutch. 
 
 TANGARA MEXICANA MEDIA (Berlepsch & Hartert). 
 Calliste mexicana media Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. 
 p. 19. (Type, Tring Museum, Maipures, Orinoco River.) 
 This form of Tangara which is intermediate in coloration 
 between T. mexicana mexicana from Cayenne and T. mexicana vieilloti 
 of Trinidad and the delta region of the Orinoco, was common at 
 Perico, at the foot of the falls of Atures, and as far beyond as I col- 
 lected on the upper Orinoco. It is often mentioned in my notes.
 
 174 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 from September to February. Not observed on the lower Orinoco, 
 but Klages sent specimens from La Union and Suapure on the Caura 
 River to the American Museum. 
 
 TANGARA MEXICAN A VIEILLOTI (Sclater). 
 Calliste vieilloti Scl., P. Z. S. 1856. p. 257. 
 
 Beebe secured specimens at Guanoco in the Orinoco Delta that 
 agreed exactly with examples from Trinidad. There is a long stretch 
 of country between the heavily timbered .country above the falls and 
 the equally heavily wooded region of the delta where no forms of 
 T. mexicana seem to be found. 
 
 TANGARA NIGROCINCTA (Bonaparte). 
 Aglaia nigrocincta Bonap., P. Z. S. 1837. p. 121. 
 Calliste nigrocincta Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 20. 
 
 The Tring Museum received specimens from Suapure and Nicare 
 on the Caura River, and it is reported by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 Thraupis episcopus nesophilus Riley, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXV. 
 
 1912. 185. 
 
 THRAUPIS EPISCOPUS NESOPHILUS (Riley). 
 Tanagra cana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 20, not Swains. 
 
 Native name Asulejo. Abundant. Found in all sorts of locali- 
 ties but not common in heavy timber. 
 
 The colors of fresh birds are : eye brown ; bill blackish above, slate 
 below ; feet slate color. 
 
 On my first expedition to the Orinoco I took a nest and set of 
 eggs of this species, on April 13, 1898. This nest was in a small 
 scrub oak, about 6 m. from the ground. It was surrounded by a 
 tangle of small twigs, and almost completely concealed by green 
 leaves. The parent birds were very shy. The nest was thick- 
 walled, outwardly composed chiefly of leaf stems, and lined with fine 
 vegetable fibers and rootlets. The nest contained two eggs, both 
 much incubated, only one of which was preserved. The egg is of a 
 "dirty flesh-color, all over thickly covered with liver-brown and 
 underlying pale purplish grey spots and patches, and measures 
 23.1 x 16.8 mm." 1 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 20, through some error, insert the description of this nest and set of eggs under 
 the head of T. palmarum melanoptera.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 175 
 
 Four sets of eggs were taken in 1907, all showing a very consider- 
 able amount of variation in the shade of color and the amount and 
 size of the markings. 
 
 One set taken at Caicara on the 7th of May, contained two fresh 
 eggs. In the nest was also one egg of the Venezuelan Cow-bird, 
 Molothrus bonariensis venezuelcnsis. The two eggs of T. cpiscopus 
 nesophilus are ovate in form and measure 21.75 x *6-5 mm. and 22 x 15.75 
 mm. respectively. In one the ground color is dirty white with just a 
 shade of bluish green rather thickly marked with dots, spots and blotches 
 of pale ecru drab, underlying spots and blotches of blackish clove 
 brown ; the general ground color of the other egg is darker, the 
 underlying markings are larger, brownish drab in color, forming a 
 nearly solid mass of color about the larger end, and the superimposed 
 blotches are a dark vandyke brown. The nest taken with this set 
 of eggs is similar to that described above, a compactly woven, thick- 
 walled cup composed largely of leaf stems and a few dead leaves 
 held in place by a small quantity of spider webs. The nest lining 
 was composed of small pieces and short strips of some soft thin bark 
 beneath a few pieces of fine dead grasses. The nest measures: out- 
 side, 10 cm. in diameter by 6.5 cm. in depth; inside, 6 cm. in diameter 
 by 4 cm. in depth. It is loosely, and it would seem, most insecurely set 
 at the intersection of a small twig, with a larger horizontal branch, the 
 union forming a V-shaped support for the nest. 
 
 A nest containing one fresh egg was found near the same point 
 May 8th. It was placed between the forks of three large limbs which 
 sprang from the same point, two branching almost horizontally and 
 one rising at an angle of about 45 from the horizontal. The nest 
 rested at the base of the angle between the two horizontal limbs 
 which concealed it from below, while the third limb extending out 
 over the nest concealed it from above. In the same tree with this 
 nest, and none more than 3 m. from it were nests of Myiozetetes 
 te.vensis columbianus. Pitangus sulphuratus rufipennis and Icterus 
 .\-ant hornns, all occupied. The'single egg found in this nest is ovate 
 and measures 24.5 x 18.5 mm. The ground color is similar to that of 
 those last described ; the markings vary from a mars brown to a dark 
 vandyke, and consist of dots and spots thickly spread over the entire 
 surface, and especially about the larger end. 
 
 A nest found May loth, also at Caicara, contained two badly incu- 
 bated eggs. This nest was about 4.57 m. from the ground in a guamal
 
 176 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETFN 2. 6. 
 
 oak. One of the eggs was broken in removing the embryo. The 
 single specimen preserved is ovate in form and measures 22.5 x 16.75 
 mm. The ground color of this egg is uniform with the two last 
 described, but the general color of the egg surface is considerably 
 lighter owing to the sharp outlines of the small spots, which are 
 thickly scattered over the entire surface, especially about the larger 
 end, and which vary in color from drab to clove brown. 
 
 A fourth set of two fresh eggs, taken May 21, 1907, on the San 
 Feliz River near its junction with the Cuchivero River, are so heavily 
 marked as to almost completely hide the dirty white ground. In 
 one of the eggs the markings of brown, from a bistre to a Vandyke, 
 blend into and overlap one another over the entire surface of the egg. 
 The other egg differs only in having a few superimposed dots, spots 
 and blotches of dark clove brown scattered irregularly over the egg 
 surface. These eggs are ovate in form and measure 22.25 x I 7- 2 5 
 and 22.25 x T 7-5 mm - I* 1 the same tree with the nest from which 
 these eggs were taken, and not 2 m. from it, was an occupied nest of 
 Tyrannus melancholicus. 
 
 From my observations and the material secured we may conclude 
 that normally this species lays two eggs, and that the nesting season 
 lasts from April to June in the middle Orinoco region. Nests are placed 
 from 1.5 to 6 m. from the ground, favorite nesting sites being in the 
 guamal or scrub oaks that sparsely dot much of the savanna country, 
 and frequently in trees occupied by nests of other birds. 
 
 This form of the Blue Tanager is found throughout the delta 
 region along the middle Orinoco and up beyond the falls of Atures 
 and Maipures, where it is found in company with and is gradually 
 replaced by T. episcopus episcopus. 
 
 The American Museum has specimens from Maripa, on the 
 Caura River, collected in February, April, May and December, and 
 from Ciudad Bolivar on the Orinoco collected in June, July and 
 December. One of the December birds from Ciudad Bolivar, in the 
 paleness of the blue shoulder patch, approaches T. episcopus episcopus. 
 There is a wide variation in the intensity of the coloring of the blue 
 shoulder patch which is due largely, if not entirely, to age. However, 
 the same might be said regarding the general coloring. 
 
 Birds in juvenal plumage are greenish grey, heavily washed on the 
 back with sage green, below much paler and only faintly washed with 
 a slightly yellowish green. Median and lesser coverts like the back;
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 177 
 
 greater coverts dusky blackish edged with glaucous green ; remiges 
 black, broadly edged on outer webs, on tertials and secondaries 
 with glaucous green which changes to a beryl green on primaries. 
 Centre pair of tail feathers bice green, brightest on outer webs, remain- 
 ing rectrices with outer webs bice green, inner webs blackish. 
 
 First nuptial plumage. Above and below greenish grey ; back and 
 scapulars heavily washed with bice green ; rump a bluish beryl green ; 
 head and neck all around, and under parts washed with glaucous 
 green. Median and lesser wing coverts nearly a cobalt blue ; greater 
 coverts and outer webs of remiges dark bice green with the extreme 
 outer edges between a glaucous and beryl green ; inner webs of wing 
 quills black. Tail above dusky with greenish wash ; outer webs of 
 rectrices edged with beryl green. Under surface of tail greyish blue 
 or greenish, varying in color when seen at different angles. 
 
 Adult nuptial plumage. Similar to the first nuptial, but with the 
 glaucous green wash of the under parts replaced by a decided violet 
 or bluish wash; the greater wing coverts and remiges with edges of 
 outer webs bright nile blue, and the median and lesser wing coverts 
 nearer an azure than a cobalt blue. Only about ten per cent, of the 
 specimens collected will be in adult nuptial plumage. 
 
 THRAUPIS CANA CANA Swainson. 
 T[anagra] cana Sw. Ornith. Drawings, PI. XXXVII. 1836. 
 
 This is found with T. e. nesophilus on the upper Orinoco from above 
 the falls, and is there the more common of the two forms. 
 
 THRAUPIS PALMARUM MELANOPTERA (Sclater). 
 Tanagra melanoptera Scl., P. Z. S. 1856. p. 235. 
 Tanagra palmarum melanoptera Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 20. 
 
 The Azulejo ordinario as this species is known to the Venezuelans 
 is equally common and often in company with T. c. nesophilus. 
 
 In fresh birds the eye is seal brown ; bill black ; feet slate grey. 
 
 Specimens from above the falls of Atures 1 are heavily washed 
 with violet both above and below, and the tarsus averages shorter 
 than in specimens from Trinidad and points on the middle and lower 
 Orinoco. In the American Museum are specimens collected by 
 Klages at Ciudad Bolivar, in June, July, August and December, and 
 at Maripa on the Caura River in May. 
 
 1 Four specimens, two males and two females examined, collected in December, January and March.
 
 178 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 "RAMPHOCELUS CARBO CARBO (Pallas). 
 
 Lanius carbo Pallas in Vroeg. Cat. rais. d'Oiseaux, Adurnbrat p. 2 
 
 (1764 Surinam). 1 
 Ramphocelus jacapa auct. ; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 20. 
 
 Typical R. carbo is abundant in the heavily wooded region above 
 the falls of Atures, and may be occasionally found as far down the 
 Orinoco as the mouth of the Apure River and Caicara ; but. from that 
 point until one arrives at the tangled jungle of the upper part of the 
 delta region where R. carbo magnirostris and R. atrosericeus capitalis 
 abound, these tanagers are conspicuous by their absence. 
 
 Females. Above dark mummy brown, rich burnt umber on 
 lower rump and upper tail coverts; wings and tail blackish brown ; 
 below chestnut shaded with dusky on breast ; chin and throat drab. 
 
 Males in Juvenal plumage. Resemble the female, but have the rump 
 nearly a brick red, while on the throat there is a strong vinaceous 
 wash. In the American Museum are specimens collected by Klages 
 at Suapure and Maripa on the Caura River. They represent adults 
 of both sexes collected during the months of May, September and 
 November. 
 
 RAMPHOCELUS CARBO MAGNIROSTRIS Lafresnaye. 
 Ramphocelus magnirostris Lafresnaye, Rev. Zool. 1853. p. 243. 
 Ramphocelus jacapa magnirostris Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. 
 p. 15 (Guanoco, Orinoco Delta). 
 
 Hellmayr records specimens of this species from Guanoco in the 
 Orinoco delta, and T have examined specimens collected at the same 
 point by Mr. C. Wm. Beebe that agree exactly with specimens from 
 Trinidad. 
 
 RAMPHOCELUS ATROSERICEUS CAPITALIS Allen. 
 
 Ramphocelus atrosericeus capitalis Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. IV. 1892. p. 51 
 (El Pilar near Cumana, Venezuela). 
 
 Five specimens collected by the writer at Las Barrancas have 
 been compared with the type in the American Museum collection and 
 found to agree exactly. 
 
 'Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 357.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 179 
 
 Contrary to Mr. Hellmayr's conclusions based on material from 
 Guanoco 1 I do not consider R. a. capitalis a synonym of magnirostris 
 but a well marked race of atrosericeus and very readily distinguishable 
 from the former. Of the specimens secured two are adult males, one a 
 male in Juvenal plumage, and two (probably) adult females. 
 
 The females are almost as easily distinguished from the females 
 of R. c. magnirostris as are the males one from another. 
 
 Adult female. Above dusky seal brown; wings and tail more black- 
 ish ; rump washed with bright chestnut ; faintly vinaceous on fore- 
 head. Below, throat and upper breast bright bay, blending gradu- 
 ally into bright chestnut with a faint wash of dragon's blood red on 
 belly and sides. 
 
 Immature male. \ specimen taken July 3ist is in transitional 
 plumage from Juvenal plumage to what would correspond to the first 
 winter plumage of our northern Passeres. Above its head is dusky 
 brownish black; back bright reddish chestnut, produced by the broad 
 edges and tips to black feathers ; rump bright reddish chestnut ; wings 
 and tail brownish black; lesser, median and greater coverts narrowly 
 tipped and edged with chestnut; wing quills edged with chestnut on 
 outer webs ; below, throat dusky brownish ; remaining under parts 
 bright chestnut, washed with rufous on sides and flanks. Bill, in 
 life, dusky slate; feet dusky slate. 
 
 PlRANGA RUBRA RUBRA (Linnaeus). 
 
 FringiUa rubra L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I. 1758. p. 181. 
 Piranga rubra Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 21. 
 
 Not observed on -the middle or lower river, but noted on the 
 upper Orinoco at Maipures from November to February during my 
 first expedition. 
 
 This is the only species of tanager observed in the Valley of the 
 Orinoco that is not resident there. 
 
 PHOENICOTHRAUPIS RUBICA RUBICA (Vieillot). 
 Saltator rubicus Vieill. Nouv. Diet XIV. 1817. p. 107. 
 
 Beebe secured an example of this species at Guanoco. It had 
 not been previously recorded from the Orinoco. 
 
 'Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 15.
 
 l8o BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 TACHYPHONUS RUFUS (Boddaert). 
 Tanagra rufa Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 44. 
 Tachyphonus rufus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 21. 
 
 Not uncommon, but usually a shy bird; found both in the open 
 thinly timbered borders of the savannas, and in densely timbered 
 regions. 
 
 The eye is seal brown; maxilla black, mandible plumbeous with 
 a blackish tip; feet black. 
 
 A female, apparently adult, taken June loth has a number of 
 black feathers on the right side of the face, neck and breast. 
 
 The nesting season extends from March to May. Nests are 
 usually from 0.6 to 1.5 m. from the ground, placed in clumps of low 
 trees or bushes in the sparsely wooded savanna regions. Two eggs 
 constitute a full set. 
 
 A nest with two slightly incubated eggs was taken at Caicara 
 April 7th, 1907. It was only about 60 cm. from the ground in a 
 clump of thorny palm stems. Outwardly, the nest is composed of 
 coarse, short pieces and strips of soft inner bark from the rotting 
 stubs of some nearby trees, short strips torn from dead banana leaves, 
 and a few weed stems. Inside there is a thin lining of plant tendrils 
 and fine, black horse-hair-like vegetable fibers. The nest measures : 
 outside, 14 cm. in diameter by 7 cm. in depth; inside, 7 cm. diameter 
 by 4.5 cm. in depth. 1 The eggs are ovate in form, and measure 17.25 x 
 22.25 an d 17 x 22.25 mm - respectively. One is white with a faint greyish 
 wash, the other has a mere suggestion of rufous in the ground color. 
 The markings are comparatively few, scattered chiefly about the larger 
 end, and consist of irregularly rounded spots and dots of dark clove 
 brown overlying similar spots of pale lavender. Many of the larger 
 clove brown spots are surrounded by rufous as though the color had 
 spread or "washed." 
 
 In the American Museum collection is a male collected by Klages 
 at Ciudad Bolivar that is just finishing the moult assuming the black 
 plumage of the adult, but shows a few brown feathers scattered 
 through the plumage ; one outer rectrix is black at the base and brown 
 at the tip. 
 
 1 A. nest of this species taken on the heights of Aripo, Trinidad, March 24, 1907, has been already 
 described by the writer (Sci. Bull. I. p. 359). Only one of the eggs of the set contained in that nest was 
 saved; that is ovate in form and measures 24.5 x 18.5 mm. It is white with a faint russet wash, marked 
 with a few irregular spots and small dots of a blackish clove brown; there are also indications of a few 
 underlying lavender markings.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. l8l 
 
 TACHYPHONUS LUCTUOSUS Lafresnaye & D'Orbigny. 
 
 Tachyphonus luctuosus Lafr. & D'Orb., Syn. Av. in Mag. Zool. VII. 
 
 1837. p. 29; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 21. 
 
 This species was not seen on the Orinoco proper, but Beebe took 
 specimens at Guanoco in the delta region and I collected a single 
 example May 26, 1907, at La Cascabel on the river San Feliz near its 
 junction with the Cuchivero River. 
 
 The Tring Museum received specimens from Suapure, La Pri- 
 cion, Nicare and La Union on the Caura River. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are specimens collected on 
 the Caura River by Klages at El Llagual in March, Suapure in Janu- 
 ary and La Union in October. 
 
 In the La Cascabel specimen, an adult male, the eye was seal 
 brown ; bill above black, sides of mandible slate grey, center of ridge of 
 gonys black ; feet slate grey. 
 
 TACHYPHQNUS CRISTATUS CRISTATELLUS Sclater. 
 Tachyphonus cristatellns Sclater. Cat. Am. Birds. 1867. p. 86 (Type, 
 
 Bogota). 
 
 Tachyphonus cristatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 22. 
 Tachyphonus cristatus cristatellus Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XII. 1905. 
 
 P- 2 75- 
 
 The Tring Museum received specimens collected on the Caura 
 River from both Andre and Klages; and in the American Museum 
 collection is a series collected by Klages at Suapure, and at La 
 Union on the Caura River during the months of September, October 
 and February. This series includes both males and females in adult 
 plumage, and immature specimens in transitional plumage. A 
 "female" taken at Suapure, September loth, is brownish olive above, 
 washed with russet especially posteriorly, the rump being nearly pure 
 russet ; forehead and sides of crown greyish olive, centre of crown 
 russet; wings and tail blackish; quills edged with mummy brown; 
 sides of face olive but feathers of lores and auriculars with faint buffy. 
 shaft lines ; below, raw sienna with buffy throat and under tail coverts 
 ochraceous. An immature male taken at the same point is just 
 assuming the plumage of the adult. The general color both above 
 and below is black but interspersed with brownish olive feathers on 
 the back and a few ochraceous ones below. The rectrices are all 

 
 l82 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 brown as in the female; in the wings the outer four primaries are 
 brownish black, edged with olive, the succeeding five are black as in 
 the adult male. In the left wing the outermost secondary is black, 
 the next two are brown, then a black one and the remainder brown ; 
 in the right wing the primaries are as in the left one, but the outer 
 five secondaries are brown while the remainder are black. The 
 crown is chiefly olive-grey with scattering orange-red feathers; the 
 lateral and anterior border of buff is quite distinct. 
 
 TACHYPHONUS CRISTATUS INTERCEDENS Berlepsch. 
 Tachyphonus intercedens Berlepsch, Ibis. 1880. p. 113. 
 T[achyphonus] cristatus intercedens Hellmayr Novit. Zool. XII. 1905. 
 
 275- 
 
 The type of this species, according to Hellmayr (1. c.), is of the 
 
 "Orinoco" make, and the Orinoco Delta is included by that writer in 
 the habitat of this race. 
 
 TACHYPHONUS SURINAMUS SURINAMUS (Linnaeus). 
 Turdus surinamus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 297. 
 Tachyphonus surinamus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 22. 
 T[achyphonus] s[urinamus] surinamus Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 
 
 1906. p. 358 (Guanoco, Orinoco Delta). 
 
 This species has been recorded from Guanoco in the Orinoco 
 Delta, and also from various points on the Caura River by Berlepsch 
 and Hartert. 
 
 There are two specimens in the American Museum collected by 
 Klages at Suapure, one in September, the other in November. They 
 agree exactly with Cayenne examples. 
 
 HEMITHRAUPIS FLAVICOLLIS AURIGULARIS Cherrie. 
 Nemosia flavicollis Vieill. Nouv. Diet. XXII. 1818. p. 491 ; Berlepsch 
 
 Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. 22. (Suapure and Nicare, Caura 
 
 River, Orinoco region). 
 N[emosia] flavicollis flavicollis Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. p. 
 
 351 (Suapure and Nicare, Caura River). 
 Hemithraupis flavicollis Sharpe, Hand List, V. 1909. p. 597. 
 Hemithraupis flavicollis aurigularis Cherrie, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 
 
 (Suapure, Caura River, Orinoco region). 
 
 In the American Museum collection are specimens collected by 
 Klages at Suapure on the Caura River in February, September and 
 November.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 183 
 
 A male in that collection taken September 9, 1901, is in the plumage 
 of the female. 
 
 The adult males from the Caura River differ from "Brazil" and 
 "Bahia" skins, in the same collection, in having the white feathers of the 
 upper breast and sides prominently marked with subapical v-shaped black 
 bars. A specimen from Jungus, Bolivia, agrees in this respect. The 
 "Brazil" and "Bahia" skins have the entire breast and belly strongly 
 washed with pale lemon or sulphur yellow, the subapical bands dusky, 
 and not at all prominent. Above, these birds have a brownish wash 
 while the Suapure birds have a faint bronzy green wash and are also 
 noticeably smaller. 
 
 Not noted on the Orinoco but recorded from its tributary, the 
 Caura River, from Suapure and Nicare, by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 THLYPOPSIS SORDIDA SORDIDA (Lafresnaye & D'Orbigny). 
 
 Nemosia sordida Lafr. & D'Orb., Syn. Av. I. 1837. p. 28. 
 
 Thlypopsis sordida Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 23. 
 
 Thlypopsis sordida sordida Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 311. 
 
 Rare ; six specimens collected for the Tring Museum during the 
 months from August to January, at Capuchin, El Fraile and Alta- 
 gracia; points on the middle Orinoco above Ciuclad Bolivar and below 
 the falls of Atures. Hellmayr in his paper on the types of little 
 known species of birds 1 gives a list of localities from which specimens 
 have been secured including points in Bolivia. Brazil, Venezuela and 
 Eastern Ecuador. 
 
 CISSOPIS LEVERIANA (Gmelin). 
 
 Lanius leverianus /Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 302. 
 Cissopis leveriana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 24. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco proper but reported in the Berlepsch 
 and Hartert paper as taken at La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 In the American Museum Collection is a specimen from Suapure 
 (Caura River), received from Klages. 
 
 SCHISTOCHLAMYS ATRA (Gmelin). 
 
 Tanagra atra Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 898. 
 Schistochlamys atra Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 24. 
 
 'Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 3".
 
 184 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 On my first Orinoco expedition, this species was observed at and 
 above the falls of Atures only, from which point onward it was not 
 uncommon, but in April, 1907, examples were collected at Agua 
 Salada de Ciudad Bolivar. 
 
 An immature male in transitional plumage, just assuming the 
 nuptial dress, is dark olive green above with patches of grey here and 
 there where the nuptial dress is developing. There are many black 
 feathers in forehead and fore part of crown, and a few grey ones on 
 top of head, Wing-coverts olive green brighter than the back; wing- 
 and tail-quills blackish brown edged with yellowish olive. Sides 
 of face and throat black mottled with olive yellow; breast, sides and 
 flanks grey slightly mottled with olive yellow; centre of abdomen 
 and under tail coverts pale olive yellow. 
 
 Fresh birds have the eye chestnut brown ; bill plumbeous grey 
 basally and forward to slightly beyond the nostrils, distally black; feet 
 -slate grey. t . 
 
 FRINGILLIDAE THE GROSBEAKS, FINCHES, BUNTINGS 
 AND SPARROWS. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert's paper included twenty-two species and 
 subspecies pertaining to this family. Of that number the writer 
 had at that time collected nineteen. The present paper includes twenty- 
 six species and subspecies. 
 
 With the exception of the Dickcissel, Spiza americana, all are resi- 
 dent forms although there seems to be more or less local migration 
 controlled by the local food supply. Several of the species congre- 
 gate in flocks at the close of the breeding season. Some of the flocks are 
 composed of a single species, while others will be made up of several 
 species. This is particularly to be noted among members of the genus 
 Sporophila. 
 
 Quite a number of species are habitually trapped and kept as cage 
 birds, and nearly all seem to thrive in confinement. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF FRINGILLIDAE. 
 
 a. Plumage more or less streaked above or below, or both. 
 
 b. Tail feathers not acuminate, or if acuminate then tail is shorter than 
 wing. 
 
 c. Length 150 mm. or more, wing more than 85 mm Saltalor (in part) 
 
 c'. Length less than 150 mm. and wing not more than 85 mm. 
 
 d. Back not distinctly striated and no olive yellow edges to wing and 
 tail quills (faint dusky brownish shaft streaks in the olive-brown 
 feathers of the back of immature or female Sicalis columbiana are 
 in combination with olive-yellow edges to wing and tail feathers').
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 
 
 185 
 
 Without olive-yellow wing and tail edgings. 
 
 /. Entire upper parts a nearly uniform brownish grey; belly and 
 under tail-coverts white 
 
 /'. Upper parts, head and back, dark olive brown, wings and tail 
 black, wing-coverts and tertials edged on outer webs with raw 
 umber; belly whitish under tail-coverts brownish buff (wood 
 brown); or immature males assuming adult plumage, under 
 tail coverts mixed with black feathers with whitish tips 
 
 '. Olive yellow edgings to wings and tail 
 
 d'. Back distinctly striated. 
 
 g. Head not striated; shoulders, lesser and median wing- 
 coverts chestnut 
 
 g'. Head striated, no chestnut wing coverts. 
 
 h. Wing short and rounded, outer primary (9th) shorter 
 
 than yth 
 
 h'. Wing more pointedandouterprimarylongerthanthevth. 
 i. Inner secondaries elongated reaching nearly to tips of 
 primaries . 
 
 i'. Inner secondaries and tertials not elongated 
 
 b'. Tail-feathers acuminate and tail longer than wing 
 
 . Plumage not striated, either above or below. 
 
 6. Having well developed superciliary stripe yellowish, white or grey. 
 c. Well developed black or blackish stripes on sides of crown extend- 
 ing from the bill to the nape. 
 
 d. Narrow black band across the breast 
 
 d'. No dark band across the breast 
 
 c'. No lateral stripes on crown 
 
 6'. No superciliary stripe. 
 
 c. Depth of bill at base equal to distance from the angle of rictus to 
 
 tip of bill 
 
 c'. Depth of bill at base less than distance from angle of the rictus to 
 
 tip of bill. 
 d . Glossy blue black both above and below 
 
 d' Not blue black both above and below. 
 
 e. A partially concealed crown-patch of bright scarlet 
 
 e'. No crown-patch. 
 
 /. Outer (9th) primary longer than 7th. 
 
 g. A white patch at base of outer webs of 5th, 6th and 
 
 7th primaries extending beyond tips of coverts 
 H. Under parts yellow 
 
 h'. Under parts white 
 
 g'. No white patch at base of outer webs of sth, 6th and 7th 
 
 primaries 
 
 h. Inner webs of wing-quills broadly edged with yellow 
 similar to under wing-coverts; size larger, wing more 
 
 than 65 mm 
 
 h'. Inner webs of wing-quills narrowly edged with pale 
 
 yellowish; smaller, wing less than 65 mm 
 
 /'. Outer primary shorter than the 6th. 
 g. Wing more than 65 mm. 
 
 h. Wing-tip equal to or longer than tarsus 
 
 h'. Wing-tip not equal to tarsus. 
 
 i. Under parts white, throat red (adult) or buff (immature) 
 
 Caryphospingus (female and 
 young). 
 
 Volatinia (females and 
 young). 
 
 Sicalis (female and im- 
 mature male). 
 
 Spit 
 
 Myospiza. 
 
 Sicalis (immature and 
 
 females). 
 Sicalis (adults). 
 Emberizoides (one species). 
 
 Arremon. 
 
 Arremonops. 
 
 Saltalor. 
 
 Oryzoborus. 
 
 Volatinia jacarini splendens 
 (adult males). 
 
 Coryphospingus pileatus 
 (adult male). 
 
 Aslragalinus psallria colu 
 
 bianus. 
 Dolospingus nuchalis. 
 
 Sicalis (adults.) 
 
 Sicalis flaveola. 
 Sicalis columbiana. 
 
 Cyanocompsa rolhtchi'di 
 Paroaria nigrogenys. 
 
 'Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XII. 1905. p. 277.
 
 l86 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 i'. Under parts not white. 
 
 j. Throat white Pilylus grossus. 
 
 j'. Throat black. 
 
 k. Under wing-coverts yellow Caryothraustes canadensis 
 
 canadetosis. 
 
 k'. Under wing coverts rose red Periporphyrus eryihromelas. 
 
 g'. Wing not over 65mm., usually less. 
 
 h. Culmen not strongly convex; maxillary tomia nearly 
 straight but with basal portion strongly and abruptly 
 
 deflected Tiaris fuliginosa. 
 
 h'. Culmen distinctly strongly convex; maxillary tomia not 
 
 abruptly deflected at base Sporophila. 
 
 i. More or less black on head. 
 j. Broad white cheek stripe. 
 
 k. Lower throat white, mottled with black Sporophila bouvronides. 
 
 k'. Lower throat not mottled with black Sporophila lineola. 
 
 j'. No white cheek stripe, entire sides of head, throat 
 
 and upper breast black Sporophila gulturalis. 
 
 i'. No black on head. 
 
 j. Under parts chestnut Sporophila minuta minuta. 
 
 j'. Under parts not chestnut. 
 
 k. Throat slate grey, no white on cheeks or chin . . . Sporophila grisea grisea. 
 k'. Throat ash grey, chin and base of cheeks white . Sporophila plumbea whit" 
 
 ley ana. 
 
 PITVLUS GROSSUS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Loxia grossus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 307. 
 Pitylus grossus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 24. 
 
 The writer did not meet with this species on the Orinoco proper, 
 but specimens were collected for the Tring Museum on the Caura 
 River at Suapure, Nicare and La Pricion; and Klages sent specimens 
 to the American Museum that were collected at La Union during 
 September, October "and January. 
 
 CYANOCOMPSA ROTHSCHILDI (Bartlett). 
 
 Guiraca rothschildi E. Bartl., Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1890. p. 168; Hell- 
 
 mayr, Novit. Zool. XII. 1905. p. 277. 
 Guiraca cayanea rothschildi Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 25. 
 
 This species was seen on the upper Orinoco at Munduapo during 
 February, 1899. It has not been seen by the writer on subsequent 
 expeditions. Specimens were collected at La Pricion on the Caura 
 River by Andre. 
 
 ORYZOBORUS CRASSIROSTRIS (Gmelin). 
 
 Loxia crassirostris Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 862. 
 Oryzoborus crassirostris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 25. 
 Native name Pico de plata grande.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 187 
 
 Xot common along the Orinoco proper. It was observed, however, 
 at Caicara and at Quiribana de Caicara, being found in the tangle of 
 low shrubs that skirted the belt of heavy timber which marked the 
 course of Quiribana Creek. On the San Feliz River, near its junc- 
 tion with the Cuchivero this species was, however, not uncommon 
 during my visit there in May of 1907. Here it frequented the same 
 character of locality as that about Quiribana de Caicara. 
 
 Young males resemble the females. One taken at Las Guacas, 
 on the San Feliz River, May i8th, is in transitional plumage, just 
 assuming that of the adult male. In the wings the Qth, 8th and 5th 
 primaries are new, the others are in the dusky brown of the female, 
 the three outermost secondaries are old succeeded by three new ones 
 which are followed by a single brown quill and lastly two more new 
 black quills. There are scattering black feathers on the back of the 
 neck and top of the head and a few on the throat. The longest of the 
 under tail-coverts are black. 
 
 ORYZOBORUS ANGOLENSIS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Loxia angolensis L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 303. 
 Oryzoborus angolensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 25. 
 
 Native name Pico de plata, pico negro. 
 
 Not common. Noted at Altagracia, Caicara, and Quiribana de 
 Caicara along the Orinoco, and on the San Feliz River near its mouth. 
 Like the preceding species the thickets of low shrubs and bushes 
 bordering heavy timber were its favorite haunts. I found it very 
 wary and difficult to approach. A young male just completing the 
 moult in assuming the plumage of the adult male, shows many ochra- 
 ceous buff feathers on the belly mixed with the new chestnut ones, 
 while on the back are scattering feathers of olive brown mixed with 
 the new black ones. 
 
 SPOROPHILA GRISEA GRISEA (Gmelin). 
 
 Loxia grisea Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 857. 
 Sporophila grisea Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 25. 
 
 Native name Pico de plata comun. Common from the delta region 
 all along the middle stretches of the river to and beyond the falls of 
 Maipures on the upper river. 
 
 Male birds in life have the eye varying in color (probably with 
 age) from a dark sepia brown to a seal brown; bill in adults, pale
 
 l88 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE) MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 whitish or flesh color, in immature birds, dusky blackish; feet slaty. 
 Females have the eye dark sepia brown ; bill blackish ; feet dusky slate 
 color. 
 
 Young males resemble the female, and mate and breed before ac- 
 quiring the plumage of the adult. 
 
 A nest with three fresh eggs was taken at Caicara on the 8th of 
 June, 1907. The nest is a frail, thin-walled cup 6.5 cm. in diameter 
 by 4 cm. in depth outside and 5 cm. in diameter by 3.5 cm. in depth 
 inside. It is composed almost entirely of fine rootlets, wood-brown 
 in color, with a scant inner lining of black horse-hair-like vegetable 
 fibres. The side walls and bottom of the nest are so thin and were so 
 loosely put together that the eggs were readily visible from below. 
 The nest was about 3.5 m. from the ground, near the extreme tip of 
 one of the topmost branches of a small tree, the trunk and branches 
 of which were thickly studded with long sharp thorns. It was loosely 
 set on a small horizontal fork. No effort seemed to have been made 
 toward "tieing" it to its support. 
 
 The eggs approach elliptical ovate in form. The ground color 
 is a dull greyish white. There is considerable variation in the 
 amount and the col^r of the markings. One of the set is thickly and 
 nearly uniformly covered over the entire surface with small specks 
 and dots of vinaceous cinnamon. In addition there are some overly- 
 ing spots and blotches of hazel brown, chiefly about the larger end. 
 The other two eggs of the set are much less speckled although there 
 is an abundance of minute dots of pale vinaceous cinnamon, the larger 
 spots and blotches being about as evenly distributed as those in the 
 egg first described, but nearer a pale drab brown than a hazel ; in addi- 
 tion there are a few superimposed irregular shaped markings of dark 
 seal brown (almost black) about the larger end. 
 
 On the i8th of June a nest with three eggs was collected, also 
 at Caicara. This nest was about 2.7 m. up, between the thorns and 
 thrust against the stem of a small thorny palm. It is less symmetri- 
 cal in its outline, the walls are somewhat thicker and composed of 
 coarser materials, so loosely woven that the eggs could be seen through 
 the nest bottom. There is no lining of black, hair-like vegetable 
 fibres, as in the other nests. Three eggs were found in this nest, 
 but owing to their advanced state of incubation only two were saved. 
 They are in every way similar in color and markings to the eggs of
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 189 
 
 the set described above, but are more nearly ovate in shape. They 
 measure 17.5 x 13.25 and 17.75 x 13.25 mm. respectively. 
 
 SPOROPHILA PLUMBEA WHITELEYANA (Sharpe). 
 
 Spermophila whiteleyana Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XII. 1888. p. 98. 
 Sporophila plumbea whiteleyana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 26. 
 
 Abundant at Altagracia, midway between Ciudad Bolivar and 
 Caicara, from November to February, 1897-8, when a good series was 
 collected and sent to the Tring Museum. During my first Orinoco 
 expedition the species was not observed at any other points along the 
 river, and none have been secured on succeeding expeditions. 
 
 SPOROPHILA MINUTA MINUTA (Linnaeus). 
 Loxia minuta L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I. 1758. p. 176. 
 Sporophila minuta Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 26. 
 
 Common at all points visited along the Orinoco and abundant 
 at Altagracia and at Caicara from January to March during which 
 months the species was usually observed in small flocks, often in com- 
 pany with other members of the genus Sporophila* An adult male taken 
 May 17, 1907, on the San Feliz River (near the river Cuchivero) had 
 the eyes seal brown; bill dusky blackish; feet dusky slate. 
 
 SPOROPHILA LINEOLA (Linnaeus). 
 Loxia lineola L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10 I. 1758. p. 174. 
 Sporophila lineola Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 26. 
 
 Messrs. Berlepsch and Hartert identify three specimens collected 
 by the writer at Caicara in 1898 as true 5. lineola; and specimens sent 
 from Ciudad Bolivar, by Klages as S. lineola trinitatis. 1 No specimens 
 of this species have been noted on more recent expeditions. 
 
 SPOROPHILA BOUVRONIDES (Lesson). 
 
 Pyrrhula bouvronides Lesson, Traite d'Orn. 1831. p. 450 (no locality). 
 Spermophila bouvronides Leotaud, Ois. Trinidad 1866. p. 318 (Trinidad). 
 Spermophila ocellata Sclater & Salvin, P. Z. S. 1866. p. 181. 
 S[permophila] trinitatis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XII. 1888. p. 132 
 
 (Trinidad). 
 Sporophila lineola trinitatis Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 
 1902. p. 26. 
 
 "The proper name for this form as pointed out by Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 58. is 
 Sporophila bouvronides (Less.). See also Hellmayr. Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. p. 8.
 
 IQO ' BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Sporophila bonvronides Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 58 ; idem. 
 
 XIV. 1907. p. 8. 
 
 This species is nowhere common, but seems to be widely dis- 
 tributed on the Orinoco, where it was noted and collected from Las 
 Barrancas in the delta region and at various other points up as far 
 as the mouth of the Apure River. Of four birds taken at Caicara, 
 three show traces of a white spot on the forehead represented by a 
 number ai crown feathers with diamond-shaped median spots. No 
 trace of a white crown spot was seen in other specimens examined. 
 
 Birds of this species seem to have a preference for open spaces in 
 the forest rather than the open savanna regions. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill black ; feet slate black. 
 
 SPOROPHILA GUTTURALIS GUTTURALIS (Lichtenstein). 
 Fringilla gutturalis Licht., Verz. Doubl. 1823. p. 26. 
 Sporophila gutturalis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 26. 
 
 Found all along the river from Ciudad Bolivar to above the falls, 
 but nowhere common. 
 
 In fresh birds, adult males, the eye is seal brown; bill plum- 
 beous ; feet dusky grey. 
 
 DOLOSPINGUS NUCHALIS Elliot. 
 
 Dolospingus nuchalis Elliot, Ibis 1871. p. 402. 
 
 The type of this interesting species, in the American Museum col- 
 lection, is still the only known example. 
 
 VOLATINIA JACARINI SPLENDENS (Vieillot). 
 
 Fringilla splendent Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XII. 1817. p. 173. 
 Volatinia jacarina splendens Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 27. 
 
 Common both at Ciudad Bolivar and Caicara. Frequents bor- 
 ders of thickets on the open savanna. 
 
 On the I4th of June, at Caicara, a nest of this species was found 
 containing three eggs, all of them pipped. The nest was in a tuft of 
 grass, about 15 cm. from the ground, concealed by overhanging 
 bushes. The eggs are pale bluish white, marked all over, but most 
 thickly about the larger end, with reddish chestnut spots. The one 
 egg saved measured 16.75 x I2 -5 mm. 
 
 Young males resemble the females. One of the birds taken at 
 Caicara was in transitional plumage, from that of the female to that of 
 the adult male.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 191 
 
 ASTRAGALINUS PSAi/TRiA coLUMBiANus (Laf resnaye) . 
 Chrysomitris columbiana Lafr., Rev. Zool. 1843. P- 2 9 2 - 
 Spinus mexicanus columbianus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 27. 
 
 On my first expedition to the Orinoco a fair series, representing 
 birds in adult and in immature plumages, was collected, partly at 
 Altagracia and partly at Caicara. Specimens were collected in De- 
 cember, February, March and June. Only a single example was 
 secured on the two recent expeditions. 
 
 SICALIS FLAVEOLA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Fringilla flavcola L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 321. 
 Sycalis flaveola Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 27. 
 
 Native name Arrocero grande. Field observations and specimens 
 before me leave no doubt that the adult female of this species is like 
 the adult male. A female taken at Ciudad Bolivar, April loth, can 
 be distinguished from the male taken at the same place and date only 
 by the presence of faint dusky shaft streaks in the feathers of the 
 back. But three of the apparently adult males taken at Caicara show 
 the same dusky streaks on the back, so that it is not improbable that 
 with age the adult males and females will be absolutely indistinguish- 
 able. The series before me also shows that breeding begins before 
 the females have attained the adult plumage. A female taken June 
 I4th was brooding (as indicated by the condition of the abdomen). 
 This bird is a rather light yellowish olive-green above. The feathers 
 of the back are marked with dusky brownish streaks, top of head 
 greyish olive with dusky shaft streaks; wing-coverts like the back; 
 quills and rectrices dusky brownish, edged with the color of the back. 
 Lores and side of face greyish, interspersed with wax yellow feathers; 
 throat and upper breast wax yellow forming a broad band ; breast and 
 abdomen greyish white, palest on abdomen where there are a few 
 canary yellow feathers. Under tail-coverts canary yellow ; axillaries 
 and under wing-coverts lemon yellow ; inner edges of quills pale yel- 
 low. 
 
 In 1905 a. nest of this species, found May 25th, occupied a deserted 
 woodpecker's hole at the top of a dead palm stub about 7.6 m. 
 from the ground. A little dead grass had been taken in as nesting 
 material. Both parents were present, and indistinguishable in color, 
 one from the other. The male was collected (No. 13,732, Geo. K. 
 Cherrie, Caicara, Venezuela). Only one egg, perfectly fresh, was found
 
 IQ2 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 in the nest. It is ovate in form, pale bluish white in color, thickly 
 marked all over with specks and spots varying in color from clove brown 
 to olive brown, the lighter colors underlying the darker markings. The 
 egg measures 19.5 by 15 mm. 
 
 On my first expedition to the Orinoco I found a nest of this 
 species which from its history is worth recording. This nest was 
 found at Caicara, June 27, 1898. It was a nest within a nest, the 
 original builders having been Orioles (Icterus xanthornus], and was 
 first discovered the last of April, at that time new, and containing 
 young Orioles. The entrance then was at the top as is ordinary. 
 After the Orioles left the nest it evidently whipped about in sunshine 
 and rain and the neck or entrance dried and drew together and the 
 nest came to look old and weather worn. But this apparently suited 
 the new house hunters who made a neat small round hole in the body 
 of the nest and carried in some fine soft grass and woody hair-like 
 fibres as a nest lining. The remodelled nest contained three fresh 
 eggs, which was evidently a full set, for the female was shot as she 
 left the nest and dissection proved that no more eggs would have been 
 laid. The nest was about 2.5 m. from the ground. "The eggs 
 resemble those of a sparrow, being white, profusely covered with brown, 
 and a few underlying pale gray spots, the spots almost entirely 
 covering the thick end. They measure 20.5x14.5; 21.1x14.5 and 
 2 1. 1 x 14.3 mm. and are rather pointed ovate. 1 " 
 
 In 1907 additional nests and eggs were found, and notes relative to 
 the nesting habits of this species were made as follows: 
 
 A set of three partially incubated eggs, collected at Caicara, June 
 6th, were taken from a nest with a story. One day toward the end 
 of May while passing under the boughs of a tree containing a colony 
 of the yellow-rumped hang-nest (Cacicus cela), a nest was picked up 
 that had been broken away from its fellows and had fallen to the 
 ground. It was carried for a short distance and then carelessly 
 tossed among the branches of a tree, where it lodged. Passing that 
 way some days later I was surprised to see a yellow finch fly from 
 the old nest. An examination showed that a lining of soft, dry 
 grasses had been taken in and that the old nest now sheltered new 
 bird tenants. 
 
 The eggs found in this nest are similar in color to those described 
 
 'Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 27.
 
 : ORNITHOLOGY Of THE ORINOCO REGION. 193 
 
 above. They are ovate, one somewhat elongate, and measure 
 19.5 x 14.75, 19-5 x : 4-75 and 21.5 x 14.25 mm. respectively. 
 
 Another set of eggs collected July ist, also at Caicara, were 
 taken from a nest found at the bottom of a natural cavity in a large 
 tree. The nest body is composed of strips of soft inner bark mixed 
 here and there with tufts of cotton, while in the lining there is a con- 
 siderable quantiy of horse-hair-like vegetable fibres, the whole com- 
 pactly woven into a cup that measures 4 cm. in depth by 6 cm. in diameter 
 inside. 
 
 The eggs taken with this nest were four in number and perfectly 
 fresh. One is similar in every way to other examples seen and 
 described, but the remaining three are so thickly and uniformly 
 speckled over the entire surface with brown of a shade varying from 
 an olive to a clove brown as almost to conceal the whitish ground 
 color. They measure respectively 19.5 x 14, 19.5 x 14.5, 19.75 x J 5 
 and 20.25 x J 4-5 mm. 
 
 SICALIS COLUMBIANA COLUMBIANA Cabanis. 
 
 Sycalis columbiana Cab., Mus. Hein. I. 1850. p. 147; Berlepsch, Ibis, 
 1884. p. 433; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 28. 
 
 Native name Arrocero pequena. Common, frequenting the bor- 
 ders of ponds and streams and keeping together in small flocks, 
 except during the nesting season. An adult female taken April 5th 
 had but one foot; the other, having been amputated just below the 
 heel, had healed perfectly. 
 
 An adult female (No. 13,943 Cherrie Coll. Caicara, June 
 1 9th), is dusky olive brown above with faint shaft lines to the back 
 feathers ; head lighter brown ; wing-coverts like the back. Edges of outer 
 coverts olive green. Quills and tail-feathers dusky brown, edged with 
 olive yellowish on outer webs-. Below, grayish brown, paler on chin 
 and upper throat and whitish in centre of belly; faint dusky shaft 
 streaks on breast and flanks. Under tail-coverts' pale yellowish. 
 Axillaries pale yellowish. Under wing-coverts dusky olive yellow. 
 
 An immature male taken May 29th resembles the female but is 
 appreciably darker, richer colored above, below a trifle lighter, with 
 the dusky shaft streaks on the breast more prominent. There are a 
 few yellowish feathers about the corners of the mouth. A second 
 immature male taken June Hth has the upper parts like the female but 
 with brighter olive yellow edgings to wing quills and rectrices.
 
 194 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Cheeks pale brownish, separated from the whitish chin and throat by 
 a narrow dusky brownish submalar streak, sides of breast brownish, 
 paler and inclined to buffy in centre of breast. Belly whitish, flanks 
 buffy yellowish brown with dusky shaft streaks. Under tail-coverts pale 
 yellow. 
 
 A specimen in Juvenal plumage, taken May I7th, in company 
 with both parents, which were also collected, is olive brown above and 
 wood brown below with paler throat and crissum ; the wing and tail 
 quills are similar to those of the adult female but with the olive yel- 
 low quill edgings less pronounced. 
 
 The parent birds taken with the young described above indicate 
 that the males begin breeding before having acquired the fully adult 
 dress. The male in this case is similar to those described above as 
 "immature" and is in what might be more specifically termed the first 
 nuptial plumage. 
 
 Four nests of this species were found on the 1905 expedition. 
 One, which was not taken nor the eggs secured, was placed in the hol- 
 low of a horizontal limb about 4.5 m. from the ground. The second, 
 taken June i/th, was in a sand bank in an old nest-hole of the large 
 Kingfisher, Megaceryle torquata, 45.7 cm. back from the mouth. The nest, 
 which was rather deeply cup-shaped, was embedded in the sand as though 
 a hole had been scratched for its reception. Inside it measured 
 2.2 cm. deep by 2.9 cm. in diameter. It is constructed entirely of 
 fine rootlets and dried grass-stems. The four fresh eggs found in 
 this nest are short ovate in form and measure 16.5x13.5, 17x13.5 
 and 17 x 13 and 17 x 13 mm. respectively. They are pale nile blue 
 speckled with vandyke and seal brown, the spots forming a ring about 
 the larger end. 
 
 The third nest was found June I7th. This was placed about 91.5 
 cm. up in a crevice between the rocks in a stone wall. The eggs 
 were fresh. One is rounded ovate in shape and the remaining three 
 short ovate. They measure 13x15, 13x16, 13x16 and 13.5x16.5 
 mm. The color is as in the set described above, but the aggregation 
 of spots about the larger ends is not so pronounced. The parent bird 
 was shot as she left the nest and is the adult female described above. 
 A nest found April 28, 1898, at Quiribana de Caicara contained four 
 eggs with incubation far advanced. This nest was situated behind 
 the loose bark of an old rotten stump about 30 cm. from the ground. 
 The nesting materials consisted entirely of soft dry grasses.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION; IQ5 
 
 Four nests and sets of eggs of this species were collected during 
 the 1907 expedition. The first was taken the 8th of May and the last 
 June 23rd. The eggs collected were fresh in each case. The set 
 taken June 23rd contained five eggs. An interesting coincidence in 
 the collecting of this season was the taking of a nest and set of eggs 
 of this species (June I3th) from the same crevice in a stone wall as 
 the set taken June 17, 1905 and described above. 
 
 From our observations and the material at hand we may conclude 
 that the nesting season lasts from the middle of April to the end of 
 June, and sets vary from three to five in number. 
 
 SICALIS ARVENSIS MINOR Cabanis. 
 
 Sicalis minor Cab., in Schomb. Reise Brit. Guiana III. 1848. p. 679. 
 Serin opsis arz>ensis minor Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 28. 
 
 Inhabits the open savannas where it is more frequently seen on 
 the ground than perched in the low trees and bushes growing there 
 in scattering clumps. The nest is placed in the tall marsh grass 
 bordering inland ponds or streams. 
 
 A nest taken at San Mateo de Caicara May i6th in open swampy 
 land was placed in a thick bunch of grass about 30.5 cm. from )the 
 ground. It contained three slightly incubated eggs, ovate in form, 
 pale bluish green in color, two of the eggs being speckled and spotted 
 all over with brown varying in color from vandyke to chocolate, the 
 third with the markings confined chiefly to a distinct ring about the 
 larger end. The eggs measure 16.5 x 12.75, ][ 6-75 x 13 and 16.5 x 12.5 
 mm. The nest is rather neat, and compactly built; it is composed 
 entirely of dry grasses, the outside course and the lining soft and fine. 
 It measures outside 7.5 cm. diameter by 6 cm. deep; inside 4 cm. diameter 
 by 2.5 cm. deep. 
 
 The song of this species is usually given while on the wing. I 
 have frequently seen the male birds spring from the ground and rise 
 to a height of thirty or forty feet, singing as they dropped on flutter- 
 ing wings. 
 
 BRACK YSPIZA CAPENSIS (P. L. S. Miiller). 
 
 Pringilla capensis P. L. S. Miiller, Natursyst. Suppl. 1776. p. 165. 
 Brachyspisa capensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 28. 
 
 Two specimens, adult male and female, were taken April 6th, 
 1898, in a thicket bordering a low range of hills near Quiribana de
 
 196 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Caicara. They were sent to the Tring Museum and recorded in the 
 Berlepsch and Hartert paper. That is the only record I have for this 
 species in over three years' work in the valley of the Orinoco. 
 
 MYOSPIZA MANIMBE (Lichtenstein). 
 Fringilla Manimbe Licht., Verz. Doubl. 1823. p. 25. 
 Myospiza manimbe Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 28. 
 
 Abundant in the open savanna regions. Called Ratonera by the 
 natives from its habit of running about between the tufts of grass and 
 concealing itself by crouching down close to the ground. 
 
 An adult taken at Ciudad Bolivar, April 4th, had the eye vandyke 
 brown; bill above dusky, below cinereous; feet pale. 
 
 A male bird was flushed from a nest found at Caicara May 22, 
 1905. The nest was on the ground at the foot of a bunch of rather 
 long grass that drooped over and partially concealed it. It was 
 constructed entirely of dry grasses loosely put together. Incuba- 
 tion had just begun in the three delicate, pure white and slightly 
 glossy eggs. The eggs are short ovate in form and measure 
 18.25 x 14.5, 18.5 x 14.5 and 18.5 x 14.5 mm. 
 
 A second nest and set of eggs 1 of this species was taken at Las 
 Guacas on the San Feliz River (a tributary of the Cuchivero) May 17, 
 1907. This nest also was on the ground at the foot of a tussock of 
 grass which completely concealed it. The female flushing from 
 almost beneath my feet disclosed the nest, which is an almost perfect 
 sphere of soft dry grasses with the entrance on one side. The nest 
 measures 8.5 cm. in diameter outside, the entrance to the nest cavity 
 about 3.5 cm. in diameter and the nest cavity about 6 cm. The 
 eggs, two in number, were fresh. They are pure white in color, be- 
 tween an ovate and a short ovate in form and measure 19 x 14.5 and 
 18.25 x T 4-5 mm - 
 
 This species was observed by the writer at all points visited on 
 the Orinoco. Klages sent a series to the American Museum that 
 were collected at Maripa on the Caura River during the months of 
 December, January, February, March and April. These, compared with 
 a series from other points in South America, such as Matto Grosso, 
 Bahia, Bogota, and Apolobamba, Bolivia, seem in every way similar. 
 
 1 Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. III. 1891. p. 374, describes two sets of eggs as belonging to this species, but says 
 they are white with a delicate wreath of small spots of blackish brown and purplish lavender around th e 
 larger end. The measurements of two eggs are given as ".77 x .56 (19.56 x 22 mm.) and .65 x .55 (i 1.31 x 
 13.97 mm.). 
 
 It is- possible that some sets of eggs of this species are marked as above, but I am strongly of the opinion 
 that the specimens described by Dr. Allen were incorrectly identified.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 197 
 
 ARREMONOPS CONIROSTRIS VENEZUELENSIS Ridgway. 
 Arremonops venezuelensis Ridgw. Auk. XV. 1898. p. 228. 
 Arremonops conirostris ve-nezuelensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 29. 
 
 Not common; keeps to the thickets about the borders of heavy 
 woodland. Has a pleasant song that is usually delivered from the 
 upper branches of some shrub or low tree. 
 
 I find in my field notes on my first expedition to Venezuela the 
 record of finding a nest and one fresh egg of this species at Caicara 
 on the loth of August, 1898. The female was flushed from the nest 
 and collected at the time. The nest was about 30.5 cm. from the 
 ground in a tangle of thorny palm stalks. The opening or entrance 
 was on one side of the somewhat bulky and roughly flask-shaped 
 nest, turned slightly upward and was quite as large as the largest 
 diameter of the nest cavity. The nest measured about 16.5 cm. in 
 diameter by 25.4 cm. high. It was built of the dead blades of broad 
 leaved grasses, sedges and other aquatic plants, lined with soft fine 
 rootlets. The one egg found was white, without gloss, ovate in form 
 and measured 25.5 x 17.7 mm. 
 
 ARREMON SILENS (Boddaert). 
 Tanagra silens Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 46. 
 Arremon silens Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 23. 
 
 I found this species not uncommon about Maipures on the upper 
 river and collected specimens during December, January, February, 
 March and April. The American Museum possesses birds collected 
 on the Caura in September, October and February. A female taken 
 April 5th had a nearly fully developed egg in the oviduct. 
 
 Fresh birds have the eye seal brown ; bill black ; feet pale grey. 
 The only note I heard from this species was a sharp pssss. 
 
 EMBERIZOIDES MACROURUS (Gmelin). 
 
 Fringilla macroura Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1/88. p. 918. 
 llmbcrisoides macrourus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 29. 
 
 Not observed at Bolivar but it was common at Altagracia, Quiri- 
 bana de Caicara and San Mateo de Caicara in certain restricted locali- 
 ties, such as marshy places, where tall sedge-grass grows on the open 
 savannas. When flushed this bird will only fly for a few yards and 
 then drop into the tall grasses.
 
 198 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 SPIZA AMERICANA (Gmelin). 
 
 Emberisa americana Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 91.8. 
 Spisa americana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 29. 
 
 During my stay at Ciudad Bolivar from April ist to i/th, 1905, 
 the dickcissel was very abundant in open patches of timber on the 
 savannas and along the water courses. Large flocks containing 
 many males and females were flitting about in the tree-tops. All 
 were singing, and mating seemed to be going on. On my previous 
 expedition I noted the dickcissel at Altagracia and Caicara from the 
 29th of December until May loth. 
 
 PAROARIA NIGROGENYS (Lafresnaye). 
 
 Nemosia nigrogenys Lafr., Rev. Zool. 1846. p. 273. 
 Paroaria nigrogenys Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 29. 
 
 Abundant. The Gorro Colorado of the natives is one of the 
 characteristic birds of the Orinoco region. It is found everywhere 
 but is not common in heavy timber. Often seen about the door 
 yards of the native houses and in the houses themselves where the 
 birds do not hesitate to enter if the openings at the gables and eaves 
 afford an easy means of escape. They are fond of bits of meat and 
 may be frequently seen helping themselves from the strings of fresh 
 meat that are hung out in the sun to dry, whenever an animal is 
 butchered at a native house. 
 
 The colors of fresh birds are : eye light brick red ; bill black, grayish 
 at base of the mandible ; feet slate color. 
 
 The nest is usually placed among the thick branches in the top of 
 some low shrub or tree, or in a tangle of vines, and is ordinarily in 
 the area that is flooded during the rainy season. A nest found at 
 Caicara August 6th, 1898, was in a tree top, but only about eight 
 inches above the surrounding water. The nearest dry land was prob- 
 ably 500 yards from the nest site. This nest was not in any way 
 attached to the surrounding twigs but set loosely in among them. "It 
 is a shallow cup of dry twigs and rootlets, lined with fine smooth grass. 
 The eggs are smooth' almost glossless greenish white, covered with 
 blotches and small patches of greenish brown, with a few underlying 
 mauve spots, the markings being more frequent about the thick end. 
 They measure 18.9 x 14.5 and 20.5 x 15 mm. 1 " The nest contained three 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 30.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 199 
 
 eggs, one fresh and two badly incubated. One of the incubated eggs 
 was broken. Of the measurements given above the smaller is for the 
 fresh egg. 
 
 A second nest taken on the same date looks as though it were an 
 old one that had been "refurnished" with a new lining which on one 
 side extends considerably above the edge of the old nest which had 
 tipped to one side. The lining is a fine root-like vegetable fibre (hazel 
 brown in color). The old nest is made up of fine dead twigs, mostly 
 thorny, firmly bound together and attached to the surrounding twigs 
 and vines by spiderwebs. This nest was about 25.3 cm. above the 
 water. The inside measurements are 4.8 cm. in diameter by 2.3 cm. 
 in depth. The two fresh eggs measure 19.5 x 14.5 and 20.5 x 14.75 
 mm. June 5, 1905, a nest was found in the tops of some bushes, 
 about 1.5 m. above the ground, in a marsh, that within another three 
 weeks would have been completely inundated. The body of the nest 
 is composed of fine dead grasses and weed tops firmly bound to- 
 gether and to the surrounding twigs by spiderwebs. The whole is 
 neat, trim and substantial in appearance, although so lightly builded 
 that the eggs are readily seen through the bottom of the nest. There 
 is an inner lining of fine, horse-hair-like black vegetable fibres. The 
 inside measurements are 5.5 cm. diameter by 2.9 cm. in depth; outside 
 9x5 cm. The nest contained two eggs with incubation far advanced. 
 Only one was preserved, and that measures 20.75 x J 4-5 mm - 
 
 In juvenal plumage, this species is a dark sepia brown above, 
 wings and tail brownish black. There are only the faintest indica- 
 tions of paler edges to the feathers of the back and the wing coverts. 
 Below the portion of the cheeks and throat that is crimson in the 
 adult, is a pale ochraceous buff; the remaining under parts are white, 
 faintly buffy on sides, flanks and under tail-coverts. 
 
 Succeeding the juvenal plumage, there is a partial moult, in 
 which the sepia brown feathers of the head are replaced, on the centre 
 of the crown largely by ones with brownish black tips and crimson 
 bases, the feathers themselves somewhat lanceolate in form but not 
 markedly elongated. In this stage of plumage the sides of the face, 
 lores and ear-coverts become brownish black ; the chin is blackish, 
 and the ochraceous buff feathers of birds in juvenal plumage are 
 largely replaced by rufous with slight intermixture of crimson, the 
 crimson feathers having the lanceolate form of those of adult plu- 
 mage. The remaining under parts are pale buffy white.
 
 200 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 The adult or nuptial plumage seems to be acquired by a com- 
 plete prenuptial moult and my observations indicate that breeding 
 does not begin until the adult plumage has been acquired. 
 
 SALTATOR OLIVASCENS Cabanis. 
 Saltator olivascens Cab., in Schomb. Reise Brit. Guiana III. 1848. p. 6/6; 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 23. 
 
 Common throughout the delta region and along the middle 
 stretches of the river as far up as the mouth of the Meta River. 
 
 Colors of fresh birds are : eye, seal brown ; bill, blackish ; feet, smoke 
 grey. 
 
 Nesting begins in April as indicated by a female taken at Ciudad 
 Bolivar April I5th that had an egg in the oviduct. Immature birds 
 resemble the adults but are washed all over with bright olive green. 
 
 SALTATOR MAXIMUS (Muller). 
 
 Tanagra maxima Miiller, Natursyst. Suppl. 1776. p. 159. 
 Saltator magmis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 23, not Gmelin ; et auctorum. 
 This species of Saltator was observed on the upper Orinoco only. 
 S. olivascens and 5". orenocensis taking its place on the middle and lower 
 stretches of the river. Andre and Klages sent specimens from Suapure 
 and La Pricion on the Caura River to the Tring Museum. 
 
 SALTATOR ORENOCENSIS Lafresnaye. 
 Saltator orenocensis Lafr., Rev. Zool. 1846. p. 274; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 23, PI. XII, fig. 3. 
 
 Common at all points along the Orinoco from the delta region 
 (Las Barrancas) to Urbana or about the mouth of the Apure River. 
 
 An adult male had the eye sepia brown ; bill, blackish slate above, 
 plumbeous below; feet, slaty. The colors of an adult female were: 
 eye pinkish cream color; bill greenish drab with a dusky line along 
 ridge of culmen ; feet pinkish ; flesh white. 
 
 On May 10, 1898, I took a nest of this species containing one 
 nearly fully fledged young and one addled egg. The nest was placed 
 among the tops of a thick clump of canes, about 2.13 m. above the 
 ground. It is a large loose structure of broad grasses, sedge and 
 twigs without a particularly soft lining. The single egg reminds one 
 of a large Carpodacus egg, being light greenish blue, with a few minute 
 purplish black spots near the thick end. It measures 24 x 17.5 mm. 1 
 
 'Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 24.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 2OI 
 
 Both parent birds remained near while I was collecting the nest 
 and evinced great excitement, frequently breaking into full song. The 
 young bird did not show any fear when I carried it to my camp and 
 readily took food from the hand. It met an unfortunate end a few nights 
 later, being killed by rats. 
 
 On the 1907 expedition a nest with two fresh eggs together with 
 the female parent bird was taken at Caicara on the I5th of June. 
 This nest was placed between small upright forks, in the top of a 
 small thorny tree, about 5 m. from the ground. It is loosely, 
 seemingly carelessly, put together, and of somewhat ragged exterior 
 outlines. The nesting material consists of weed stems, broad 
 grasses, a few leaves and strips of soft vegetable fibers (partially disinte- 
 grated pieces from the leaves of some species of palm [?]), with a 
 thin layer of somewhat coarse tendril-like plant stems forming the lining. 
 It measures outside about 10 cm. in diameter, and 7 cm. in depth; inside 
 about 6 cm. in diameter at the rim and 4.5 cm. in depth. The eggs are 
 ovate in form, and measure 22.5 x 18 and 23.75 x l 7-75 mm - They are a 
 bluish nile in color, one with dots, spots and irregular lines of black 
 arranged in a band about the larger end, the other with a moderately wide 
 band of irregular black lines and marks about the smaller end, and a few 
 scattering black irregular lines and blotches over the body of the egg. 
 Two eggs seem to constitute a full clutch. 
 
 CORYPHOSPINGUS PILEATUS (Wied.). 
 
 Fringilla pileata Wied, Reise Bras. II. 1821. p. 160. 
 Coryphospingus pileatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 30. 
 
 Very abundant at Ciudad Bolivar in the scattering clumps of trees 
 that border the water courses on the savannas ; but not observed at any 
 point higher up the river. In the adult male the eye is seal brown ; 
 bill above black, below cinereous; feet smoke grey. 
 
 ICTERIDAE CASSIQUES, HANGNESTS, ORIOLES, BLACK- 
 BIRDS. 
 
 Seventeen species and subspecies are included in Berlepsch and 
 Hartert's paper, fifteen of which number have been observed and collected 
 by the writer. All are probably resident in the localities where found,
 
 202 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 but several of the species are more abundant at some seasons than at 
 others. Or, it is not impossible that the relative abundance or paucity 
 of a given species at any particular season is more apparent than real 
 and i-s dependent on the habit certain forms have of congregating into 
 great flocks during the dry season. As a group, birds of this family 
 are well known and characteristic of the region. The long purse-like 
 nests of colonies of some of the hang-nests are conspicuous objects in 
 many a landscape. The brilliant plumages of others attract attention, 
 while the vocal powers of certain species are unrivaled among tropical 
 birds. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ICTERIDAE. 
 
 a. Outstretched feet reaching beyond the end of the tail and claw of hind 
 toe elongated. 
 
 b. Outer tail-feathers largely or entirely white Sturntlla, magna meridiona- 
 
 lis. 
 b'. Outer tail-feathers not white. 
 
 c. More or less red in plumage of under parts (adult males with throat 
 
 and breast bright scarlet) Leistes militaris. 
 
 c'. No red in plumage of under parts Dolichonyx oryzivorus. 
 
 a'. Outstretched feet falling short of end of the tail and claw of hind toe" not 
 
 elongated. 
 b. Black with iridescent lustre (male) or brown (female). l 
 
 c. Frontal plumes erect Lampropsar tanagrinus 
 
 guianensis. 
 
 c'. Frontal plumes not erect. 
 d. Size large, wing more than 150 mm. Neck feathers lengthened 
 
 and expanded 2 Cassidix oryzivora oryzivora. 
 
 d'. Smaller, wing less than 150 mm. 
 
 . Length of bill not more than' twice its depth; tail square or but 
 slightly rounded. 
 
 /. Size large wing more than 1 20 mm Molothrus cabanisi. * 
 
 /'. Smaller, wing not more than 120 mm. 
 
 g. Wing not over 105 mm Molothrus alronilens. * 
 
 g'. Wing more than 105 mm Molothrus bonariensis 
 
 venezuelensis . 
 ef. Length of bill more than twice its depth. Tail much rounded, 
 
 almost wedge-shaped Holoquiscalus lugubris. 
 
 b'. Not uniformly black or brown, above and below. 
 c. Throat uniform with breast and sides and general color of under parts 
 
 olive green, black or brown. . 
 
 d. Entire under parts uniform (black) ; above, rump bright red Cacicus haemorrhous. 
 
 d'. Under tail-coverts not uniform with breast. 
 
 e. Rump yellow Cacicus cela. 
 
 e 1 . Rump chestnut. 
 
 /. Body black Ostinops decumanus. 
 
 f. Body olive green Ostinops viridis. 
 
 'The females of Lampropsar tanagrinus resemble the males and are black and slightly glossy. 
 
 2 Neck feathers not expanded in females. 
 
 'In the British Museum Catalogue of Birds, XI. 1886. 338, this species is recorded from Caracas, 
 Venezuela, and Trinidad, so it is not improbable that it will be found later in the delta region of the Orinoco. 
 
 Hellmayr, Npyit. Zool. XIIJ. 1906. 20, designates the Coast of British Guiana as the type locality. 
 -!- S u e es ls ou ^ d m Trinidad - and Venezuela is included in the habitat given in the Catalogue of Birds, 
 British Museum XI. 1886. 337, so we may confidently expect it in the delta region of the Orinoco.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 2O3 
 
 cf. If throat is uniform with breast and sides then general color of 
 
 under parts is neither black nor brown. 
 d. Throat uniform with remaining under parts. 
 e. Upper parts bright olive yellowish; wings blackish with pale 
 quill edges and two wing-bars formed by pale tips of greater 
 
 and middle coverts '. Icterus xanthornus xanlhor- 
 
 nus (Juvenal). 
 
 e'. Head yellow; back, wings and tail black Gymnomystax mexicanus. 
 
 d'. Throat not uniform with remaining under parts. 
 
 . Lower back and crissum chestnut ' Gymnostinops yuracares 
 
 caurensis. 
 e'. No chestnut in plumage. 
 
 /. Throat yellow Xanthosomus icterocephalus. 
 
 f. Throat black. 
 
 g. Head all around black Icterus icterus. 
 
 g f . Top of head yellow uniform with back Icterus xanthornus xanthor- 
 nus (adult). 
 
 GYMNOSTINOPS YURACARES CAURENSIS Todd. 
 Cassicus yuracares Lafr. & D'Orb., Syn. Av. H. p. 2 ; in Mag. Zool. VIII. 
 
 1838. 
 
 Gymnostinops yuracares Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 30. 
 Gymnostinops yuracares caurensis Todd; Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXVI, 
 
 1913, 170 (Rio Mocho, Rio Caura, Venez.). 
 
 The Tring Museum received specimens collected on the Caura 
 River, at Suapure by Klages, and at Nicare by Andre. None were 
 seen on the Orinoco proper by the writer. 
 
 OSTINOPS DECUMANUS (Pallas). 
 
 Xanthornus decumanus Pall., Spic. Zool. Fasc. VI. 1769. p. i. 
 Ostinops decumanus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 30. 
 
 This species seemed to be confined to the heavily wooded regions 
 above the falls in the Orinoco and the equally heavy forests of the 
 delta region. It was not observed by the writer anywhere below the 
 mouth of the river Meta. A number of trees in the vicinity of Maipures 
 and Munduapo were conspicuous by the number of long nests of this 
 species swinging from their branches. 
 
 Beebe collected a female at Guanoco in the delta region. 
 
 OSTINOPS VIRIDIS (Miiller). 
 
 Oriolus viridis Miiller, Natursyst. Supplement, 1776. p. 87. 
 Ostinops viridis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 30. 
 
 Klages sent a specimen from the Mato River mouth (on the Caura 
 River) to the Tring Museum and Andre sent one from Nicare. It was 
 not observed by the writer.
 
 2O4 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 CACICUS CELA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Partis Cela Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1758. p. 191. 1 
 Cassicus persicus Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884, p. 433 (Angostura and Rio 
 
 Apure). 
 Cassicus albirostris Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 30. 
 
 Native name Arrendajo. A common bird all along the lower 
 stretches of the river including the delta region, and along the middle 
 stretches, as far as the mouth of the Meta. Also abundant along 
 the lower Caura River. Nesting in colonies and frequenting the nesting- 
 trees throughout the year. The colonies vary- in size from half 
 a dozen to seventy-five or eighty nests placed close beside one 
 another and at heights above the ground of from 7.6 m. to 30 m. 
 No single species of tree seems to be preferred; but the tree selected 
 and the height from the ground appears to be determined by the 
 presence of the nest of some species of wasp (most frequently Polybia 
 liliacea Fabricius), or not uncommonly a nest of stingless bees which 
 forms the centre about which the bird village is built. The most cordial 
 good-fellowship appears to exist between the birds and their insect neigh- 
 bors. My observations have not indicated any direct relationship between 
 the size of the bird and insect colonies. However, when through accident 
 or natural causes the wasp nests are destroyed or abandoned the sur- 
 rounding bird colonies seem to dwindle in size and are finally also aban- 
 doned. A number of colonies of Arrendajo that I noted when on the 
 Orinoco in 1897 and 1898, were still in existence in 1905, some flourish- 
 ing, others in decadence and some abandoned. And in every instance 
 where a colony had been abandoned or had decreased in population, the 
 wasp nests were either broken down or had been abandoned. 
 
 Nesting begins toward the end of the dry season, in April, and 
 continues until June; and what appears to be an intelligent adaptation 
 to circumstances is seen in the finishing of the nests. During the early 
 part of the breeding season, before the rains have begun to come, the 
 nests are almost all open from the top as in the case of our common 
 Baltimore Oriole. As the rains begin to come, after the eggs have been 
 laid, and often the young hatched, the top entrance is gradually roofe-l 
 over and the nest entrance becomes a bent tube with the opening down- 
 ward. The nests are purse-shaped bags tightly woven from long, tough, 
 narrow-bladed marsh grasses. Some are provided with an inner lining 
 
 'See Hellmayr. Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 20.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 
 
 205 
 
 of soft dead grasses, others are without lining. They average about 
 38 cm. in length and 15 cm. in diameter, but little constricted at the top. 
 
 The colonies are frequently so compact that three and four nests 
 may press one against another and actually be woven one to another. 
 
 Two eggs constitute a set and there is considerable variation in 
 shape and size between the various sets, but not between the eggs of 
 individual sets. In five sets that I have before me there are good ex- 
 amples of ovate, elongate ovate and cylindrical ovate. The measure- 
 ments of the five sets are 26.75 x J 8-5 and 27.5 x 19.5 ; 27.75 x : 9 an ^ 
 27x18.75; 29.5x17.75 and 31x17.75; 27.25x18.5 and 28x18.5; 
 27 x 18.25 and 28.25 x l8 -75 mm - The color is white with a faint bluish 
 wash, marked with specks, spots and blotches of chestnut over vinaceous 
 brown. In some eggs the markings are pretty evenly distributed over 
 the entire egg; in others they are almost confined to large blotches in a 
 ring about the larger end. 
 
 The colors in fresh birds are : eye azure blue ; bill pale sulphur 
 yellow ; feet black. 
 
 CACICUS HAEMORRHOUS HAEMORRHOUS (Linnaeus). 
 Oriolus haemorrhous L v Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. -p. 161. 
 Cassicus haemorrhous Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 31. 
 
 This was the only form of Cacicus observed on the Orinoco above 
 the falls of Atures and was found there almost as abundantly as was 
 C. cela on the lower and middle stretches of the river. 
 
 ICTERUS CHRYSOCEPHALUS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Oriolus chrysocephdus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 164. 
 Xanthornus chrysocephalus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 31. 
 
 Native name Moriche. Specimens were secured in the vicinity of 
 the first falls in the river, at Perico, and from that point onward up 
 stream. I also noted this species in the trees along the river bank at 
 several points below Ciudad Bolivar. It is somewhat remarkable that it 
 was nowhere observed between Bolivar and the falls^of Atures. 
 
 Orioles of this species are much sought after as cage birds by the 
 natives and are sold often at from three to ten dollars each. 
 
 ICTERUS AURICAPIU.US Cassin. 
 
 Icterus auricapillus Cass.. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. III. 1847. p. 332. 
 Xanthornus auricapillus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 31.
 
 206 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Occasionally observed along the middle Orinoco. Among specimens 
 collected at Caicara was a breeding female which was taken June 7, 
 1898. 
 
 ICTERUS XANTHORNUS XANTHORNUS (Gmelin). 
 Oriolus xanthornus Gm., Syst. Nat. ed. 13. I. 1788. p. 391. 
 Xanthornus xanthornus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 31. 
 
 Native name Gonzalito. The colors in life are, eye seal brown ; bill 
 black; feet plumbeous. 
 
 A female in Juvenal plumage, collected at Caicara May 4, 1907, 
 is rich dark olive yellow above, darkest on the back; the wings are 
 blackish, the primaries narrowly edged on the outer webs and the 
 secondaries rather broadly edged and tipped with pale greyish ; there 
 are two wing-bands produced by pale tips of the greater and median 
 wing-coverts, that on the greater coverts being buffy and the band 
 on the median coverts shaded with the color of the back; the bend of 
 the wing and under parts are canary yellow (without a sign of the 
 black throat patch of the adults) ; the tail is dusky olive green. 
 
 An abundant species; in habits quite like our Baltimore Oriole. In 
 trees where this oriole is nesting are very frequently found nests of one 
 or more species of Flycatchers (Pitangus, Myiozetetes, Legatus, etc.), 
 and not infrequently nests of the Gonzalito will be found close to those of 
 a colony of the yellow-rumped Hangnest, Cacicus cela. The nests aic 
 typical oriole nests, bag-shaped, about 30 cm. long and 10 cm. in 
 diameter at the bottom, slightly constricted at the top. They are 
 usually suspended between forked twigs at the extreme tips of branches. 
 I have found nests within 1.22 m. of the ground, in bushes, and again 
 15.25 m. up. During my two recent expeditions I noted a number of 
 nests building in small trees over the water that, before the eggs could 
 have been hatched and the young have left the nest, must have been 
 submerged by the rapidly rising river. 
 
 A nest taken on the nth of May, 1907, is somewhat unusual, as 
 it is partially supported by an old nest of the same species, which a 
 month earlier contained young yellow orioles almost ready to fly. 
 Through some cause one of the supporting twigs of the old nest had 
 broken, allowing the nest to sag and partially close the entrance. The 
 new nest is supported by the remaining branch of the fork that held 
 the old nest and also by being woven fast to the old nest itself. While 
 there is no proof that both nests were built by the same pair of birds, 
 yet the choice of the same locality, the construction of nests of the
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 2O/ 
 
 same relative size and style, and the similarity, of the materials employed 
 would all seem to indicate that the orioles had found the locality a 
 desirable one in which to rear a family, and had made preparations for 
 their second brood. This nest was about 7.6 m. from the 
 ground in a large tree standing in a rather thinly wooded savanna 
 region. It contained three fresh eggs; they are elongated ovate in 
 form and in color are white, beautifully marked with dark brown lines 
 and spots over similar underlying pale mauve colored markings, 
 especially about the larger end. They measure 23 x 15; 23.6 x 15.5 
 and 22.5 x 15.2 mm. A set of eggs sent by the writer to the Tring 
 Museum measure 25.1 x 15.6 and 24.5 x 17.1 mm 1 A single egg taken 
 with a nest May, 1905, measures 26 x 17.5 mm. and is nearly elongate 
 ovate in form. Deserted nests of this species are often taken possession 
 of for nesting purposes by other kinds of birds such as Sicalis flaveola 
 and the striped Flycatcher, Legatus albicollis. 
 
 This oriole displays considerable individual taste in the selection 
 of material and in the details of construction of its nests. 
 
 ICTERUS ICTERUS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Oriolus icterus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 161. pro parte. 
 Xanthornus icterus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 32. 
 
 Native name Trupial. Adult birds in life have the eye straw yellow, 
 bare skin about eye cobalt blue; bill black, plumbeous at base of the 
 mandible; feet plumbeous. 
 
 Not uncommon, but wary and shy; distributed everywhere along 
 the river at least as far as the mouth of the Meta. 
 
 Very little has been written regarding the life history of this bird. 
 It is, therefore, with much pleasure that I present the following notes. 
 
 A nest and set of eggs was collected at Caicara May 4, 1907. The 
 nest had as its foundation the half decayed mass of grasses that had 
 once served, most probably, as a nest of Pitangus sulphuratus rufipennis. 
 Repairs had been made in the roof and a lining of soft grasses had been 
 placed on the bottom of the nest cavity. From the outside there was 
 nothing to indicate that it was more than an old nest long since aban- 
 doned. The entrance, the original one, was on one side but completely 
 hidden from below by surrounding foliage. In the same tree were 
 three other deserted nests of Pitangus, each of which was in a much 
 better state of preservation than the one that the trupial had selected. 
 
 'Berlepsch & Hartert. p. 32.
 
 208 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 The set consisted of three eggs in which incubation had begun. 
 The eggs seem somewhat large for the size of the bird; they are 
 elongate ovate in form and measure 28 x 18.75 J 28 -5 x l %-5 an & 2 7-5 x J 8 
 mm. respectively. In color they are white, with a faint buffy pink shade, 
 rather thickly marked, especially about the larger end, with two or 
 three sets of markings consisting of dots, spots and irregular lines and 
 blotches of brown. The outermost ones are clove brown superimposed 
 on a brown, nearly a burnt umber in shade which overlies an inner set 
 of markings varying in shade from a drab-brown to a smoke 'grey. 
 Both parent birds were present and evinced much solicitude for their 
 home. 
 
 Birds of this species are frequently kept in cages by the natives. In 
 the market place at Ciudad Bolivar they bring fancy prices. 
 
 GYMNOMYSTAX MEXICANUS (Linnaeus). 
 Oriolus mexicanus L,., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 162. 
 'Gymnomysta.v mexicanus Berlepsch & Hartert. p. 32. 
 
 Native name Maisero. Common from Ciudad Bolivar to the mouth 
 of the Apure. In fresh birds the eye is seal brown, bare skin about 
 eye black ; bill black ; feet black. 
 
 When I reached Ciudad Bolivar in April (1905), great flocks of 
 these birds were to be seen every morning and evening feeding on a 
 swampy piece of ground just back of the city. 
 
 A nest with set of eggs was taken at Caicara, May 8, 1907. It is a 
 somewhat thick walled open cup, or bowl-shaped affair constructed of 
 weed and grass stems and having the nest cavity lined with medium 
 coarse rootlets. The materials are loosely, but neatly woven together. 
 The nest measures inside 5.5 cm. in depth by about 8.5 cm. in diameter; 
 outside ii cm. in depth by 17 cm. in diameter. It was in the top 
 of a Chaparo oak amid the thickly tangled branches of a parasitic plant 
 about 6.10 m. from the ground. The eggs, three in number, were fresh. 
 They are between an ovate and a short ovate in form, and measure 
 26.5 x 20.5 ; 26 x 20 and 26.5 x 20 mm. In color they are a very pale 
 bluish (pale nile blue) marked chiefly about the larger end, with dots, 
 spots and blotches, of brown varying in shade from a clove-brown, the 
 outermost markings, through burnt umber to drab, the latter underlying 
 the darker markings. 
 
 With these eggs was found a single fresh egg of the Venezuelan 
 Cowbird, Molothrus venezuelensis.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 2OQ 
 
 While the set of eggs and nest above described were being collected 
 both parent birds were present and much excited. No other nests of 
 the species were found in the same neighborhood. 
 
 In the American Museum is a series of birds of this species col- 
 lected at Mar-ipa on the Caura River by Klages during February, May 
 and June. 
 
 XANTHOSOMUS ICTEROCEPHAUJS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Oriolns icterocephalus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 163. 
 Xanthosomus icterocephalus Cabanis, Mus. Hein., i, 1851. p. 189. 
 Agelaeus icterocephalus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 32. 
 
 Fresh birds have the eye seal brown; bill slate black; feet black. 
 
 Common in flocks at Altagracia and at Ouiribana de Caicara, frorrt 
 November to January ; noted at Caicara once in April. An adult female 
 was collected at Ciudad Bolivar in April ; an adult male was taken near 
 the mouth of the San Feliz River on the Cuchivero River the I5th of 
 May. Observed in small numbers above the falls of Maipures during 
 December. Klages sent a pair to the American Museum that were col- 
 lected on the Caura River near the mouth of the river Meta in January. 
 
 STURNELLA MAGNA MERIDIONALIS Sclater. 
 Sturnella meridionalis Scl., Ibis, 1861. p. 179. 
 Sturnella magna meridionalis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 32. 
 
 Native name Mochila vacia. In life the colors are : eye seal-brown ; 
 bill black above, mandible and basal part of cutting edge of maxilla 
 plumbeous grey, tip of mandible blackish slate ; feet drab grey. Com- 
 mon on the savannas. Habits similar to those of our own Meadow- 
 larks. While Sturnella is common on open savanna districts bordering 
 the river all the way from below Ciudad Bolivar to the region above the 
 falls, the birds found on the upper river, from the mouth of the Meta 
 onward, are decidedly smaller and darker colored than those found on 
 the middle stretches of the river. 
 
 LEISTES MILITARIS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Tanagra militaris L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. pp. 162, 316. 
 Leistcs militaris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 33. 
 
 Common on the savannas but rather difficult to approach. Not 
 observed farther up the river than the mouth of the Apure.
 
 2IO BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 LAMPROPSAR TANAGRINUS GUIANENSIS Cabanis. 
 
 Icterus tanagrinus Spix. Av. Brasil. I. 1824. p. 67. 
 
 Lampropsar guianensis Cab. in Schomb. Reise Brit. Guiana III. 1848. 
 
 p. 682. 
 Lampropsar tanagrinus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 33. 
 
 The writer observed this species only on the upper river above the 
 falls of Maipures, where it was common. Beebe on a recent expedition 
 secured a specimen at Guanoco in the Orinoco delta 1 . However, the 
 species has been previously recorded from the same point by Hellmayr. 2 
 
 I was informed by the natives that this species builds a hanging 
 nest, similar to those of Cacicus, but was unable to verify the statement. 
 
 CASSIDIX ORYZIVORA ORYZIVORA (Gmelin). 
 
 Oriolus orysivorus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 386. 
 Cassidix oryzivorus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 33. 
 
 A single specimen was taken at Caicara June 28, 1898. Not seen 
 elsewhere. 
 
 MOLOTHRUS BONARIENSIS VENEZUELENSIS Stone. 
 
 Molothrus venesuelensis Stone, Auk. VIII. 1891. p. 347. 
 Molothrus bonariensis venezuelensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 33. 
 
 Common in the open country along the lower and middle stretches 
 of the river. At Ciudad Bolivar, in April, it was associating in flocks 
 with Gymnomystax mexicanus and Holoquiscalus lugubris. 
 
 Three breeding females, as indicated by the active condition of the 
 ovaries, collected at Caicara, one May i5th, another June I2th and the 
 third, June I3th, are almost exactly uniform in size. The measurements 
 of the one taken May 15, 1907 (No. 4861, Brooklyn Institute Museum), 
 being wing 102 mm., tail 78 mm., exposed culmen 17 mm., depth 
 of bill at nostrils 8 mm. Above, the. three are also almost of identically 
 the same shade of dusky brownish, the individual feathers being 
 brownish black bordered with dusky greyish; below, the three present 
 a quite distinct appearance. No. 4861 (Bklyn. Inst. Mus.), is greyish 
 hair brown, faintly washed on the breast and sides with olive yellowish 
 
 In the (British Mus.) Catalogue of Birds XI. 1886. p. 389. Trinidad is included in the list of localities. 
 But it is not in Chapman's list nor in that of Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. pp. 1-60, not even in his 
 hypothetical list. 
 
 'Revision der Spixschen Typen brasilianischer Vogel. Munchen Abh. Ak. Wiss. math.-phys. Kl. 1906. 
 p. 22; Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. p. 46.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 211 
 
 which blends into the color of the chin and upper throat which is 
 olive yellow. No. 4862 (Bklyn. Inst Mus.), is of a somewhat 
 lighter shade of greyish hair brown ; the olive yellowish wash is perhaps 
 a trifle more pronounced, but does not extend on to the chin or the 
 throat which is pale, dusky grey. This specimen is further distinguished 
 from the other two examples by distinct dusky shaft streaks on the 
 feathers of the breast and sides. No. 4863 (Bklyn. Inst. Mus.), is 
 nearly uniform greyish hair brown, with only a trace of olive yellow 
 wash on the breast, and the chin and upper throat scarcely any paler 
 than the belly. 
 
 Eggs that are believed to be of this species were taken on two occasions. 
 One, with a nest and set of eggs of Gymnomystax mexicanus, was col- 
 lected at Caicara May 8, 1907. This egg was fresh. It is short ovate 
 in form and measures 22 x 17 mm. It is thickly spotted with brown 
 varying in shade from hazel to dark chestnut; the lighter markings are 
 overlaid by the darker ones of chestnut ; about the larger end the 
 whitish ground color is entirely concealed. 
 
 Two fresh eggs taken at Caicara July 2, 1907, with a nest and set 
 of eggs of Synallaxis cinnamomea, are short ovate in form and 
 measure 21.5x17 and 21x16.5 mm. They are similar to the single 
 egg described above, but have the entire surface thickly covered with 
 the hazel and chestnut spots but not uniting at any point to conceal 
 the ground color. 
 
 HOLOQUISCALUS LUGUBRis (Swainson). 
 
 Quiscalus lugubris Sws., Anim. in Menag. 1838. p. 299; Berlepsch & 
 Hartert, p. 33. 
 
 Native name Tordito. During my stay at Ciudad Bolivar in April 
 (1905), large flocks of this species of grackle were to be seen feeding in 
 the same localities with Gynvnomystax mexicanus and Moloihrus bona- 
 riensis venezuelensis. They are gregarious at all seasons. I found a 
 small colony breeding in a swamp near Caicara early in June. The 
 nests were placed in the tops of small cabbage palms, the Moriches of 
 the natives, four and five nests often in a single tree. The nests are 
 strongly built, first having a foundation of dead leaves and mud, mixed ; 
 then there is a superstructure of rather coarse dead grass and weed 
 stems and a lining of moderately fine dead plant tendrils. The outside 
 measurements of a nest now before me which was collected June 3, 1905,
 
 212 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 are about 17 cm. in diameter by 10 cm. in depth; inside it is 7 cm. in 
 diameter by 6 cm. in depth. The eggs, four in number, taken with this 
 nest were fresh. They are typical grackle eggs of a soiled greenish 
 white color, marked with spots, dashes and irregular streaks of blackish 
 brown on an underlying rusty brownish wash. They are ovate in form 
 and measure 25.75 x 18.5 ; 26.5 x 18.5 ; 25.5 x 18.5 and 24.75 x J 8-5 mm. 
 
 Young birds just from the nest were observed on this same date. 
 
 The colors of fresh birds are : eye straw yellow ; bill and feet black. 
 
 CORVIDAE THE CROWS AND JAYS. 
 
 Only two jays have been recorded from the Orinoco region, C \ano~ 
 cora.v violaceus and C. cayanus. Xanthura yncas caeruleocephala is. re- 
 corded from Trinidad and Venezuela 1 and is consequently included in 
 the following key. 
 
 KEY TO THE SPECIES OF CORVIDAE. 
 
 a Upper parts of body (except head and neck) uniform green Xanlhura yncas caeruleo- 
 cephala. 
 a'. Upper parts not green. 
 
 6. Tail uniform ; no white tips Cyanocorax violaceus. 
 
 b'. Tail feathers tipped with white Cyanocorax cayanus. 
 
 CYANOCORAX VIOLACEUS DuBus. 
 
 Cyanocorax violaceus DuBus, Bull. Acad. Brux. XIV. 2. 1847. p. 103 ; 
 
 Berlepsch, Ibis 1884. p. 438 (Angostura) ; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 P- 34- 
 
 Native names Corobero; Chuao. A common species, keeping in 
 the tree tops wherever there is tall timber along the water courses ; and 
 frequenting groves of mangos, of whose ripe fruit it is very fond. It 
 is noisy and jay-like in its actions. 
 
 Colors of fresh birds are : eye seal brown ; bill and feet black. 
 
 A nest and five fresh eggs were taken at Caicara, April I2th. The 
 nest was about 9.15 m. from the ground in the top of a tree that stood 
 at the edge of a grove of mangos. It was held between upright forks, 
 was somewhat bulky and constructed of quite large, long, dry twigs with 
 a lining of fine root-like vegetable fibres. .It was found before com- 
 pletion and visited daily until the five eggs were laid, these being de- 
 posited on five consecutive days. They are a bluish white, thickly 
 speckled all over with various shades of brown from vinaceous to 
 
 'Sharpe, Cat. Birds, Brit. Mus. III. 1877. p. 131.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 213 
 
 chestnut, the darker markings overlying the others. Ovate in form, 
 the eggs measure 32.5 x 24.5 ; 33.25 x 24 ; 34 x 24 ; 33 x 24.25 and 32.5 x 
 24 mm. respectively. 
 
 CYANOCORAX CAYANUS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Corvus cay anus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 157. 
 Cyanocorax cayanus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 34. 
 
 According to Berlepsch and Hartert, Klages obtained specimens at 
 Suapure and Andre at La Pricion on the Caura. None were observed 
 by the writer on the Orinoco proper. 
 
 TYRANNIDAE THE TYRANT-FLYCATCHERS, KINGBIRDS. 
 
 Sixty-nine species and subspecies of Flycatchers are included in the 
 present list. Several, however, such as Ornithion inerme, Tyrannulus ela- 
 tus, Myiopagis viridicata viridicata, M. gaimardi, M. flovivertex, and 
 M. cinerea might better be placed with the Cotingidae. But as they were 
 included in my original "key" to the flycatchers they are so retained. 
 
 Many of the flycatchers are conspicuous in the llanos districts of 
 the Orinoco region, conspicuous alike for their harsh cries, their brilliant 
 colors (particularly bright yellows) and extraordinary nesting habits. 
 As nest builders they have few rivals, certain species constructing deli- 
 cate lichen covered affairs as tiny and trim as those of some humming 
 birds, others whose nests might serve as models for the weaver-birds, 
 and again the great bulky grass nests, such as those of Pitangus, placed 
 in the tree tops are prominent objects in the landscape. But not all are 
 birds of the open llanos, many are quiet and retiring both in dress and 
 disposition. These must be sought for in the semitwilight of the thick 
 forest where they flit about, as silent as the shadows, in the under- 
 growth. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF TYRANNIDAE. 
 
 a. Tail very long and deeply forked Muscivora tyrannus. 
 
 a'. Tail not unusually long or deeply forked. 
 
 b. Chest barred with olive brown Onychorhynchus coronalus. 
 
 b'. Chest not barred. 
 
 c. Under parts more or less streaked with dusky or blackish. 
 
 d. Wing less than 60 mm Todirostrum maculatum. 
 
 d'. Wing more than 60 mm. 
 
 . A well marked black or blackish auricular stripe. 
 
 /. Inner web of tail-feathers broadly edged with rufous Myiodynastes maculalus macu- 
 
 lalus. 
 
 f. Inner webs of tail-feathers not broadly edged with rufous, 
 g. Upper tail-coverts broadly edged with rufous; inner webs 
 
 of tail feathers not edged with rufous Empidonomus varius. 
 
 g'. Upper tail-coverts not edged with rufous; inner webs of 
 
 tail-feathers narrowly edged with rufous Legatus albtcollts. 
 
 e'. No black or blackish auricular stripe ( d" im. or 9 ) Pyrocephalus rubinus satura- 
 
 tHt.
 
 214 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 c'. Under parts not streaked. 
 d. Under parts bright red (adult 
 
 d'. Under parts not bright red. 
 
 . Throat, middle of breast and belly nearly uniform white or 
 very pale greyish white. 
 
 /. Wing more than 90 mm 
 
 /'. Wing less than 90 mm. 
 
 g. Wings and tail black (with or without white markings). 
 h. Both maxilla and mandible black to the base; rectrices 
 
 tipped with white 
 
 h'. Mandible pale at base; rectrices not white tipped (fe- 
 male) 
 
 g'. Wings and tail dusky brownish or blackish 
 
 e'. Throat, middle of breast and belly not uniform white or very 
 
 pale greyish white. 
 /. General color above and below black or slate black. 
 
 g. Head white (male) 
 
 K 1 . Head not white. 
 
 h. Outer primaries acuminate 
 
 . h'. Outer primaries not acuminate 
 
 f. General color above and below not black or slate black. 
 g. A prominent white or yellow superciliary stripe and wing 
 
 more than 70 mm. 
 h. Superciliary stripe white. 
 
 i. Bill less than 15 mm. from the nostrils to the tip. 
 
 j. No bright colored crown patch 
 
 j'. With a bright colored crown patch. 
 
 k. Inner webs of wing-quills edged (broadly) with 
 rufous 
 
 k'. Inner webs of wing-quills not edged with rufous . . 
 
 '. Bill more than IS mm. from the nostrils to the tip. 
 
 jr. Smaller; wing less than 100 mm 
 
 j'. Larger; wing more than 100 mm. 
 
 k. Culmen strongly decurved from base to tip 
 
 k'. Culmen straight, sharply bent at tip only. 
 
 /. Inner webs of tail-feathers almost entirely 
 rufous 
 
 /'. Inner webs of tail-feathers edged (only) with 
 rufous that color not extending to the shafts 
 
 of the feathers 
 
 h'. Superciliary stripe yellow (and wing more than 70 mm.) 
 '. No prominent white or yellow superciliary stripe, or wing 
 
 less than 70 mm. 
 ti. Rump yellow. 
 
 i. Yellow of under parts suffused with fulvous, and 
 
 olive green of back less intense 
 
 '. Yellow of under parts brighter, not suffused with 
 
 fulvous, and back deep rich olive green 
 
 h'. Rump not yellow. 
 
 i. Width of bill at nostrils equal to or greater than dis- 
 tance from the nostrils to the tip of the bill. 
 j. Coronal patch red; general color above rich olive 
 
 brown, darker on the head 
 
 j'. Without coronal patch, general color above dark 
 
 olive green 
 
 '. Width of bill at nostrils not equal to distance from 
 
 the nostrils to the tip of the bill. 
 j. Outstretched feet reaching to or beyond the end of 
 the tail. 
 k. Tail more than half as long as wing 
 
 k'. Tail less than half as long as wing 
 
 j'. Outstretched feet not reaching to the end of the 
 
 tail. 
 *. The three or four outer primaries much reduced 
 
 in size. 
 /. With a well developed crest three outer 
 
 primaries reduced 
 
 /'. Not crested four outer primaries reduced 
 
 k'. Outer primaries not greatly reduced in size. 
 /. A more or less prominent sometimes concealed 
 
 or partially concealed crown patch. 
 m. Smaller, wing less than 80 mm. 
 
 Pyrocephalus rubinus satura- 
 tus. 
 
 Tyrannus dominicensis. 
 
 Fluvicola pica. 
 
 Arundinicola leucocephala. 
 Serpophaga hypoleuta. 
 
 Arundinicola leucocephala. 
 
 Knipolegus pusillus. 
 Knipolegus orenocensis. 
 
 Conopias inornate. 
 
 Myiozeletes cayennensis cay- 
 
 ennensis. 
 Myiozetetes texensis colum- 
 
 bianus. 
 
 Pitangus lictor. 
 
 Megarhynchus pitangua pitan- 
 gua. 
 
 Pitangus sulphuralus rufipen- 
 nis. 
 
 Pitangus sulphuratus trinitatis 
 Sisopygis icterophrys. 
 
 Myiobius modestus. 
 Myiobius barbalus barbatus. 
 
 Platytriccus saturalus. 
 Craspedoprion intermedius. 
 
 Todirostrum cinereum cit 
 
 turn. 
 Perissotriccus ecaudatus. 
 
 Colopteryx galeatus. 
 Atalotriccus pilaris venezue- 
 lensis.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 
 
 2I 5 
 
 . With pale tips to wing-coverts forming 
 wing-bands. 
 
 o. Wing less than 55 mm 
 
 o'. Wing more than 55 mm. 
 
 p. Centre of abdomen bright sulphur 
 yellow crown patch large bordered 
 laterally with black or blackish 
 
 p'. Centre of abdomen pale primrose 
 
 yellow or pale yellowish white. 
 q. Feathers of crown elongated, form- 
 ing a crest 
 
 q'. Feathers of crown not elongated 
 into a crest. 
 
 r. Centre of belly whitish 
 
 r'. Centre of belly pale primrose 
 yellow 
 
 n'. No wing-bands 
 
 m'. Wing more than 80 mm. 
 
 n. Throat nearly uniform yellow with breast 
 n'. Throat grey not uniform with breast. 
 
 o. Crown patch orange yellow 
 
 o'. Crown patch scarlet (bordered with 
 orange) 
 
 /'. No concealed or partially concealed crown 
 
 patch. 
 m. Outer webs of outer rectrices pale dirty 
 
 whitish or pale yellowish. 
 n. Above greyish olive brown; below, throat 
 greyish white, belly pale primrose yellow. 
 n'. Above dusky olive, below sulphur yel- 
 low with a buffy wash on the breast 
 
 m'. Outer webs of outer rectrices not con- 
 spicuously lighter colored than the inner 
 webs. 
 n. Bright olive green above. 
 
 o. Pileum slate grey in marked contrast 
 
 with olive green of back. 
 p. Larger; tail about equal to wing 
 
 (Trinidad) 
 
 p'. Smaller; tail less than wing 
 
 o'. Pileum not slate grey, or if grey or 
 dusky not in sharp contrast with olive 
 greenish back. 
 
 p. Abdomen bright tawny olive 
 
 p'. Abdomen not tawny olive. 
 
 q. Throat distinctly grey rather than 
 
 yellow or olive yellow 
 
 q'. Throat yellow or yellowish olive. 
 r. A distinct yellow or yellowish 
 
 superciliary streak 
 
 r'. No superciliary stripe. 
 
 s. Throat and breast olive 
 
 yellow. 
 
 /. Mandible blackish horn- 
 color, whitish at base only. . 
 
 t'. Mandible nearly uniform 
 from tip to base (pale dusky 
 horn-color.) 
 . Darker, pileum and hind 
 
 neck deep slate color Khynchoc 
 
 Tyrannulus elatus. 
 
 Myiopagis gaimardi gaimar- 
 
 I Elaenia martinica flavogaslra. 
 \Elaenia cristata. 
 
 Elaenia albiceps parvirostris. 
 
 Elaenia chiriquensis chiriquen- 
 
 sis. 
 Myiopagis viridicata viridicata 
 
 Machelornis rixosa flavigularis 
 Tyrannopsis sulphureus. 
 
 Tyrannus melancholicus satra- 
 Pa. 
 
 Xenopsaris albinucha. ' 
 Inezia caudala. 
 
 Leptopoton superciliaris. 
 Todiroslrum schistaceiceps. 
 
 Pipromorpha oleagineus olea- 
 gineus. 
 
 Pipromorpha oleagineus palli- 
 diventris. 
 
 Ornithion pusillum napaeum. 
 Capsiempis fiaveola. 
 
 Rhynchocydus sulphurescens 
 klagesi. 
 
 u'. Paler, pileum and hind- 
 neck slate grey 
 
 s'. Throat and breast chrome or 
 lemon yellow with a faint 
 ochraceous wash 
 
 n'. Not bright olive green above. 
 
 hocyclus 
 milis. 
 
 sulphurescens 
 
 Rhynchocydus sulphurescens 
 sulphurescens. 
 
 Rhynchocydus flaviventris fla- 
 viventris. 
 
 'This is out of place here, as Xenopsaris belongs with the Colingidae.
 
 2l6 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 . Belly and crissum bright ochraceous 
 buff .............................. 
 
 '. Belly not ochraceous buff. 
 
 p. Pileum black or blackish in rather 
 
 marked contrast with the olive green 
 
 back and both maxilla and mandible 
 
 black ........................... 
 
 p'. Pileum not black nor blackish in 
 
 marked contrast with the olive green 
 
 back; or else mandible pale. 
 
 q. Inner webs of rectrices edged with 
 
 rufous ........................ 
 
 q'. Inner webs of rectrices not edged 
 
 with rufous. 
 
 r. Throat and upper breast grey 
 not separated by a darker band 
 of olive or olive greyish from 
 the yellow or pale yellow of the 
 belly. 
 
 s. With more or less well defined 
 wing-bands formed by light 
 tips to greater and median 
 coverts. 
 
 t. Tips to wing-coverts cinna- 
 mon brown .............. 
 
 t'. Tips to wing-coverts pale 
 greyish or buff y white ..... 
 
 s'. No well denned wing- bands . . 
 
 r'. Breast olive or olive greyish 
 
 separating grey of throat from 
 
 pale yellowish or whitish of 
 
 belly. 
 
 s. With prominent well defined 
 
 cinnamon brown wing-bands. . 
 
 t. If wing-bands are present 
 
 they are not cinnamon 
 
 brown (pale whitish, yellow- 
 
 ish or dusky). 
 
 u. Mandible almost wholly 
 black or blackish ....... 
 
 u'. Mandible almost wholly 
 
 pale or dusky. 
 v. Middle of belly and 
 crissum a rather bright 
 pale yellow .......... 
 
 v 1 . Middle of belly and 
 crissum only faintly if 
 at all washed with 
 yellowish. 
 
 w. Tarsus less than 
 one-fifth as long as 
 wing ............. 
 
 w'. Tarsus more than 
 one-fifth as long as 
 wing ............. 
 
 Terenotriccus erythrurus ery- 
 thrums. 
 
 Myiarchus tuberculifer. 
 
 Myiarchus tyrannulus. 
 
 Phaeomyias murina incompta. 
 
 Sublegatus brevirostris glaber. 
 Myiarchus ferox venezuelensis. 
 
 Empidocha nes cabanisi. 
 
 Empidochanes arenaceus. 
 
 Empidonax laivrencei. 
 
 Myiochanes brachytarsus. 
 Elaenia cristaia. 
 
 FLUVICOLA PICA (Boddaert). 
 Muscicapa pica Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 42. 
 Fluvicola pica Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 34. 
 
 Native name Viudita. Common, frequenting the edges of ponds 
 and streams and keeping to the low underbrush. 
 
 Not observed above the mouth of the Meta. 
 
 In life the eye is seal brown ; bill and feet black. 
 
 Birds in immature plumage have the primaries and secondaries 
 dusky brownish with the white tips and edgings that are so prominent 
 in the adults, nearly obsolete ; top of head blackish with browmsft wash ;
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 217 
 
 back dusky sepia brown, the feathers with greyish bases ; the longer 
 upper tail-coverts with blackish or brownish tips. 
 
 ARUNDINICOLA LEUCOCEPHALA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Pipra leucocephala L., Mus. Ad. Frid. II. Prod. 1764. p. 33. 
 Amndinicola leucocephala Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 34. 
 
 Less common than the preceding species, and like that species lives 
 near the water especially in grassy marshes with scattering clumps of 
 bushes and trees where it is as likely to be seen in the tree tops as 
 among the bushes. It is active and flycatcher-like in habits. 
 
 Adult birds have the eye seal brown; bill black above, yellowish 
 below with the tip blackish; feet black. Young males resemble the 
 female. 
 
 A just completed nest of this species was found at Caicara on the 
 ipth of May. It was in the top of a small dead Moriche palm-tree 
 about 7.6 m. from the ground. Built of soft dry grasses, it was globular 
 in form and about 18 cm. in diameter, with a small round entrance hok 
 in the middle on one side. Unfortunately no eggs had been deposited 
 when I cut the palm. Close beside the birds' nest was a nest of wasps. 
 A second nest of Amndinicola leucocephala in process of construction 
 was placed in the upright forks of a low shrub that grew near the edge 
 of an extensive marsh. The nest was about 91.5 cm. from the ground, 
 just above the top of the long marsh grass surrounding the bushes. 
 
 PYROCEPHALUS RUBINUS SATURATUS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Pyrocephalus rubinus saturatus Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 
 1902. p. 34 (Type, Altagracia, Orinoco River, Venezuela). 
 
 Native name Sangre de Toro. Common, frequenting the clumps 
 of trees in open savanna regions. 
 
 In the neighborhood of Caicara I found many nests of this species. 
 They were usually in scrub oak from 1.52 m. to 3.5 m. from the ground, 
 nearly always at forks well away from the body of the tree, and usually 
 on one of the larger lower limbs. In no instance have I found them 
 in any way concealed by surrounding leaves. The nests are neatly 
 rounded, shallow cups set loosely in the forks of the supporting limbs. 
 The materials used are rather short bits of dead grass, weed-stems 
 and twigs, all presenting a brownish gray color in close harmony with 
 the grayish bark of the supporting branches. There is an inside lining
 
 2l8 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 of small feathers with an occasional bit of gray lichen. A nest before 
 me, collected on the I9th of May, measures inside 4.5 cm. in diameter 
 by i cm. in depth. I have never found more than two eggs in a nest. 
 In a set, taken April 2Qth at Quiribana de Caicara, they are short ovate 
 in form, pale bluish white in color marked with two sets of rather large 
 spots about the larger end. The underlying spots are cinereous, the 
 superimposed ones blackish brown. They measure 17.75 x 13.75 an d 
 18 x 14.2 mm. 
 
 Nesting birds are very confiding. I have on several occasions 
 touched a brooding female before she would leave the nest. 
 
 OCHTHORNIS LITTORALIS (Pelzeln). 
 
 Blainea littoralis Pelz., Orn. Bras. 1868. pp. 108, 180. 
 Ochthornis littoralis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 35. 
 
 Only one specimen observed, an adult female taken at Bichaco 
 midway between the mouth of the river Meta and the falls of Atures, 
 September 18, 1898. Specimens have been taken also on the Caura 
 River, at Suapure and La Pricion by Klages, and at Nicare by Andre. 
 
 SlSOPYGIS ICTEROPHRYS (Vieillot). 
 
 Muscicapa icterophrys Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XII. 1817. p. 458. 
 Sisopygis icterophrys Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 35. 
 
 Only the single specimen, recorded by Berlepsh and Hartert, was 
 collected ; an adult female taken at Altagracia, September 19, 1898. Not 
 again observed. 
 
 KNIPOLEGUS ORENOCENSIS Berlepsch. 
 
 Cnipolegus orenocensis Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884. p. 433. PI. XII. (Angos- 
 tura) ; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 35 (Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela). 
 The type of this species came from Ciudad Bolivar (Angostura), 
 where specimens were secured on the last Museum expedition, but it 
 was observed more frequently about Altagracia and at Caicara; it was 
 not noted beyond the mouth of the Meta River. 
 
 A bird in Juvenal plumage taken at Agua Salada de Ciudad 
 Bolivar, April 1 3th, is a dark dusky olive brown above; the wings and 
 tail brownish black narrowly edged with pale brownish (raw umber) ; 
 greater and median wing-coverts tipped with raw umber brown; below 
 greyish hair brown, belly brownish or buffy brownish white.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 2IQ 
 
 The fresh colors of adult birds are : eye seal brown ; bill plumbeous ; 
 feet black. 
 
 This species frequents the thickets bordering the streams and ponds. 
 Its actions are much like those of Sayornis. 
 
 KNIPOLEGUS PUSILLUS Sclater & Salvin. 
 
 Cnipolegus pusillus Scl. & Salv., Nomencl. Av. Neotr. 1873. p. 158; 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 36. 
 
 Observed only in the vicinity of the falls of Atures where two males 
 that were sent to the Tring Museum and recorded by Berlepsch & 
 Hartert, were taken in September, 1898. 
 
 MACHETORNIS RIXOSA FLAVIGULARIS Todd. 
 
 Tyrannus rixosus Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XXXV. 1819. p. 85. 
 
 Machetornis rixosa Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 36. 
 
 Machetornis rixosa flavigularis Todd., Ann. Carnegie Mus. VIII. 1912. 
 
 p. 210 (Type $ , Tocuys, Lara, Venezuela, in Carnegie Museum). 
 
 Native name, Pajaro amarillo jinetero. A common, although not 
 abundant species, inhabiting the open and sparsely wooded savanna 
 regions. While it is neither noisy nor brilliant in plumage, its curious 
 habit of keeping on the ground close about domesticated animals, as 
 they wander about the savannas and open commons of the villages, is 
 certain to attract attention. Or, if not intent on capturing the insects 
 that are constantly fluttering up from the grass, these birds are sure 
 to be seen contentedly riding about on the back of some animal. 
 About Altagracia and Caicara I observed them riding on the backs 
 of dogs, pigs, cattle, horses and burros. 
 
 A female taken May 9th was brooding. 
 
 Adult birds have the eye saturn red ; bill black ; feet blackish. 
 
 Not observed above Caicara. 
 
 PLATYTRICCUS GRISEICEPS (Salvin). 
 
 Platyrhynchus griseiceps -Salv., Bull. B. O. Club, VII. 1897. p. 15; 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 37. 
 
 Specimens were sent from points on the Caura River to the Tring 
 Museum by Klages from Suapure, and by Andre from Nicare and 
 La Pricion.
 
 220 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 PLATYTRICCUS MYSTACEUS INSULARIS (Allen). 
 
 Platyrhynchus insularis Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., II 1889. p. 
 
 143 (Type, Tobago). 
 Platyrhynchus mystaceus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 37 (Caicara on the 
 
 Orinoco and La Pricion on the Caura River). 
 Platyrhynchus mystaceus insularis Hellmayr, Novit. Zool., XIII. 1906, 
 
 p. 22 (Caicara, Orinoco). 
 Platytriccus insularis Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XVIII, 1905, p. 
 
 211. 
 
 Mr. Hellmayr in his paper on the Birds of Trinidad 1 considered 
 the birds from the Orinoco (Caicara). as intermediate between the 
 typical mystaceus and mystaceus insularis, but the series in this Museum 
 and that of the American Museum does not confirm that opinion. I am 
 unable to find any differences between birds from Caicara (on the 
 upper river), or birds from Las Barrancas (in the delta region), and 
 birds from Trinidad. 
 
 Adult birds have the eye seal brown; bill, maxilla black, and 
 mandible pinkish flesh color; feet delicate greyish flesh white, claws 
 greyish white. In an immature male taken at Las Barrancas August 3. 
 1907, both mandible and maxilla are blackish. 
 
 This little flycatcher frequents the undergrowth in heavily wooded 
 districts. 
 
 PLATYTRICCUS SATURATUS (Salvin & Godman). 
 Platyrhynchus saturatus Salv. & Godm., Ibis. 1882. p. 78; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 37. 
 
 On the writer's first expedition to the Orinoco, a single specimen 
 was collected at Nericagua above the falls of Maipures ; this and 
 specimens collected by Andre at La Pricion on the Caura, were 
 recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert (/. c.~). 
 
 TODIROSTRUM ciNEREUM ciNEREUM (Linnaeus). 
 Todus cinereus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 178. 
 Todirostrum cinereum Berlepsch & Hartert. p. 37. 
 
 Common, frequenting second growth clearings, and the thickets and 
 low trees on the borders of open savannas. 
 
 Adults have the eye straw yellow ; bill black above, whitish below ; 
 feet plumbeous. 
 
 !Novit. Zool. XIII 1906. p. 22.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 221 
 
 Three nests and -sets of eggs were taken at Caicara in 1905. The 
 first set of eggs, collected May nth, shows more variation than the 
 others. Two of the three eggs are ovate in form and one is elongate 
 ovate. They are white without gloss, two of them with a few tiny 
 brownish spots on the larger end, the third with the larger end sparsely 
 marked with wood-brown spots. The eggs of this set measure i6x n; 
 17.25 xn and 16.5 x 11.25 mm - On the i8th of June two sets of three 
 eggs each were taken. One set is white without any markings, ovate 
 in form and measure 16.25 x II - I 5! l ^-7S x IT - T 5 an d : 5-75 x 11.5 mm. 
 One of the eggs of the second set, taken on the i8th, has a very few tiny 
 brownish spots about the larger end, the other two are without mark- 
 ings. These are ovate in form and measure 15.75 x ll - 2 5> l & x H-5; 
 and 16 x 11.5 mm. 
 
 The three nests display considerable individuality in the respective 
 builders both in the selection of materials and in the details of con- 
 struction, although the general characteristics are the same in each case. 
 In another place 1 I have described nests of this species that were taken 
 in Costa Rica, and the descriptions there given would apply equally to 
 the ones from the Orinoco before me now. 
 
 Two adult females taken April ist and 3rd respectively, at Ciudad 
 Bolivar, show small white partially concealed crown spots formed by 
 white bases to some of the crown feathers. 
 
 This species was not observed beyond Caicara. 
 
 TODIROSTRUM MACULATUM (Desmarest). 
 Todus maculatus Desmarest, Hist. Nat. Tang. 1805. (hab. "Guiane"). 
 
 In the collection made by Mr. C. Wm. Beebe at Guanoco, Orinoco 
 delta, is an example of this species. 
 
 TODIROSTRUM SCHIST ACEICEPS Sclater. 
 Todirostrum schistaceiceps Scl., Ibis, 1859. p. 444; Berlepsch & Hartert 
 
 P- 37- 
 
 Only a trifle less common than T. dncreum, but unlike that species 
 it frequents the undergrowth of the heavily forested regions, and while 
 common at Caicara and points higher up the river it was not seen any- 
 where below that point. 
 
 In life the eye varies from a sepia to a chocolate brown ; bill black ; 
 feet drab grey. 
 
 'Auk. VII. 1890. p. 233-
 
 222 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 On our last expedition three nests and sets of eggs together with 
 the parent birds were collected. All were found in the neighborhood of 
 Caicara. The first taken June I5th contained two fresh eggs. One 
 is elongate ovate the other ovate in form. They measure 17.5x12 mm. 
 and 16 x 12.2 mm. respectively. In color they are white with a slight 
 creamy tinge, marked about the larger end with small dots and irregular 
 blotches cf brown, varying from a light hazel to a dark chestnut. 
 
 The nest looks exactly like a handful of broad-leaved drift grasses 
 suspended from the tip of a 'slender drooping twig. The structure is 45 
 an. in length and 12 cm. in greatest diameter where the nest cavity 
 is situated. There is no extension built out over the entrance to the 
 nest cavity such as is seen in nearly all nests of T. cinereum, but only 
 the round entrance partially concealed by loose blades of dead grasses 
 hanging down over it. The grass blades forming the outer covering 
 on the upper half of the nest all hang straight down over the sides, 
 forming a perfect thatch. I imagine that the structure will shed water 
 perfectly. The nest cavity is shallow, hollowed only a little below the 
 entrance. There is a nest lining of fine soft grasses. This nest was 
 suspended barely 75.72 cm. above the ground. It was in the centre of a 
 thicket of undergrowth in the heavily forested belt of timber along the 
 river bank. 
 
 The parent birds were exceedingly shy, and not until after an hour's 
 waiting was I able to make sure of the owner's identity and to collect 
 the male parent. 
 
 The second nest was found June iQth. It contained only one egg 
 and that with incubation far advanced. This egg is ovate in form and 
 measures 17x12 mm. The ground color is similar to the two de- 
 scribed above, but the markings consist of tiny dots and some larger 
 spots of dark chestnut brown scattered over the entire surface of the 
 egg, but most thickly about the larger end. The nest was in the centre 
 of a thicket that bordered a pool of water in the thick forest. It was 
 suspended from the extreme tip of a slender twig, that bent out over 
 the water, and only about 91.5 cm. above its surface. 
 
 The female parent was seen to fly from the nest, and was then col- 
 lected. 
 
 The third and last nest collected was taken June 29th. It contained 
 two eggs in which incubation was far advanced. One egg is ovate; the 
 other is longer, nearly an elongate ovate. The two eggs measure 
 17.25 x 12.5 mm. and 18.5 x 12.5 mm. respectively. They are a little
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 223 
 
 more heavily marked than the first set. The nest was located in a 
 locality exactly similar to that last described. 
 
 From this material it would seem that two eggs is the normal 
 clutch for this species. The three nests are very similar to one another. 
 
 TAENIOTRICCUS ANDREI Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Taeniotriccus andrei Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 38. 
 
 (Type, La Pricion, Caura River, Venezuela, Tring Museum). 
 
 The type of this species, collected by Mr. Andre is, I believe, unique. 
 The specimen, now in the Tring Museum, was taken at La Pricion, on 
 the Caura River, February 18, 1901. 
 
 PERISSOTRICCUS ECAUDATUS (Lafresnaye & D'Orbigny). 
 
 Todirostrum ecaudatum Lafr. & D'Orb. in Mag. Zool. VII. 1837. p. 47 
 (Yuracares, Bolivia). 
 
 Or chilus ecaudatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 39 (Munduapo, Upper Ori- 
 noco and Suapure on the Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 Perissotriccus ecaudatus Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXV, 1902, 
 p. 64. 
 Only a single specimen of this species has been taken by the writer 
 
 in the Orinoco region. An adult male was taken at Munduapo on the 
 
 upper Orinoco, March 15, 1899, and Klages collected an example at 
 
 Suapure on the Caura River. Colors of the fresh bird were, eye sepia 
 
 brown; bill black; feet mouse grey. 
 
 ATALOTRICCUS PILARIS VENEZUELENSIS Ridgway. 
 Colopteryx pilaris Cab.; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 39. (Points on the 
 
 Orinoco, Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia, Caicara, Quiribana de Caicara, 
 
 Maipures.) 
 Atalotriccus pilaris venezuelensis Ridgw., Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XIX. 
 
 1906. p. 115. 
 
 Common in the thickly wooded areas along the river banks from 
 Ciudad Bolivar to above the falls of Maipures. 
 
 Adults have the eye straw yellow ; bill blackish with pale edges and 
 extreme basal part of the mandible pale; feet cinerous gray. 
 
 COLOPTERYX GALEATUS (Boddaert). 
 Motacilla galeata Bodd., Tab. PL Enl. 1783. p. 24. 
 Colopteryx galeatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 39. 

 
 224 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 This, like the preceding species, is found all along the river from 
 Ciudad Bolivar to beyond the falls of Maipures, but is much less 
 common. 
 
 HABRURA PECTORALIS BREVIPENNIS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Habrura pectoralis brevipennis Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 
 1902. p. 40. 
 
 This must be a very rare form in the Orinoco region. The writer 
 secured the type specimen at Caicara, April 26, 1898. It was the only 
 example taken during that expedition and none have been since met 
 with. 
 
 The type is said to differ from H. pectoralis in having shorter wings, 
 only. 
 
 Mr. Ridgway 1 has suggested that "Habrura might not be out of 
 place in the Cotingidae," but some recent studies of my own of the 
 tarsi of Mesomyodian birds, chiefly flycatchers, have persuaded me that 
 for the present at least Habrura may be safely left with the Tyrannidae. 
 
 INEZIA 2 CAUDATA (Salvhl). 
 
 Capsiempis caudata Salvin, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. VII. No. 48. 1897. 
 
 p. xvi. '(Ourumee, Brit. Guiana); Ibis. 1898. p. 154 (reprint); 
 
 Ridgway, Birds N. & M. Am. IV. 1907. p. 467. 
 Capsiempsis caudata Sharpe, Hand-list III. 1901. p. 117. 
 Serpophaga orinocensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 40 (Altagracia, Caicara, 
 
 Quiribana de Caicara, Orinoco, Venez.) 
 Serpophaga caudata (Salvin), apud Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. 
 
 P- 323- 
 
 Inezia caudata Cherrie, Sci. Bull. Mus. Bklyn. Inst. I. No. 16. 
 1909. p. 390. 
 
 A not uncommon species in sparsely wooded savanna regions and 
 the borders of heavy timber. It was observed and collected at various 
 points from Las Barrancas, in the delta region, up as far as Munduapo 
 beyond the falls of Maipures. 
 
 In life the eye is straw yellow; bill black, slate grey at base of 
 mandible ; feet slate grey. 
 
 This species was properly removed from the genus Capsiempis by 
 Mr. Hellmayr (vide supra}, but it certainly can not be referred to 
 
 'Birds of North and Middle America. IV. 1907. p. 339. 
 'Sci. Bull., Mus. Bklyn. Inst. I. 1909. p. 390.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 225 
 
 Serpophaga. Inezia caudata and 7. subftava differ widely from the 
 typical species of Serpophaga in the style of coloration, being olive green 
 above and yellowish below, and in the absence of a concealed vertical 
 crown spot. The character of the tarsal envelope is also quite distinct, 
 being taxaspidean. 1 
 
 As I have already pointed out (Sci. Bull. I. 1909. p. 390), in 
 fresh specimens of Inezia the acrotarsium is seen to cover the anterior 
 half of the tarsus only, on the inner side extending back a little farther 
 than on the outer side. "The upper posterior third of the back 
 of the tarsus seems to be entirely nonscutellate, but on the distal two- 
 thirds is a double series of small elongated scutella, one on each side." 
 
 INEZIA SUBFLAVA (Sclater & Salvin). 
 Serpophaga subftava Sclater & Salvin, Nomencl. Av. Neotr. 1873. p. 158 
 
 (Para, Brazil) ; Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XIV. 1888. p. 105. 
 Serpophaga subftava Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX, 1902. 40-41, 
 
 in part ("Munduapo," upper Orinoco, Venezuela). 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert (/. c.), called attention to the differences 
 between specimens from the middle Orinoco and an example from 
 Munduapo on the upper Orinoco, a difference which seems to be borne out 
 by the series in this museum from the middle and delta regions and a 
 single example from Nericagua on the upper river. And Mr; Hellmayr'- 
 who made a comparison between the type of subftava and a series of 
 /. caudata seemed to find exactly those differences pointed out by Ber- 
 lepsch and Hartert, and to be observed in the specimens before the 
 writer. 
 
 I. caudata is distinguished from I. subfiava by slightly longer wings 
 and tail, by having the lower throat and upper breast suffused with 
 fulvous, the whitish chin spot spreading on to the upper throat, and 
 belly paler yellow. 
 
 SERPOPHAGA HYPOLEUCA Sclater & Salvin. 
 Serpophaga hypoleuca Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1866. p. 188 ; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 41. 
 
 On the three expeditions I have made to the Orinoco region, only 
 six of these rare little Flycatchers have been collected. Specimens were 
 
 'Fresh specimens of Serpophaga hypoleuca that have been examined, have the acrotarsium extending 
 across the outer side, to and, for the distal two-thirds, around on to the back; on the inside it extends about 
 half way across. The area between the edges of the acrotarsium on the back and inner posterior half of 
 tarsus is occupied by a series of elongated quadrate (better described as oval, perhaps) scutella. On the 
 posterior outer half of the tarsus, above that portion of the acrotarsium extending on to the back, is a single 
 quadrate scutellum, and above that a nonscutellate triangular area. 
 
 2 Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 323.
 
 226 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 taken at San Mateo de Caicara, Altagracia, and Agua Salada de Ciudad 
 Bolivar. It was found only in the open, sparsely wooded savanna 
 regions. 
 
 PlPROMORPHA OLEAGINEA OLEAGINEA 1 (Lichtenstein) . 
 
 Muscicapa oleaginea Licht., Doubl. Verz. 1823. p. 55. 
 
 Mionectes oleagineus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 41. 
 
 Pipromorpha oleaginea Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein. II, 1859, p. 55. 
 
 Rare on the Orinoco proper where only a single specimen has been 
 collected by the writer. That was taken at Nericagua above the falls of 
 Maipures in April, 1899. It is apparently not uncommon on the Caura 
 River as it was there obtained by both Andre and Klages. In the 
 American Museum are four specimens collected on the Caura River by 
 Klages, two from La Union taken in October, and two from Suapure, 
 taken in November. 
 
 The Pipromorphae inhabit thick woods and frequent the low trees 
 and bushes therein. 
 
 CAPSIEMPIS FLAVEOLA (Lichtenstein). 
 
 Muscicapa ftaveola Licht., Doubl. Verz. 1823. p. 56. 
 Capsiempis flaveola Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 41. 
 
 A not common species, but one found all along the river from 
 Las Barrancas in the delta to above the falls of Maipures. 
 
 Fresh birds have the eye seal brown ; bill above black, mandible 
 pale at base; feet slate. 
 
 PHAEOMYIAS MURINA INCOMTA (Cabanis & Heine). 
 
 Hlaenea incomta Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. II. 1859. p. 59 (Cartagena). 
 Phaeomyias incomta Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 41 (Orinoco, Venezuela; 
 
 Altagracia, Caicara, Ciudad Bolivar). 
 
 A common species frequenting sparsely wooded savanna regions 
 along the middle Orinoco from Ciudad Bolivar to beyond the mouth of 
 the Apure. Specimens have been collected at Ciudad Bolivar, Agua 
 Salada de Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia, and Caicara. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill above blackish, below dusky with blackish tip ; 
 feet slate black. 
 
 A nest with the male parent bird was collected at Caicara May 8, 
 
 f It is probable that P. o. patlidiventris, the Trinidadian Pipromorpha will be found in the coast 
 region of the Orinoco delta.
 
 : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 227 
 
 1907. The nest was saddled between the forks of a small branch at 
 the extreme top of a Chaparo Oak which stood in the open savanna. 
 It was about 6.10 m. from the ground. When found, one young bird 
 was perched on the edge of the nest but flew away and was lost when I 
 started to climb after the nest. The nest is a shallow, open, cup-shaped 
 affair, resembling somewhat nests of the wood-pew ee (Myiochanes 
 virens), or more perhaps that of Pyrocephalus or Sublegatus. It is a 
 slight affair, loosely saddled in the forks, composed of rather short 
 pieces of fine grass stems and other vegetable fibres with which are 
 mixed many empty spider egg cases. The whole is held together largely 
 with spider-webs. The inner lining consists of a few feathers and more 
 empty spider egg cases. Outside it measures 2.8 cm. in depth by 6 cm. 
 in diameter; the nest cavity measures 1.3 cm. in depth by 4.2 cm. in 
 diameter. 
 
 ORNITHION INERME Hartlaub. 
 
 Ornithion inerme Haiti:, J. F. O., 1853. p. 35 (locality unknown 1 ) ; Ber- 
 lepsch & Hartert, p. 42 (Suapure, Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 Rare. Not observed by the writer (on first trip), but in Berlepsch 
 and Hartert's paper a single specimen is reported collected at Suapnre on 
 the Caura River by Klages. In the Brooklyn Museum is a specimen 
 collected by the writer at Maipures in December, 1905. In this example 
 the eye was clay color; bill above black, below slate color; feet blackish 
 slate. 
 
 ORNITHION PUSILLUM NAPAEUM (Ridgway). 
 
 Myiopatis pusilla Cabanis & Heine, Mus. Hein., II. Sept. 1859. p. 58 
 
 (Cartagena, Colombia). 
 Ornithion napaeum Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., X. 1888. p. 520 
 
 (Diamantina, lower Amazon Valley). 
 Ornithion pusillum Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 42 (Suapure and La 
 
 Pricion, Caura River; Altagracia, Caicara, Ciudad Bolivar, Orinoco 
 
 River, Venezuela). 
 
 Common throughout the savanna regions. Young birds are much 
 paler, more cinereous below than the adults. 
 
 Iris seal brown; bill blackish, pale at base of the mandible; feet 
 dusky slate gray. 
 
 'Berlepsch & Hartert (1. c.). substitute Bahia.
 
 228 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 TYRANNULUS ELATUS ELATUS (Latham). 
 Sylvia elata Lath., Ind. Orn. II. 1790. p. 549. 
 Tyrcmnulus elatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 42. 
 
 Rare. Specimens were collected at Altagracia, Maipures and Neri- 
 cagua. 
 
 TYRANNISCUS GRACILIPES Sclater & Salvin. 
 Tyranniscus gracilipes Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 43. 
 
 A female of the species was collected at Maipures on the upper 
 river December 18, 1898. No others noted. 
 
 ELAENIA MARTINICA FLAVOGASTRA (Thunberg). 
 Pipra flavogaster Thunb., Mem. Acad. Imp. St. Petersb., VIII. 1822. 
 
 p. 286. 
 Elainea pagana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 43. 
 
 Native name Capiton. The same name is applied to all species of 
 the genus and frequently to others of the small dull colored Flycatchers. 
 Common from the delta region up at least to the first falls, frequenting 
 the sparsely wooded savannas. The nesting season about Caicara occurs 
 in April. The nest is usually saddled well out toward the tip of a limb 
 of a scrub oak and rarely over 1.83 m. or 2.44 m. from the ground, 
 often not over 91.5 cm. It resembles the nest of our wood-pewee, 
 but with fewer lichens ornamenting the outside. It is a neat, com- 
 pact little cup lined with feathers. A nest containing two slightly 
 incubated eggs, collected at Quiribana de Caicara, April I7th (No. 
 10,766 Coll. G. K. and Stella M. Cherrie), was placed near the end of a 
 limb in a scrub oak about 1.5 m. from the ground. Both parents re- 
 mained very near, while the nest was being collected, chirping uneasily. 
 The nest measures about 7 cm. outside diameter and 5.5 cm. inside, 
 by 1.7 cm. in depth. The two handsome eggs are rather short ovate in 
 form, of a rich cream color, marked with irregular spots of reddish brown 
 overlying pale mauve-colored markings. In one of the eggs the mark- 
 ings are arranged chiefly in an irregular band about the larger end, in 
 the other the markings are confined chiefly on the larger end itself. The 
 measurements are 22.5 x 17 and 21 by 16.5 mm. 
 
 ELAENIA CHIRIQUENSIS CHIRIQUENSIS Lawrence. 
 Elainea chiriquensis Lawrence. Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. VIII. 
 
 1865. P- X 77 ( T yP e ex David, Chiriqui in U. S. Nat. Mus.). 
 Elaenia albivertex Berlepsch, Proc. IVth Internal. Orn. Cong., 1905. 
 
 p. 402.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 229 
 
 On my first expedition to the Orinoco region a single specimen 
 of this species was collected at Quiribana cle Caicara 1 but was not 
 included in Berlepsch and Hartert's paper. In 1905 an adult male and 
 an adult female were taken at Ciudad Bolivar, April 3rd. 
 
 ELAENIA CRISTATA Pelzeln. 
 Elainea cristata Pelz. Orn. Bras. 1868. pp. 107, 177; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 43. 
 
 This and the preceding species occur together throughout the 
 middle stretches of the Orinoco. Specimens were collected at Ciudad 
 Bolivar, Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar, Caicara and Quiribana de Cai- 
 cara. A nest and set of eggs were taken at Quiribana <le Caicara 
 April i6th, 1898, and described in the Berlepsch and Hartert paper. 
 
 ELAENIA PARVIROSTRIS Pelzeln. 
 
 Elainea parvirostris Pelz., Orn. Bras. 1868, pp. 107, 178. 
 Elainea albiceps parvirostris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 44. (Caicara, 
 
 Quiribana de Caicara.) 
 
 Common, noted at various points along the river from Caicara 
 down as far as Las Barrancas in the delta region. Only two speci- 
 mens of this species were taken on my first expedition to the 
 Orinoco. One of the two collected at that time, together with a 
 nest and set of eggs, was taken on the 2nd of April. Both the nest 
 and the eggs resemble those of other species of Elaenia that have 
 come under my observation, except that the nest-lining used by E. 
 cristata and the present species is composed of the soft, silky hair- 
 like fibres covering the seeds from the silk cotton tree, whereas 
 feathers are usually employed. 
 
 Specimens from Caicara and from Las Barrancas have been com- 
 pared with the type of Elacnia albiventris 2 in the collection of the 
 American Museum and found to be identical. 
 
 MYIOPAGIS VIRIDICATA VIRIDICATA (Vieillot). 
 
 Sylvia viridicata Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. XI. 1817. p. 171 (Type, Paraguay). 
 Elainea viridicata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 44. (Caicara and Quiribana 
 
 de Caicara, Orinoco River, Venezuela.) 
 Elaenia viridicata delicata Berlepsch 3 Proc. IVth Internat. Orn. Cong., 
 
 1907, p. 430 (Caicara and Quiribana de Caicara, Orinoco River). 
 
 l Berlepsch, Proc. IVth Internat. Orn. Cong. 1905 p. 402. 
 
 iRlaenia albiventris Chapman, Auk. XIV. 1897. P. 368 (Type. Cumanacoa, Venezuela. W. H. Phclps 
 Collection). 
 
 'Count Berlepsch writes me under date of Dec. 5th, 1908, that his E. v delicata is true riridicata!
 
 230 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Elainea placens Authors, cf. Scl., Cat. Birds. Brit. Mus. XVI. 
 
 p. 148. 
 
 Not uncommon about Caicara where they frequent the -sparsely 
 wooded savanna regions. 
 
 MYIOPAGIS GAIMARDI (D'Orbingy). 
 Muscicapara gaimardii D'Orb., Voy. dans 1'Am. Merid., IV. Ois. 1839. P- 
 
 326 (Yuracares, Bolivia). 
 Elainea gaimardi Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 44 (Caicara, Maipures, 
 
 Munduapo, Orinoco River, Suapure and La Union, Caura River, 
 
 Venezuela). 
 E[lainopsis] 1 gaimardii Ridgway, Birds X. and M. Amer., IV. 1907. 
 
 p. 800 (Santa Marta, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Brazil). 
 
 MYIOPAGIS FLAVIVERTEX (Sclater). 
 
 Elainea ftavivertex Scl., P. Z. S. 1887. p. 49; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 45 
 (.Munduapo, Orinoco River, Venezuela). 
 
 This species was met with on my first expedition only. In the 
 neighborhood of Munduapo it was not uncommon. It is easily dis- 
 tinguished from M. viridicata by its smaller size, and the deeper, richer, 
 olive green above, deeper yellow on the belly and heavier wash of olive 
 on the lower throat and upper breast. The yellowish tips to the greater 
 and median line coverts forming two well defined bands are also 
 distinctive. 
 
 MYIOPAGIS CINEREA (Pelzeln). 
 
 Elainea macilvaini Berlepsch & Hartert (not Lawrence), Novit. Zool. 
 
 IX. 1902. p. 44 (Saupure, Caura River, Venezuela). 
 Elainea cinerea Pelz., Orn. Bras. II. 1870. pp. 108, 180; Berlepsch 
 
 & Hartert, p. 45 (Saupure, Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 E[laenia] cinerea Hellmayr, Novit. Zool., XV. 1908. p. 47 (Suapure, 
 Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 This species was not observed on the Orinoco proper by the 
 
 !Mr. Ridgway in a paper in the proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. XVIII. 1905. 
 pp. 207-210, describing new genera of Tyrannidae. Pipridae and Cotingidae, removes Elaenia elegans Pelzeln 
 (-Musctcapara gaimardii D'Orbigny) from the Tyrannidae and constitutes it as the type of a new genus 
 (.t-lainopsis) of Cotingidae, on the ground that it has pycnaspidean tarsi and that the basal phalanx of the 
 middle toe is wholly united to the outer toe. However, I find these characters shared by all the species 
 ot Myiopagis that I have examined viridicala, flanivertex, macilvaini and caniceps.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY of THE ORINOCO REGION. 231 
 
 writer, but- two specimens were sent to the Tring Museum by Klages 
 which were collected at .Suapure on the Caura River. One of these 
 was identified by Berlepsch and Hartert as Elainea macilvaini but 
 Hellmayr has shown it to belong to this species. 
 
 SUBLEGATUS GLABER Sclater & Salvin. 
 
 Sublegatus glaber Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1868. p. 171. PI. XIII, fig. 2. 
 Sublegatus brevirostris glaber Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 45. (Ciudad 
 
 Bolivar, Altagracia, Caicara, Orinoco, Venezuela). 
 
 An abundant species on the sparsely wooded savanna, from Ciu- 
 dad Bolivar as far as the mouth of the Apure. A nest and two eggs 
 were taken at Quiribana de Caicara, April I5th (No. 1075 Coll. G. K. 
 and Stella M. Cherrie). In general characters the nest is similar 
 to nests of Pyrocephalus or Hlaenia. A neat, compact, although 
 rather frail cup saddled on a horizontal limb usually at a fork where 
 a broader foundation is available. Short bits of thin dry bark and 
 plant stems, held together by cobwebs, form the body of the nest and 
 there is a lining of a few soft feathers. The inside measurements 
 are 5 cm. diameter, by 1.3 cm. in depth. The eggs are ovate in 
 form ; thickly marked with irregular seal brown spots that overlie 
 other spots of a pale lavender color, all on a ground color of bluish 
 white. In one egg the spots are pretty uniformly distributed over 
 the entire egg, in the other they are confined chiefly about the larger 
 end. The measurements are 17.5 x 13.5 and 17 x 13 mm. 
 
 A nest which, together with a set of eggs and the female parent, 
 was taken at Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar, April I5th, was placed 
 on and between the forks near the tip of a horizontal branch of a scrub 
 oak, and only about 1.8 m. from the ground. The body of the nest 
 seems to be made up almost entirely of short bits of the thin paper- 
 like outer bark of the scrub oak, or guaramal; held together and 
 attached to the supporting branch by spiders' webs. There is a 
 scant lining of short pieces of fine wire-like, thin, dead grass stems, 
 a few bits of soft bark and more cobwebs. The nest is a shallow 
 open cup measuring 6.5 cm. outside diameter by 4.5 cm. inside and 
 only 2.5 cm. outside depth. Being constructed of the same sort of 
 bark as the supporting branch it is very inconspicuous. 
 
 The parent bird sat so closely that my hand almost touched her 
 before she fluttered awav. Incubation was far advanced in the two
 
 232 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 e gg S _ S o far that I was able to save only one. It is rather short 
 ovate measuring 18.25x13.75 mm. The color and markings are 
 similar to those described above. The markings are massed chiefly 
 in a circle about the larger end. 
 
 A male in Juvenal plumage taken at Caicara, June 8, 1905, (No. 
 13,844 Cherrie Coll.), is dark brown (nearly a clove brown) above, 
 wings and tail darker. Feathers of the back and head narrowly 
 tipped with buffy brownish. Wing-coverts rather broadly tipped 
 and tertials tipped and edged on the outer webs, with the same color. 
 Throat and upper breast brownish gray, slightly mottled by buffy 
 tips to the feathers; remaining under parts including under surface 
 of the wing a primrose yellow. Eye grayish brown; bill and feet 
 blackish. 
 
 In adult fresh specimens the eye is vandyke brown or seal brown; 
 bill is black or blackish; feet slate black. 
 
 In the American Museum is a single specimen from Maripa on 
 the Caura River (Klages Coll.). 
 
 5V glaber is probably replaced in the delta regions by the follow- 
 ing species. 
 
 LEGATUS ALBICOLLIS ALBicoujs 1 (Vieillot). 
 Tyrannus albicollis Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. XXXV. 1819. p. 89. 
 Le gains albicollis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 45. 
 
 A not uncommon inhabitant of the strips of woodland bordering 
 the smaller streams of the savanna regions. 
 
 Fresh birds have the eye seal ; bill and feet black. 
 
 A young bird 24 to 48 hours old had the skin of the back jet 
 black, that below reddish flesh color. The natal down is a tawny 
 russet with olive shade. 
 
 The nesting season in the middle Orinoco region occurs during 
 April and May. Some six or eight nests of this species have come 
 under my observation, and in each case they have been in trees in 
 which other species of birds were nesting. Two of the nests exam- 
 ined, taken at Quiribana de Caicara April 8th and I4th, 1898, 
 
 'Mr. Ridgway in characterizing the genus Legatus (Birds of North and Middle America, IV. 1907. 
 438), says: tarsus "typically exaspidean. " However, a careful examination of the specimens in the series 
 in this Museum indicates that the tarsus is far from typically exaspidean; rather it is pycnaspidean, or per- 
 haps it would be better described as quasi taxaspidean. The acrotarsium extends across the outer side of 
 tarsus, but apparently does not overlap the posterior edge at any point. The broad planter space between 
 the edges of the acrotarsium is occupied on the posterior edge by three series of small roundish scutella or 
 granules between which and the inner edge of the acrotarsium is a narrow area of non-scutellate integument.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 233 
 
 (No. 10,768, 10,769 Coll. G. K. & Stella M. Cherrie) were apparently 
 year-old, abandoned nests of the common yellow Oriole (Icterus 
 xanthornus}. A few small dead leaves of the Salada tree formed 
 a lining, but whether they had been carried in by the birds or had 
 fallen there by chance seemed open to question. The first of these 
 nests contained a single egg, the second contained two eggs. In each 
 case the parent birds were collected, the female taken with nest No. 
 10.768 Cherrie Coll. having an egg in the oviduct. A nest without 
 eggs, together with the owners, taken at Caicara, May 4, 1905, is 
 exactly similar in materials employed and style of structure with an- 
 other nest of Icterus xanthornus, containing eggs, that hung within a 
 few feet of it in the same tree. Also in the same tree were nests con- 
 taining eggs of Pitangus derbianus rufipennis and Myiosetetes super- 
 ciliosns columbianus. 
 
 An egg collected with the nest (one originally built by the yellow 
 Oriole), and female parent bird at Auga Salada de Cuidad Bolivar 
 April 17, 1907, is ovate in form and measures 22 x 15 mm. The ovi- 
 duct of the female contained two imperfect eggs indicating that the 
 full set would have been three. On the 7th of May, at Caicara a nest 
 containing one egg just on the point of hatching and a day old chick, 
 was collected ; the full set in this case was evidently two. 
 
 MYIOZETETES CAYANENSIS RUFIPENNIS Lawrence. 
 
 Myiosetetes rufipennis Lawrence, Ann. Lye. N. Y. IX. p. 267. (Type, 
 
 Puerto Cabello.) 
 
 Myiosetetes cayennensis rufipennis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 45. 
 M[yiozetctes] cayanensis rufipennis Hellmayr, Novit. Zool., XV, 1908, 
 
 p. 49 (N. Venezuela, Orinoco Valley). 
 M[yiozetetes] c[ayancnsis] rufipennis Hellmayr, P. Z. S., 1911, p. 1134- 
 
 (Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia, Caicara, Quiribana de Caicara, Orinoco 
 
 River). 
 
 Native name Pccho amarillo, a name applied to all the yellow- 
 breasted flycatchers. 
 
 An abundant species throughout the sparsely wooded portions 
 of the savanna regions. 
 
 Adults have the eye dark sepia brown ; bill and feet black. 
 
 Young birds in Juvenal plumage are dark brown with a faint 
 olive wash above ; head black without colored crest, broad superciliary
 
 234 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 stripes, white, faintly washed with yellowish, meeting across the fore- 
 head and extending backward almost uniting in a band across the occi- 
 put; wings and tail blackish; edges of outer webs of wing-coverts, and 
 quills, outer and inner webs of tail feathers, and tips of feathers of 
 lower back, rump and upper tail coverts, rufous ; below, including; 
 under wing-coverts, bright yellow; throat white; inner webs of wing 
 feathers, except at tips, rufous (Juvenal male, Caicara, Venezuela, 
 June 8, 1905, Geo. K. Cherrie, No. 3577, Brooklyn Institute Museum). 
 
 Adults in fresh nuptial plumage show rufous edges to the tail 
 feathers. 
 
 The nesting season along the middle Orinoco begins early in 
 April and continues into June. The nests are large, loosely woven 
 ragged looking balls of plant fibres and soft grasses, with a large 
 entrance hole on one side. They are usually placed near the ends of 
 large horizontal limbs and rarely more than 3.48 m. from the ground. 
 Two or three (rarely four) eggs are laid; they are speckled and 
 spotted with reddish brown, with a few underlying pale purplish 
 gray patches in some specimens. Usually the markings are confined 
 to a zone about the larger end, but occasionally are quite evenly dis- 
 tributed over the entire surface. The ground color varies from a 
 delicate white to a faint pinkish buff. The form varies from ovate to 
 elongate ovate. A set of three eggs collected at Caicara May 10, 1907 
 (No. 14,735 Cherrie Coll.) measure 23.5 x 14.75 '> 22 o x *4-5 and 22 x 
 14.7 mm. A set of two taken in the same locality, June 2ist (No. 
 14,983 Cherrie Coll.) measure 23 x 15 and 23 x 15 mm. 
 
 MYIOZETETES TEXENSIS COLUMBIANUS Cabanis & Heine. 
 M[yiosetetes] columbianus Cab. & Hem., Mus. Hein. II. 1859. p. 62. 
 Myiozetetes te.rensis columbianus Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 434 
 
 (Angostura). * 
 Myiozetetes supercitiosus columbianus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 46 
 
 (Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia, Orinoco, Venezuela). 
 
 Abundant from the delta region up to some distance beyond the 
 mouth of the Caura River. In 1897 and 1898 I found it common at 
 Altagracia, midway between Ciudad Bolivar and Caicara. Not at 
 all common at Caicara. Like the preceding species, it is an inhabi- 
 tant of the thinly wooded savannas. 
 
 In life the eye is light brown to seal brown; bill and feet black. 
 
 Birds in juvenal plumage resemble the adults, but are without
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 235 
 
 the scarlet crown patch and the wing and tail quills and wing-coverts 
 are edged with ochraceous or ochraceous rufous. 
 
 A nest containing three fresh eggs was collected at Caicara May 
 4, 1905. The nest was about 9.14 m. from the ground in the same 
 tree with nests of Legatus, Pitangns and Icterus. In the location, shape 
 :ind materials employed, it is similar to nests of M. cayanensis caya- 
 nensis, globular mass of plant fibers and long-bladed grass, placed 
 near the end and pressed in between the forks near the tip of a large 
 horizontal limb. The entrance about 5 cm. in diameter is on the side 
 looking toward the end of the limb. In getting the nest down two of 
 the eggs were broken. The remaining egg is ovate in form, delicate 
 flesh pink in color, quite thickly speckled about the larger end with 
 reddish brown spots overlying other spots of vinaceous brown. The 
 egg measures 20.5 x 19.5 mm. In 1907 sets of eggs were collected 
 April 9th and May 8th. 
 
 The nests and eggs of this species are indistinguishable from those 
 of M. cayennensis. 
 
 MYIOZETETES GRANADENSIS Lawrence. 
 
 Myiozetetes granadensis Lawr., Ibis, 1862. p. n. 
 
 Myiosetetes granadensis subsp. ?; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 46. 
 
 This species was not observed by the writer; Andre, however, 
 sent a single example, collected at La Pricion. on the Caura River, in 
 February, 1901, to the Tring Museum. It is recorded in the Berlepsch 
 and Hartert paper. 
 
 TYRANNOPSIS SULPHUREUS (Spix). 
 
 Muscicapa sulphurea Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825. p. 16, PI. 20. 
 Myiosetetes sulphureus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 46 (Quiribana de 
 
 Caicara, Orinoco River). 
 Tyrannopsis sulphureus Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XVIII, 1905, 
 
 p. 209. 
 
 On my first expedition to the Orinoco this species was found. 
 
 Not uncommon about Quiribana de Caicara during April. Not 
 noted elsewhere. 
 
 CRASPEDOPRION OLIVACEUS GUIANENSIS (McConnell). 
 Rhynchocyclus olivaceus guianensis McConnell, Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 
 XXVII; 1911; 106 (British Guiana).
 
 236 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Craspedoprion intermedius Todd, Ann. Carnegie Mus. VIII; 1912; p. 
 
 207 (Rio Yuruan, a tributary of the Guyuni Riv., Venezuela) La 
 
 Lajita, Rio Mato. 
 C[raspedoprion] guianensis Chapman, Bull. A. M. N. H. XXXIII; 1914; 
 
 176 (Caura and Yuman in Venezuela). 
 
 This species is recorded from La Lajita, Rio Mato (a tributary 
 of the Caura). 
 
 RHYNCHOCYCLUS KLAGESI Ridgway. 
 
 Rhynchocyclus klagesi Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XIX; 1906; 
 
 p. 115 (Type ex Maripa, Venezuela). 
 
 Besides the type there is in the American Museum collection a 
 specimen from the foot of Mount Duida, Upper Orinoco. 
 
 RHYNCHOCYCLUS SULPHURESCENS SULPHURESCENS (Spix). 
 
 Platyrhynchus sulphurescens Spix, Av. Bras. III. 1825. p. 10. PI. 12, 
 
 fig. i. 
 
 A single adult male was collected at Caicara May 13, 1907. The 
 species was not observed on either of the previous expeditions, nor is 
 it included in Berlepsch and Hartert's list. 
 
 Eye yellowish ; mandible delicate flesh pink ; feet slate color. 
 
 RHYNCHOCYCLUS SULPHURESCENS ASSIMILIS Pelz. 
 Rhynchocyclus assimilis Pelzeln, Orn. Bras. (1869) J P- IIO > P- I ^ 1 - 
 Rhynchocyclus sulphurescens assimilis Berlepsch 4th Internat. Orn. 
 
 Congress 1907; p. 482. 
 
 The American Museum collection contains a specimen from the 
 "Foot of Mount Duida," Upper Orinoco, collected by Miller and 
 Iglseder. 
 
 RHYNCHOCYCLUS POLIOCEPHALUS SCLATERI Hellmayr. 
 
 Rhynchocyclus poliocephalus sclateri Hellmayr, Verh. Zool.-bot. Ges. 
 Wien. LIII. 1903. p. 207. (Type, Barra de Rio Negro) Nericagua 
 and Maipures, Orinoco River, and Suapure and La Pricion, Caura 
 River, Venez., and other points : Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. 
 p. 86. 
 
 Rhynchocyclus poliocephalus Berlepsch and Hartert, p. 47. (Nericagua 
 and Maipures, Orinoco River; Suapure and La Pricion, Caura 
 River, Venezuela).
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 237 
 
 Only observed on the upper river where specimens were collected 
 at Maipures and Nericagua from December to March. Klages and 
 Andre sent specimens to the Tring Museum from the Caura River. 
 
 RHYNCHOCYCLUS FLAVIVENTRIS FLAVIVENTRIS (Wied). 
 
 M[uscipeta] flaviventris Wied, Beitr. Naturg. Bras. III. 1831. p. 929. 
 Rhynchocyclus flaviventer (nee. Spix) Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 46. 
 
 Common, frequenting the edges of heavy timber land and the 
 larger, denser areas of woodland that here and there dot the savan- 
 nas. 
 
 In life the eye is drab brown; bill black above, pale flesh color below ; 
 feet slate color. 
 
 The nesting season in the middle Orinoco region extends from 
 the last of April to the end of July. The nest is suspended from the 
 extreme tip of some slender branch hanging from the limb of a tree or 
 low bush, occasionally hanging within 15.24 cm. of the ground and 
 rarely over 1.52 m. up. A nest taken at Caicara, June loth, was sus- 
 pended at the extreme tip of a slender twig, about 1.52 m. up and 
 hanging directly over a forest path that was much frequented by cat- 
 tle. It is pouch-shaped, or perhaps better described as retort shaped, 
 (especially the interior cavity), about 20 cm. in length and 8 or 9 
 cm. in diameter at the bottom or bulbous portion. It is sus- 
 pended by being tightly tied about the tip of the supporting twig. 
 The entrance, which is from below, is a tube about 6 cm. in 
 diameter, which hangs 10 cm. below the bottom of the nest proper. 
 The materials used are soft, fine dry grasses and vegetable fibres ; the 
 whole neat and trim in appearance. A nest taken May 5th is less 
 trim in appearance and the entrance tube hangs about 20 cm. beiow 
 the bottom of the nest and is carried out at an angle of 30 from the 
 perpendicular. Also on the opposite side of the nest from the en- 
 trance tube there hangs a bunch of dead grass making the outlines of 
 the hanging nest that of an inverted V with the apex solid. 
 
 The eggs, two or three (usually the latter number) constituting 
 a set, vary in form from ovate to short ovate. In color they are 
 creamy white speckled about the larger end with rufous brown spots 
 and dots and some grayish or lavender underlying spots. A dozen 
 eggs representing six sets average 19.9x13.5 mm. The smallest is 
 18.25 x I 3- 2 5 m m - and the largest 21 x 14.2 mm.
 
 238 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Three nests of this species collected within a few days of one an- 
 other, and in the same general locality (within an area of a circle, the 
 radius of which would not exceed 75 metres) seem to the writer excel- 
 lent examples of the individual tastes of birds. Each nest is con- 
 structed of material distinct not only in its character but 
 also in its color. The various materials from my observations 
 seemed equally abundant, yet one nest is constructed entirely of black 
 fibers and each of the others of a distinct shade and texture of gray- 
 ish brown fibers. Not only was the character and color of the mater- 
 ials employed in each case distinct, but the builders displayed indi- 
 vidual taste in the execution and style of the exterior of the nest 
 structure. 
 
 RAMPHOTRIGON RUFICAUDA (Spix). 
 
 Platyrhynchus ruficauda Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825, p. 9. PI. n, fig. i. 
 Ramphotrigon ruficauda Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 47. 
 
 The writer obtained a single specimen, an adult female at Mun- 
 duapo, March I5th, 1899. Xo others were observed. Specimens were, 
 however, collected by both Klages and Andre on the Caura River at 
 Suapure and La Pricion respectively, and there is a single example 
 in the American Museum, collected at La Union, Caura River, by 
 Klages. 
 
 CONOPIAS INORNATUS (Lawrence). 
 Myiosetetes inornatus Lawr., Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. IX. 1869. 
 
 p. 268. 
 Conopias inornatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 47. 
 
 A not uncommon species frequenting the sparsely wooded 
 savanna regions occasionally in company with species of Myiozetetes. 
 It was observed at various points from Ciudad Bolivar up as far as 
 Caicara. 
 
 Eye dark brown ; bill black ; feet blackish. 
 
 A nest and -set of eggs together with the female parent bird were 
 collected at Caicara May 6th, 1907. The nest is an open, cup-shaped 
 affair, closely resembling that of our wood-pewee (Myiochanes virens}. 
 It was saddled on to the forks of a good sized limb, about 4.57 m. 
 from the ground. The tree in which it was placed stood just at the 
 edge of a belt of heavy timber bordering the river. The nest walls 
 seem to be composed almost entirely of grey lichens that are bound 
 together by cobwebs. There is a somewhat scant lining of fine
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 239 
 
 brownish-colored, vegetable fibers interspersed with bits of grey 
 lichens. The whole is neat and trim in appearance. The measure- 
 ments are: outside diameter at base 9.3 cm.; height 3.5 cm.; inside 
 diameter 5.7 cm.; depth 2 cm. The eggs are short ovate, white 
 with a faint buffy tinge marked with a few spots and blotches of 
 chestnut brown about the larger end. They measure 21 x 16 mm. 
 and 21.25 x J 6 mm. The female parent was collected, and dissection 
 showed that no more eggs would have been deposited. Two therefore 
 constitute a full set. 
 
 PITANGUS SULPHURATUS RUFIPENNIS (Laf resnaye) . 
 
 Saurophagus rufipennis Lafr., Rev. Zool. III. 1851. p. 471. 
 
 Pitangus derbyanus rufipennis, Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 434 (Angos- 
 tura). 
 
 Pitcmgus derbianus rufipennis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 47 (Ciudad 
 Bolivar, Altagracia and Caicara, Orinoco River). 
 
 Native name Christofue. Common throughout the savanna regions. 
 Adults have the eye seal brown; feet and bill black. 
 
 The nesting season in the middle of the Orinoco region lasts from 
 earlv April until the end of June. The nests built by this species 
 are modelled on the same plan as nests of Myiozctctes as described, 
 but are very much larger and the materials employed are much 
 coarser. A nest, together with three eggs and the parent birds, 
 taken at Caicara, May 3rd, was about 4.57 in. from the ground. It is 
 a great, rough, ragged-looking ball of grass and weed stems,, the 
 body of which measures about 30 cm. in diameter. There is an elip- 
 tical entrance hole on one side, the minor axis of which measures 
 about 5 cm. and the major about 9 cm. The dead grass immedi- 
 ately about the nest cavity and entrance hole is soft and fine. The 
 nest was well out toward the end of a large horizontal limb, pressed 
 in between forks that supported it from below and on the sides. The 
 three eggs taken with this nest were slightly incubated. There is a 
 noticeable variation in size and shape. One egg is ovate, one a short 
 ovate and the other intermediate between them. They are a rich 
 cream color with seal brown specks and spots, and a lesser number of 
 underlying drab spots, grouped in an irregular zone about the larger 
 end. Measurements 26.5x19; 27.5x20.5 and 29.5x20.5 mm.
 
 240 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 A second set of three badly incubated eggs, taken on the same 
 date, are similar in color and markings, and measure 28.3x20; 30.8 
 x 20 and 29 x 19.8. 
 
 In a set of four fresh eggs, taken May 4th, there are many large 
 irregular spots in the markings which are clustered on the larger end. 
 These eggs measure 28.2 x 19.5 ; 27.5 x 20; 27.7 x 19 and 27.1 x 19.7 mm. 
 
 In the same tree with the nest containing the last set of eggs 
 above described, were nests of Icterus, Myiosetetes and Legatus, and it 
 was the rule rather than the exception to find nests of the present species 
 and those of Icterus xanthornus not far from one another in the same 
 tree. 
 
 PlTANGUS SULPHURATUS TRINITATIS Hellmayr. 
 
 Pitangus sulphuratus trinitatis Hellmayr, Novit. Zool., XIII. 1906. p. 24. 
 (Type " 5 ", Coparo, Trinidad.) 
 
 This form of P. sulphurattts was found at Las Barrancas ; P. s. rufi- 
 pennis is found throughout the dryer savanna regions of the middle 
 Orinoco and is probably replaced in the entire delta region by trinitatis. 
 
 PITANGUS UCTOR (Lichtenstein). 
 
 Lanius lictor Licht, Verz. Doubl. 1823. p. 49. 
 Pitangus lictor Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 48. 
 
 Birds of this species were found frequenting the edges of the nar- 
 row belts of timber bordering the watercourses that cross the open 
 savannas. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill black; feet slate black. 
 
 MYIODYNASTES MACULATUS MACULATUS (Miiller). 
 
 Muscicapa maculata Miiller, Natursyst. Supplement, 1776. p. 169. 
 
 ("Cayenne"). 
 Myiodynastes audax Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 48. (Caicara and Quiri- 
 
 bana de Caicara, Orinoco and Suapure, Caura River, Venezuela.) 
 
 This species was observed from Ciudad Bolivar up as far as Cai- 
 cara. It was not observed in heavily wooded districts. 
 
 An immature male collected June loth differs from the adult only 
 in the absence of a concealed yellow crest. 
 
 In adults the eye is seal brown; bill black, pale at base of the 
 mandible ; feet slate color.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. . 241 
 
 A female taken at Caicara May 8th had in the oviduct an egg 
 ready to be deposited. On the same date a nest from which the 
 young were just emerging was tound. It was a natural cavity in the 
 trunk of a Chaparo oak, about 3 m. up. The tree stood at the edge of 
 an open savanna. 
 
 MEGARHYNCHUS PITANGUA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Lanius pitangua L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 136. 
 Megarhynchus pitangua Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 48. 
 
 Not uncommon, noted from the delta region as far up the river as 
 San Fernando de Atabapo. 
 
 Eye vandyke brown ; bill and feet black. 
 
 The juvenal plumage is similar to that of the adult, but darker 
 above, being dark olive brown, and lacking the colored concealed 
 crown patch. A young female taken just as it was leaving the nest 
 (collected at Caicara May roth) has the wing and tail quills and wing 
 and tail-coverts edged and terminally margined with rufous, the 
 feathers of the back hind neck and occiput are narrowly margined with 
 grayish buff. 
 
 An immature female taken Juty loth (also at Caicara) is in what 
 is probably the post- juvenal or first winter plumage. This plumage 
 is similar to the juvenal plumage, but the back is more olive and less 
 brownish, agreeing more closely with the adult. There are no grey- 
 ish buff tips to the feathers of the crown nor to those of the hind neck 
 and they are much less prominent than those of the back. The inner 
 secondaries are margined on the outer webs and tipped with buffy 
 white, the remaining wing quills, wing and tail-coverts and tail quills 
 are margined and tipped with pale rufous. 
 
 A nest which the young were just leaving was collected at 
 Caicara May loth. It was placed on a horizontal limb of a Chaparo 
 oak about 3 m. up, and at a point where several radiating small 
 branches supported it on all sides. It is an open cup-shaped struc- 
 ture. The body is composed of coarse dead twigs lined with rather 
 coarse vegetable fibers and plant tendrils. Outside it measures 10 cm. 
 in depth by 16 cm. in diameter. The nest cavity is about 3.5 cm. 
 deep and 9 cm. in diameter. The structure is so loosely put together 
 that the eggs might be seen through the nest walls.
 
 242 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE; MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 ONYCHORHYNCHUS 1 CORONATUS (P. L. S. Mullcr). 
 
 Muscicapa coronata Miill., Natursyst. Supplement, 1776. p. 168. 
 Muscivora coronata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 48. (La Pricion and 
 
 Nicare, Caura River, Venezuela.) 
 
 This species was not observed by the writer but it is reported by 
 Berlepsch and Hartert in their paper as collected by Andre on the Caura 
 River. 
 
 MYIOBUJS BARBATUS BARBATUS (Gmelin). 
 Muscicapa barbata Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 933. 
 Myiobius barbatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 49. 
 
 Specimens of true barbatus were sent from various points on the 
 Caura River to the Tring Museum, and recorded in the Berlepsch 
 and Hartert paper. 
 
 MYIOBIUS MODESTUS Todd. 
 Myiobius barbatus atricaudus (Lawr.)? [sic.] ; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 49. 
 M \iobius modestus Todd, Ann. Carnegie Mus. VIII. 1912. p. 207 
 
 (Type $ , Upata, Venezuela, in Carnegie Museum). 
 
 Rare. Found in the thick woods. Specimens were collected at 
 Caicara and on the River San Feliz near its junction with the Cuchi- 
 vero River. Only two specimens were collected on my first expedi- 
 tion to the Orinoco in February, 1898; a, male and female collected at 
 almost the same spot as the Caicara specimens were taken in 1905. 
 
 In actions this bird reminds one of our American Redstart. 
 
 TfiRENOTRICCUS 2 ERYTHRURUS ERYTHRURUS (Cabanis). 
 
 Myiobius erythrurus Cab. in Wiegm. fur Naturg. 1844. P- 2 49> PI- 5- 
 fig. i; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 49. (Nericagua, Orinoco River; 
 Nicare and Suapure, Caura River.) 
 A single specimen was taken in April, 1899. 
 
 EMPIDOCHANES ARENACEUS (Sclater & Salvin). 
 Ochthoeca arenacea Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1877. P- 2O - 
 Empidochanes arenaceus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 50. 
 
 Observed and collected at various points along the river from Las 
 Barrancas in the delta region as far as Caicara. This species fre- 
 quents the thickets in heavilv timbered areas. 
 
 l For the use of this generic name instead of Muscivora. see Oberholser, Auk, XVIII. 1901. p. 193 
 
 for tne use 01 tnis generic name instead of Musctvo 
 "Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XVIII. 1905. 207.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY Of THE ORINOCO REGION. 243 
 
 Eye dark brown; bill black, pale at base of mandible; feet slate 
 grey. 
 
 EMPIDONAX LAWRENCE: Allen. 
 
 Empidonax lawrencei Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. II. 1889. P- 150 
 (Type, Ochthoeca Havvuentris Lawrence, "South America" locality 
 unknown). 
 
 Empidonax pilcatus Berlepsch & Hartert p. 50 (Suapure, Caura River). 
 Not observed by the writer, but Klages secured a specimen on the 
 
 Caura River at Suapure (see above) and the species has been also 
 
 recorded from Cumana and Caripe. 
 
 MYIOCHANES BRACHYTARSUS (Sclater). 
 
 Empidonax brachytarsus Scl., Ibis, I. 1859. p. 441. 
 Horicopus brachytarsus depressirostris (Riclgw.) ? [sic] ; Berlepsch & 
 Hartert, p. 50 (Altagracia, Orinoco River, Venezuela). 
 
 A female taken at Altagracia, December 16, 1897, was sent to the 
 Tring Museum, but the writer has not since observed the species on 
 the Orinoco. In Trinidad it is not' uncommon. 
 
 MYIARCHUS TYRANNULUS TYRANNULUS (P. L. S. Miiller). 
 
 Muscicapa. tyrannulus Miill., Natursyst. Supplement, 1776. p. 169 
 
 (Cayenne). 
 Myiarchus tyrannulus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 5 1 - 
 
 Common at Las Barrancas and from Ciudad Bolivar up to and 
 beyond Caicara. 
 
 Adults have the eye seal brown; bill black; feet blackish slate. 
 The nesting season at Bolivar begins early in April. 
 
 A male bird was flushed from a nest containing three fresh eggs 
 April 8th. The nest was situated in a large cavity of a fence post, 
 about 1.47 m. from the ground. The cavity was about 35.5 cm. 
 deep, open from above, and half way down one side the eggs were 
 easily seen at the bottom of the nest. The nesting material con- 
 sisted chiefly of cow hair with one or two bits of cloth and many 
 pieces of cast off snake skin scattered through the body of the nest 
 and about its upper edge. A few feathers formed a nest-lining, a 
 half-dozen bright green parrot scapulars adhering to a piece of skin 
 being most conspicuous.
 
 244 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 The eggs closely resemble eggs of the Crested Flycatcher of the 
 eastern United States. They are pale creamy buff in color, marked 
 with longitudinal lines, dashes and irregular blotches of bay brown 
 overlying similar markings of purplish drab. They are ovate in form 
 and measure 24.8 x 17; 23.8 x 16.7 and 24 x 17 mm. 
 
 A second nest containing three fresh eggs was found April I2th. 
 This nest was in a hole in the centre of an old rotten stump, about 
 91.5 cm- from the ground, the cavity being open from above. The 
 nesting material was in every way similar to that described above. 
 The eggs are similar in color but with the markings more thickly 
 spread over the surface and consisting of narrower lines, scratches 
 and dashes of color. The measurements are 24 x 17.5 ; 24.7 x 17.9 and 
 24.2 x 17.7 mm. respectively. 
 
 A male in Juvenal plumage, taken at Caicara May 6th, is very 
 similar to the adult, differing only in that the upper parts are more 
 brownish and less olive, and that the wing-coverts and secondaries 
 are broadly edged and tipped with pale russet instead of brownish 
 buff. 
 
 MYIARCHUS FEROX VENEZUELENSIS Lawrence. 
 
 Myiarchus venezuelensis Lawr., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1865. p. 38. 
 Myiarchus ferox venezuelensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 51. 
 
 Much less common than the preceding species. 
 
 Adult birds have the eye seal brown ; bill black ; feet blackish slate. 
 
 I have compared specimens from Ciudad Bolivar and Caicara 
 with Lawrence's type of venezuelensis and find them closely similar. 
 
 MYIARCHUS TUBERCULIFER TUBERCULIFER (Lafresnaye & D'Orbigny). 
 
 Tyrannus tuberculifer Lafresnaye & D'Orbigny, Syn. Av. i, in Mag. 
 
 Zool., 1837, cl. ii, p. 43 (Guarayos, East Bolivia). 
 Myiarchus coalei Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. IX. 1886. p. 520 
 
 ("Orinoco"). 
 Myiarchus tricolor Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 51 (Quiribana de Caicara, 
 
 Nericagua, Orinoco River). 
 
 Rare; seen only in vicinity of Caicara and Quiribana de Caicara 
 and on the upper Orinoco at Nericagua. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill black ; feet slate black.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 245 
 
 EMPIDONOMUS VARIUS (Vieillot). 
 
 Muscicapa varia Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XXI. 1818. pp. 458, 459. 
 Empidonomus varius Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 51. 
 
 Not uncommon in the denser clumps of timber bordering shal- 
 low streams on the savannas and also frequenting- the borders of the 
 heavy timber growth along the Orinoco. 
 
 Immature birds differ from the adults in not having the tips of 
 the primaries abruptly attenuated, nor- have they the yellow crown 
 patch. A male in Juvenal plumage (taken at Caicara, May ist) has the 
 entire top of the head covered with rather short blackish feathers nar- 
 rowly margined with ferruginous ; the back is brownish black with 
 ferruginous edges to the feathers ; wings and tail brownish black, 
 the rectrices broadly margined on both webs with ferruginous ; prim- 
 aries, lesser and median coverts narrowly margined with buffy 
 rufous, greater coverts and inner primaries margined with white. 
 That the yellow crown patch is not assumed until after the second 
 moult is indicated by an immature female, taken at Caicara June iQth, 
 that is just assuming the adult plumage. 
 
 The crown is pale dusky brownish sprinkled with a few black 
 feathers with bright yellow bases. The edges of the back feathers 
 and wing-coverts, as in the case of the immature male, are rufous. 
 The abdomen is a pale sulphur yellow, very much brighter in color 
 than in any of the adults before me. 
 
 The food of this Flycatcher consists largely of berries and other 
 small fruits. 
 
 TYRANNUS DOMINICENSIS (Gmelin). 
 
 Laniits tyrannus B. dominicensis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 302. 
 Tyrannus dominicensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 52. 
 
 Observed in the immediate vicinity of the river only and noted 
 as not uncommon from the delta region up as far as Ciudad Bolivar. 
 Occasionally specimens were noted as far up as the mouth of the 
 Apure River. 
 
 This species was nesting at Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar, in 
 April. The nest is similar in construction to that of T. melancholiciis. 
 
 TYRANNUS MELANCHOUCUS SATRAPA (Cabanis & Heine). 
 Laphyctes satrapa Cab. & Hein., Mus. Hein., II. 1859. p. 77. 
 Tyrannus melcmcholicns Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 52.
 
 246 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Common in the thinly wooded savanna districts; resembling in 
 its pugnacious habits our northern Kingbird. 
 
 Adults have the eye seal brown ; bill black ; feet blackish. 
 
 The nesting season in the neighborhood of Caicara begins at the 
 end of March and continues into May. The nests are open structures 
 loosely put together, rather bulky and consisting of twigs, roots and 
 grasses without other lining material. Frequently the eggs can be 
 seen through the nest walls. Ordinarily the nests are from 1.5 m. to 
 35 m. from the ground placed near the end of the long horizontal 
 limbs of the scrub oak. 
 
 A set of three fresh eggs collected at Caicara May 7th was at the 
 extreme top of a scrub oak (Chaparo), about 4.57 m. from the ground. 
 A little lower down in the same tree and not 1.83 m. distant was a nest 
 of the Blue Tanager, Thraupis cana. The eggs are between an ovate 
 and a short ovate in form and measure 23.5x17.5; 24x17.5; 22.5 x 
 17.25 mm. In color they vary from whitish to very pale vinaceous 
 buff. The markings chiefly about the larger end consist of irregular 
 spots and blotches of dark chestnut overlying some of hazel brown and 
 others yet deeper of lavender. 
 
 MUSCIVORA TYRANNUS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Muscicapa tyrannus L,., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 325. 
 
 Mihulus tyrannus Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884, p. 435 (Angostura) ; Ber- 
 
 lepsch & Hartert, p. 52 (Ciudad Bolivar and Altagracia, Orinoco. 
 
 Venezuela). 
 
 Native name Tijireta. The Fork-tail Flycatcher was very abun- 
 dant about Ciudad Bolivar during the early part of April, equally com- 
 mon at Caicara during the last of April and the first half of May. At 
 that time they were associated in large flocks, and, rising in com- 
 pany, their long tail-feathers fluttering gracefully, presented a most 
 animated picture. 
 
 After the middle of May and up to the first of November this Fly- 
 catcher is much less commonly seen in the vicinity of the two places 
 mentioned. It inhabits the sparsely wooded savanna where it seems 
 to secure much of its insect food from among the tall grasses. In 
 such a locality when undisturbed, single birds will be seen to flutter 
 up from the ground, two or three feet, in pursuit of some flying insect, 
 and again drop back into the grass.
 
 : ORXITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 247 
 
 PIPRIDAE THE MANIKINS. 
 
 The writer has observed and collected seven- species in the immedi- 
 ate valley of the Orinoco. Six of the seven species are included in 
 Berlepsch and Hartert's paper, together with two additional species 
 received by the Tring Museum from points on the Caura River. 
 
 Eleven species of manikins are included in the present list. 
 
 With one exception the species observed by me were seen only 
 at points on the Upper Orinoco, that is, not below the falls of Atures. 
 The exception was an example of Pipra aureola collected in the delta 
 region at Las Barrancas. 
 
 KEY To THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF GENERA OF PIPRIDAE. 
 
 a. Size large; wing more than 95 mm ................................ Laniocera ' hypopvrrha. 
 
 a'. Size smaller; wing less than 95 mm. 
 
 b. Tail short, the outstretched feet reaching to or beyond its end. 
 c. Breast without dark striations. 
 
 d. Breast white, uniform with throat on which the feathers are 
 
 elongated ................................................ Manacus manacus interior. 
 
 d'. Breast not white. 
 
 e. Back blue ............................................. Chiroxiphia pareola. 
 
 e 1 . Back not blue. 
 
 /. General color above and below olivaceous (for both sexes). 
 g. Outermost rectrix much narrowed and shortened; and 
 
 with a large bright yellow vertical crown patch ......... Tyranneules- virescens. * 
 
 g'. Outermost rectrix not abnormal and crown patch absent 
 or represented by a few concealed pale yellow spots 
 on anterior part of crown ............................ Tyranneules stolzmanni. 
 
 f. General color not olivaceous. 
 g. Throat, breast and belly black. 
 
 h. Crown white ..................................... Pipra pipra pipra. 
 
 h'. Crown bright orange yellow ....................... Pipra erylhrocephala erythro- 
 
 cephala. 
 g'. Breast crimson, shading into orange chrome on upper 
 
 throat ............................................. Pipra aureola aureola. 
 
 c'. Breast striated ............................................. Machaeroplerus pyrocephalus. 
 
 b'. Tail longer; outstretched feet not reaching to end of tail. 
 
 c. Shafts of outer tail-feathers elongated, thread-like at tip ........... Cirrhipipra filicauda. 
 
 c'. Shafts of outer tail-feathers not lengthened. 
 
 d. Upper throat white in sharp contrast with chestnut of lower 
 
 throat and breast ......................................... Heterocercus flavivertex. 
 
 d'. Upper throat not white, not in sharp contrast with color of lower 
 
 throat and breast. 
 e. With a yellow crown patch .............................. Neopelma igniceps. 
 
 e'. No crown patch, general color above brownish olive. 
 
 /. Head not tinged with rufous ........................... Scotolharus turdinus olivaceus. 
 
 f. Head strongly tinged with rufous ....................... Scotolharus turdinus amazon- 
 
 um. 
 
 CIRRHIPIPRA FHJCAUDA (Spix). 
 
 Pipra filicauda Spix. Av. Bras. II, 1829, p. 5. PI. 8, figs, i, 2. 
 Cirrhopipra filicauda Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 52. 
 
 Not observed in going up the river until in the region of the second 
 falls, where, about 'Maipures, it was abundant. 
 
 'I follow Mr. Ridgway in placing Laniocera with the Pipridae, notwithstanding its general resem- 
 blance to Lathria and Lipaugus, for the tarsus is certainly exaspidean. 
 ^Tyranneules Sclater and Salvin, Ibis 1881, p. 269. 
 'Reported from British Guiana Bartica Grove, Camacusa River and Carimang. 
 
 4 Ex. Brit. Gui 
 
 iana.
 
 248 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 In life the eye is cream color ; maxilla black, mandible plumbeous ; 
 feet heliotrope purple. 
 
 PlPRA ERYTHROCEPHALA ERYTHROCEPHALA (Linnaeus). 
 
 [Parus] erythrocephalus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I. 1758. p. 191. 
 
 Pipra erythrocephala Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 53 ; Hellmayr, Ibis, 
 
 1906. p. 20. 
 
 In ascending the river this species was first met with near the mouth 
 of the river Meta, at a point called Somborge, while from the falls of 
 Atures, as far up as I worked, it was abundant. 
 
 It is recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert from various points on the 
 Caura River, and Hellmayr includes Guanoco, Orinoco Delta in the 
 habitat. 
 
 Adults in life have the eye creamy white; bill pearl white; feet 
 pearl grey. 
 
 PIPRA PIPRA PIPRA (Linnaeus.) 
 
 [Parus] pipra L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10, I. 1758. p. 190. 
 
 Pipra leucocilla Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 53 ; Hellmayr, Ibis, 1906, 
 
 P-23- 
 
 Not observed by the writer on the Orinoco proper, but included in 
 Berlepsch and Hartert's paper, the Tring Museum having received speci- 
 mens from Suapure, La Pricion and Nicare on the Caura River. 
 
 PIPRA AUREOLA AUREOLA (Linnaeus). 
 
 [Parus] aureola L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I, 1758. p. 191. 
 
 Pipra aureola Hellmayr, Ibis. 1906. p. 6 (Guanoco, Orinoco Delta). 
 
 A single specimen of this species, an adult female, was collected at 
 Las Barrancas in the delta region July 31, 1907. It was not observed 
 at other points visited by the writer. It had been previously recorded, 
 however, from Guanoco, also in the Orinoco Delta. 
 
 TYRANNEUTES STOLZMANNI (Hellmayr). 
 
 Pipra stolsmanni Hellm., Ibis, 1906. p. 44. (Type ex Marabitanas, Rio 
 
 Negro) Nericagua, Orinoco; Suapure, Caura Riv. 
 Pipra virescens (nee. Pelz.) ; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 53. 
 
 Collected on the upper Orinoco, at Nericagua, by the writer. Re- 
 ported also from points on the Caura by Berlepsch and Hartert.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 249 
 
 MANACUS MANACUS INTERIOR Chapman. 
 Manacns manacus interior Chapman, Bull. A. M. Nat. Hist. XXXIII ; 
 
 1914; p. 624-625. (Type ex Villavicencio, Colombia.) Maripa 
 
 (Caura Riv.). 
 Chiromachaeris manacus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 53. 
 
 A young male taken December 24th, 1898, at Maipures, at the 
 second falls on the river is the only record I have for this species. The 
 American Museum contains a series from Maripa, on the Caura. 
 
 MACHAEROPTERUS PYROCEPHAI/US (Sclater). 
 Pipra pyrocephala Scl., Rev. Zool. 1852. p. 9. 
 Machaeropterus pyrocephalns Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 54. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco. Berlepsch and Hartert report speci- 
 mens from La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 SCOTOTHORUS TURDINUS AMAZONUM (Sclater). 
 
 Heteropelma amasonum Sclater, P. Z. S. 1860. p. 466 (Chamicuros). 
 Scotothorus amasonum Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 54 (Nericagua, 
 
 Munduapo, Orinoco River). 
 Scotothorus turdmus amasonum Hellmayr, Novit. Zool., XVII, 1910, 
 
 P- 3io. 
 
 Seen only in the thick forest on the upper river at Munduapo and 
 Xericagua. 
 
 SCOTOTHORUS TURDINUS OLIVACEUS Ridgway. 
 
 Scotothorus olivaceus Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc., Wash., XIX. 1906. p. 
 118 (Type, Rio -Mato, near its mouth, on the Caura River, Vene- 
 zuela, in collection Am. Mus.). 
 
 Scotothorus wallacei Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 54 (Nicare and La 
 Pricion, Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 Scotothorus amasonum wallacii Hellmayr, Novit. Zool., XIII. 1906, pp. 
 363-4 (Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 S[cotothorus] t[urdinus] olivaceus Hellmayr, Novit. Zool., XVII., 
 1910, p. 31. 
 Not noted on the Orinoco proper, but reported by Berlepsch and 
 
 Hartert from the Caura River. 
 
 HETEROCERCUS FLAVIVERTEX Pelzeln. 
 
 Heterocerus fiavivertcx Pelz, Orn. Bras., 1870. pp. 125, 186; Ber- 
 lepsch & Hartert, p. 54.
 
 250 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6 
 
 H[eterocercus] angosturae Berlepsch & Leverkiihn Ornis. VI.: 1890: 
 19 (Orinoco). 
 Common about Perico and at Maipures, not noted elsewhere. 
 
 LANIOCERA HYPOPYRRHA (Vieillot). 
 
 Ampelis hypopyrrha Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. VIII. 1817. p. 164. 
 Laniocera hypopyrrha Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 57. 
 
 This species was noted only once, a male having been taken at 
 Nericagua April 5, 1899. Berlepsch and Hartert also record specimens 
 from Suapure, La Pricion and La Union on the Caura River. 
 
 COTINGIDAE COTINGAS, TITYRAS, ATTILAS, BECARDS, 
 
 ETC. 
 
 Fourteen species are included in the present paper. Only eleven 
 of that number however were observed or collected by the writer on 
 the Orinoco proper, the other three species were included in the 
 Berlepsch and Hartert paper and came from points on the Caura River, 
 but as pointed out in my remarks under Tyrannidae, there are a number 
 of species included under that heading having structural characters that 
 indicate their nearer relationship to the Cotingidae. 
 
 KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF GENERA OF COTINGIDAE. 
 
 a. Tarsus pycnaspidean J or, essentially, taxaspidean. * 
 
 b. The plantar space on posterior side of tarsus broken up into numer- 
 ous small irregular scutella. 
 c. Rictal bristles strongly developed . 
 
 d^ Upper part of tarsus feathered in front Lalhria cinerea. 
 
 d'. Upper part of tarsus naked ." Pyroderus orenocensis. 
 
 c'. Rictal bristles weak or obsolete. 
 d. Wing not more than 125 mm. 
 d'. Wing more than 125 mm. 
 
 /. A naked space about the eye and along the sides of the neck . Gymnoderus foelidus. 
 /'. Loral region and sides of neck feathered. 
 
 g. With a conspicuous crest on pileum Cephalopterus ornatus. 
 
 g'. Pileum not crested Querula purpurata. 
 
 b'. The plantar space on each side of posterior half of tarsus with a con- 
 tinuous row of rather large scutella. 
 c. Tail about as long as wing, and all the primary quills normal in 
 
 both sexes Xenopsaris albinucha. 
 
 c'. Tail much shorter than the wing, and the next to the outermost 
 primary in adult male much shortened and with an acuminate tip. 
 
 d. Width of bill at base not greater than the depth at the same point. Platypsaris minor, 
 d'. Width of bill at base much greater than the depth at base. 
 e. Wing more than 95 mm. 
 
 e". Wing less than 95 mm Erator inquisitor erythrogenys. 
 
 f. Rectrices rather broadly tipped with white, buffy or rufous. 
 
 g. Above dark grey, middle of back varied with black (male). Pachyrhamphus atricapillus. 
 g'. Above black or dull or greyish olive. 
 
 A. Rectrices white tipped (males) Pachyrhamphus polychroplerus 
 
 niger. 
 h'. Rectrices tipped with buff or rufous (females). 
 
 '"The broad plantar space on posterior side of tarsus broken up into numerous small irregular or 
 roundish scutella or granules. " Ridgway, Bull. 50 U. S. N. M. pt. IV. 1907. 328. 
 
 2 "The broad plantar space occupied by two or, rarely three, series of smaller, quadrate, rectangular, 
 or hexagonal scutella" Ridgway (/. c.) 

 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 251 
 
 '. Above dull olive with head more or less rufescent. . . Pachyrhamphus marginatus. 
 
 i'. Head uniform with back (not rufescent) Pachyrhamphus polychropterus 
 
 niger. 
 
 f. Rectrices not broadly tipped with white, buff or rufous, 
 g. Pileum black, blackish or grey, sharply contrasting 
 
 with general color of the upper parts. 
 h. Above grey, with or without slight olive wash (male) Pachyrhamphus cinereus. 
 
 h'. Above tawny olive Pachyrhamphus marcidus. 
 
 g'. Pileum cinnamon rufous nearly uniform with back (female) .. Pachyrhamphus cinereus. 
 a'. Tarsus neither pycnaspidean nor essentially taxaspidean. 
 
 b. Upper posterior portion of tarsus (near heel joint) conspicuously ser- 
 rate, and basal phalanx only of middle toe adherent, for most of its 
 
 length, to the outer toe Lipaugus immundus. 
 
 b'. Upper posterior portion of tarsus not conspicuously serrate, and the 
 middle and outer toes adherent for more than the length of the basal 
 phalanx of the middle toe Attila wighti. l 
 
 TITYRA CAYANA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Lanius cay anus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 137. 
 Tityra cayana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 55. 
 
 Not common. In ascending the Orinoco this species was noted at 
 various points from Caicara to above the second falls at Maipures, on 
 the upper river. A female collected at Caicara July 3, 1907, was evi- 
 dently nesting- as the ovaries were active. 
 
 ERATOR INQUISITOR ERYTHROGENYS (Selby). 
 Psaris erythrogenys Selby, Zool. Journ., II. 1826. p. 483. 
 Tityra inquisitor erythrogenys Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. pp. 
 
 327-8 (Rio Catanapo, Perico, Maipures, Orinoco River, Venezuela). 
 Tityra erythrogenys Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 55 (Perico, Rio Catanapo, 
 
 Maipures, Orinoco River). 
 
 On my first expedition this species was not observed below the 
 Falls of Atures, but on the last two expeditions it was not uncommon 
 about Caicara,. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill, maxilla black with slate grey basal cutting 
 edges, mandible slate grey ; feet dusky slate. 
 
 PLATYPSARIS MINOR (Lesson). 
 Querula minor Less., Tr. d'Orn. I. 1831. p. 363. 
 Hadrostomus minor Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 56 (Suapure, Caura River, 
 
 Venezuela). 
 
 This species was included in the Berlepsch and Hartert paper, the 
 Tring Museum having received a specimen from the Caura River. It 
 was not seen by me on the Orinoco proper. 
 
 The American Museum collection contains specimens from the 
 Caura, received from Klages. 
 
 "As far as I know this species (the type of which came from Trinidad) has not been taken at any 
 point along the Orinoco, but future collecting will probably discover it there.
 
 252 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 PACHYRHAMPHUS CINEREUS (Boddaert). 
 
 Pipra cinerea Bodd., Tab. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 43. 
 Pachyrhamphus cinereus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 56. 
 
 Eye dark seal brown ; bill plumbeous, in the male with the tip of the 
 maxilla black, in the female, tip of maxilla and ridge of culmen black ; 
 feet plumbeous. 
 
 PACHYRHAMPHUS MARCIDUS Cherrie. 
 
 Pachyrhamphus marcidus Cherrie, Sci. Bull. Bklyn. Inst. Mus. I. 1909. 
 p. 389 (Type 9 , Las Barrancas, delta region, Orinoco River, Ven- 
 ezuela). 
 Only two specimens secured, both from the same locality, one day 
 
 apart. 
 
 PACHYRHAMPHUS POLYCHROPTERUS NIGER (Spix). 
 
 Pachyrhynchus niger Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825. 1829. p. 33, PI. 45, fig. I. 
 Pachyrhamphus niger Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 56 (Ciudad Bolivar, 
 
 Altagracia, Caicara, Perico and Maipures River, Orinoco; Suapure 
 
 and La Pricion, Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 Not uncommon in the low thick underbrush bordering heavy timber 
 on one hand and open savanna on the other. Found all along the river 
 from the delta region at Las Barrancas at least as far as San Fernando 
 de Atabopo above the falls. 
 
 The food consists apparently of about equal parts of insects and 
 small fruits. 
 
 In the male the eye is seal brown; bill plumbeous black at tip; feet 
 slate grey; female, eye seal brown; bill above black, mandible whitish at 
 base, slate grey at the tip ; feet slate grey. 
 
 Considerable individual variation exists in the amount of greyish 
 mottling on the under surface, two out of four adult males having 
 narrow ill-defined greyish shaft streaks on the chin and throat. A speci- 
 men from Trinidad has the general under surface lighter grey, but 
 with less distinct mottling. A specimen from Cayenne is nearly uni- 
 form sooty black with very faintly indicated greyish mottling on the 
 belly. The amount of grey on the rump is also extremely variable, in 
 some examples scarce a trace being visible, the rump being nearly 
 uniform black like the back.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 253 
 
 PACHYRHAMPHUS MARGINATUS (Lichtenstein). 
 
 Todus marginatus Lichtenstein, Verz. Doubl. Berliner Mus., p. 51 (1823 
 
 Bahia). 
 Pachyrham films atricapillus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 56 (Munduapo, 
 
 Orinoco River, Suapure and La Pricion, Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 A single specimen taken at Munduapo February 27, 1899. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill plumbeous with the tip (only) of maxilla 
 black; feet plumbeous. 
 
 XENOPSARIS ALBINUCHA (Burmeister). 
 
 Pachyrhamphus albinucha Burm., P. Z. S. 1868. p. 635 (Rio de La Plata, 
 
 near Buenos Ay res). 
 Xenopsaris albinucha Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. XIV. 1891. p. 
 
 479; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 36. 
 
 Not uncommon along the middle Orinoco from Ciudad Bolivar up 
 as far, at least, as Caicara. 
 
 Dr. Burmeister following his original description of this species 
 (/. c.} states that it "lives in the sedges of the shores of the Rio de La 
 Plata." Along the Orinoco I found it to be an inhabitant of the sparsely 
 wooded savanna regions. In habits it is much like Pachyrhamphus, 
 certain species of which it also closelv, if superficially, resembles ; and 
 one having observed members of that genus, and the present species, 
 in the field, could not wonder at its having been associated with 
 Pachyrhamphus by its describer. Also, Mr. Ridgway (/. c.) was cer- 
 tainly correct in describing the genus Xenopsaris as pertaining to the 
 family Cotingidae. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert following Dr. Cabanis and Dr. Sclater asso- 
 ciate X. albinucha with the Tyrannidae "in the neighborhood of Cnipo- 
 legus," but as pointed out by Ridgway 1 the tarsus is not exaspidean. 
 It may be of interest to record my observations on the characters of the 
 tarsal covering as seen in fresh specimens of Xenopsaris and of Knipo- 
 legus. In Xenopsaris the acrotarsium covers the anterior half only. 
 The outer posterior half is covered by a series of scutella that merge, 
 at the upper end, into the papillae covering the heel, and at the lower 
 end into the papillae covered area just above the hallux. On the back 
 of the tarsus are three rows of small irregularly quadrate scutella, those 
 making up the row on the inner side being smallest (papillae like) ; 
 
 'Birds of North and Middle America IV. 1907. pp. 776-7
 
 254 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 and between the inner row and the edge of the acrotarsium there is a 
 narrow strip of non-scutellate membrane. 
 
 The outer toe is longer than the inner one, without claw it 
 reaches to the middle of the subterminal phalanx of the middle toe ; 
 inner toe, without claw, reaches to just beyond the base of the subtermi- 
 nal phalanx of the middle toe. Entire basal phalanx of middle toe united 
 to outer toe, and about one-fourth its length to the inner toe. 
 
 In Knipolegus the acrotarsium extends entirely across the outside 
 and around on to the back of the tarsus, except at the upper end where 
 the posterior outer half is occupied by three irregularly quadrate scutella. 
 On the inside the acrotarsium extends about half way across at the 
 upper end and almost completely across at the lower end. (In dried 
 skins the two edges of the acrotarsium usually meet!) The heel is 
 covered with roundish papillae, but the remaining integument between 
 the edges of the acrotarsium is non-scutellate. 
 
 The outer and middle toes are united at the base for the length of 
 the basal phalanx of the outer toe. The inner and middle toes are cleft 
 almost to the base. 
 
 LATHRIA CINEREA (Vieillot). 
 
 Ampelis cinerea Vieill., Nouv. Diet. VIII. 1817. p. 162. 
 Lathria cinerea Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 57. 
 
 Native name Pajaro miner o. Not observed until above the second 
 falls at Munduapo and Nericagua, where it was abundant, inhabiting 
 the dense forest where it frequents the lower branches of the larger 
 trees. 
 
 I shall always remember with pleasure what a thrill of expectancy 
 shot through me when I first heard the clear ringing call of this bird. 
 I was in the dark thick gomales forest (rubber trees) following an 
 Indian trail when I was startled by a loud metallic whistle that seemed 
 to come from directly over my head, high up in the tree tops ; in a 
 moment I heard it off to my right, then to my left ; first on this side, 
 then on that. Then other clarion calls came from the dense forest 
 all about me, some near, others only faintly heard in the distance. 
 The almost death-like stillness that seemed to pervade the twilight 
 quietude of the forest had suddenly been broken and the air rever- 
 berated with high-pitched, long-drawn whistling calls. It was a new 
 call to me, one that sent the blood coursing with expectancy. I 
 stepped cautiously forward peering intently into the thick canopy 
 of leaves far above me. The calls were most tantalizing and my
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 255 
 
 neck ached with the strain of gazing upward when my eye caught a 
 glimpse of a good-sized, dark-colored bird alighting on a bare branch 
 only about 3 meters from the ground and about 9 meters from where 
 I stood. For an instant I forgot the enticing whistles and gave my 
 attention to this quiet dweller of the forest. As I looked the body 
 stiffened and its owner sat up sharply erect, the bill opened and the 
 mystery of those notes that had so thrilled me and brought every sense 
 into unison was solved. This modestly dressed piper was the master 
 ventriloquist. 
 
 LIPAUGUS IMMUNDUS Sclater & Salvin. 
 
 Lipaugus immundus Scl. & Salv., Nomencl. Av. Neotr., 1773. pp. 57, 159. 
 Lipaugus simplex immundus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 57 (Nericagua and 
 
 Perico, Orinoco River, Suapure and La Pricion, Caura River). 
 
 Rare. This species, on my first expedition, was observed and 
 collected at Perico and Nericagua only. Berlepsch and Hartert 
 record Tring Museum examples from La Pricion and Suapure on the 
 Caura River, and in 1907 the writer observed and collected specimens 
 at La Cascabel on the San Feliz River near its junction with the 
 Cuchivero River. 
 
 Eye bay brown; bill black; feet slate color. 
 
 A male collected at La Cascabel, May 26, 1907, has a distinct nar- 
 row greyish collar extending completely around the neck. 
 
 ATTILA UROPYGIALIS (Cabanis). 
 
 Dasycephala uropygialis Cab. in Schomb. Reise Brit. Guiana, III. 1848. 
 
 p. 686. 
 Attila uropygialis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 58. 
 
 This species was not observed on the Orinoco proper, but speci- 
 mens were sent to the Tring Museum from Suapure and La Pricion 
 on the Caura River. 
 
 QUERULA PURPURATA (P. L. S. Miiller). 
 
 Mnscicapa purpurata Mull., Natursyst. Supplement, 1776. p. 169. 
 Querula purpurata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 58. 
 
 Not seen by the writer but collected by both Andre and Klages 
 on the Caura River and recorded in the Berlepsch and Hartert paper. 
 
 PYRODERUS SCUTATUS ORENOCENSIS (Lafresnaye). 
 Coracina orenocensis Lafresnaye, Rev. Zool. 1846, p. 277 ("Orenoque").
 
 256 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Pyroderus [scutatus orenocensis] Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 
 
 XXXIII: 1914: p. 631 (Altagracia, Orinoco Riv.). 
 
 The recording by Chapman of a specimen collected by M. A. 
 Carriker at Altagracia on the Orinoco confirms Lafresnaye's type 
 locality "Orenoque." 
 
 CEPHALOPTERUS ORNATUS Geoffroy. 
 
 Cephalopterus ornatus Geoffr., Ann. d. Mus. Paris XIII. 1809. p. 238, PL 
 
 17; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 58. 
 
 After passing the mouth of the river Meta, on my way up the 
 Orinoco, this species was occasionally observed, and specimens were 
 collected at Samborge and Nericagua. They are both difficult to see, 
 and difficult to get, from their habit of keeping to the very tops of 
 the high forest trees. 
 
 Adults have the eye pearl grey ; bill black above, plumbeous below ; 
 feet slate grey. 
 
 GYMNODERUS FOETIDUS (Linnaeus). 
 Gracula foetida L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 164. 
 Gymnoderus foetidus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 58. 
 
 Native name Pavita. This, like the preceding species, is rarely 
 seen as it keeps to the thick foliage of the tree tops. It was not met 
 with below the mouth of the Meta. 
 
 RUPICOLIDAE THE COCK OF THE ROCK. 
 RUPICOLA RUPICOLA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Pipra rupicola L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 338. 
 Rupicola rupicola Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 58. 
 
 Although no specimens were collected this species was frequently 
 observed about the Maipures rapids on the Orinoco. 
 
 FURNARIIDAE THE OVENBIRDS. 
 
 Accepting Mr. Ridgway's characterization of the family of the oven- 
 birds 1 . I find it represented in the Orinoco region by seven genera in 
 which are included fourteen species and subspecies. 
 
 Members of this family are remarkable for the very unusual 
 character and variety of their nests. 
 
 'Birds of North and Middle America V:i9ii: p. 157.
 
 CHERRIE ; ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 257 
 
 I believe all the species found in our region are permanent residents 
 there. Several of the forest frequenting species such as those that 
 pertain to the genera Philydor, Xenops, and Automolus are commonly 
 found in the small flocks of birds (made up of many unrelated forms) 
 that wander aimlessly about the forests and that are so characteristic 
 of bird life in the tropics. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF FURNARIIDAE. 
 
 a. Maxilla with tip not at all decurved; mandible strongly recurved ter- 
 
 minally.. . Xenops genibarbis. 
 
 a . Maxilla with tip more or less decurved and mandible not recurved ter- 
 minally. 
 
 b. Nostrils decidedly operculate, opening a narrow longitudinal slit. 
 c. Breast streaked, the feathers with buffy shaft streaks. 
 
 d. Tail short, slightly rounded; outstretched feet reaching to end of 
 
 tail Microxenops milleri. 
 
 d'. Tail long, graduated ; outstretched feet falling far short of end of 
 
 tail Thripophaga cherriei. 
 
 c . Breast feathers without buffy shaft streaks. 
 d. A distinct, yellow, yellowish, black or blackish chin spot. 
 
 e. Breast hazel brown chin and upper throat blackish Synallaxis rutilans. 
 
 e'. Breast not hazel. 
 /. Crown chestnut brown, in sharp contrast with remaining 
 
 upper parts Siptornis hyposticta. 
 
 f . Crown practically uniform in color with back. 
 
 g. PrimanMiiillswith distal half (more or less) of inner webs 
 blackish, the line between that and the rufous basal por- 
 tion being abruptly transverse Synallaxis cinnamomea. 
 
 g'. The blackish color of the distal part of the inner webs of 
 theprimariesextends well toward the base of the Quills along 
 the shaft, the line between the blackish tips and rufous 
 
 base extending diagonally across the web of the feathers . . Synallaxis gujanensis. 
 d'. Chin spot (if present) neither yellowish nor blackish. 
 
 e. General color of upper parts bright hazel brown (pileum 
 
 darker) Synallaxis vulpina alopecias. 
 
 e'. General color of upper parts buffy-brown, or olive-brown with 
 rufous wash. 
 
 /. Tail brown, nearly uniform with back Synallaxis albescens albigul- 
 
 aris. 
 
 /'. Tail nearly walnut brown, not uniform with back Synallaxis gujanensis gujan- 
 ensis. 
 
 b'. Nostrils not operculate (opening not slitlike), rounded, opening 
 upward. 
 
 c. General color of under parts bright raw sienna Philydor pyrrhodes. 
 
 c'. General color of under parts buffy-brown, olive buff, or dusky 
 
 tawny olive. 
 d. Feathers of crown (slightly elongated) and occiput chestnut, 
 
 very distinct from the rusty raw-umber of the back Philydor rufipilea.us como' 
 
 brinus. 
 d'. Feathers of crown and occiput nearly concolor with back, not 
 
 chestnut. 
 . A well denned buffy-yellow superciliary'stripe extending from 
 
 the bill to the occiput; throat reed yellow Philydor ruficaudalus. 
 
 e'. No superciliary stripe, or, if present, not well developed, and 
 
 throat not reed yellow. 
 /. General color of under-parts tawny olive brown, paler in the 
 
 centre; chin and upper throat pinkish buff Aulomolus turdinus. 
 
 /'. General color of under-parts without tawny shade; chin, 
 throat and middle of breast cartridge buff (Ridgway's); 
 
 sides dusky olive-brown A utomolus infuscatus cervical- 
 
 J, 
 
 SYNALLAXIS ALBESCENS ALBIGULARIS Sclater. . 
 Synallaxis albicjulans Scl.. P. Z. S. 1858. p. 63. 
 Synallaxis albescens albigularis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 59. 
 
 Noted from the delta region at Las Barrancas up as far as the 
 mouth of the Apure River.
 
 258 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 An immature bird collected at Las Barrancas, August I, 1907, 
 is nearly uniform bistre brown above, the wings and tail dusky brown- 
 ish edged with the color of the back ; below, the throat and belly are 
 pale buff washed with ochraceous. Sides of upper breast brownish 
 olive almost meeting across the breast; under tail-coverts, sides and 
 flanks buffy olive; under wing-coverts ochraceous buff. In life the 
 eye was sepia brown; bill above black, below dusky grey; feet dusky 
 pea green. 
 
 The White-throated Spine-tails frequent the almost impenetrable 
 thickets of thorny bushes, vines and stunted trees that spring up in 
 areas which have been cleared for cultivation and later abandoned, and 
 also in localities where the soil seems so poor as to be unable to sup- 
 port anything besides thorny bushes. 
 
 In habits they remind one somewhat of the wrens. Their flight 
 is weak and when disturbed they only fly a few feet at a time, from 
 one thicket to another, rarely if ever mounting into the tree tops. 
 
 The breeding season is evidently a long one, as at Caicara I have 
 found nests with fresh eggs the first of May and again in the middle 
 of August. The nests are extraordinary structures from 40 to 50 cm. 
 in length, composed of dry, usually thorny twigs, from 5 to 15 cm. 
 in length, skillfully woven into an upright cylindrical shaped 
 mass with a long tubular entrance to the nest cavity, which occupies 
 the lower half of the cylinder. They are sometimes built within from 
 3.5 to 15 cm. of the ground among the thorns of low bushes, the foliage 
 of which completely hides the nest. Again, I. have found them 1.22 m. 
 from the ground, above the tops of the surrounding bushes, not in 
 any way concealed, the body of the nest resting in the forks of a low 
 tree and the entrance tube supported along the top of one of the limbs. 
 The twigs at the top of the body of the nest are laid longitudinally so 
 as to form a sort of thatched roof over all. The eggs are a uniform 
 pale greenish in color ; and three constitute a full set. 
 
 A nest, and three fresh eggs taken at Caicara May 9th, was built 
 only about 15 .cm. above the ground in a low dwarfed tree, whose 
 branches bristled with short, thin and exceedingly sharp thorns. It 
 was completely concealed from above and on the sides by foliage. 
 The nest is constructed entirely of small, dry, and for the most part 
 thorny sticks, from 5 to 12 cm. in length. But, in spite of the thorns, 
 and the consequent irregular shape of the twigs employed, they are 
 laid together and interwoven with such skill that only very small
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 259 
 
 interstices are to be observed, and considerable force was required to 
 make an opening through the nest walls in order to remove the eggs. 
 This nest, bristling with thorns, and built of strongly interwoven 
 twigs, together with its peculiar shape, would seem to offer an ideal 
 concealment and safe retreat for the eggs and the parent bird during 
 incubation and later for the helpless young. The eggs are a pale 
 greenish in color, ovate in form and measure 19.8x12.2; 20.2x15.5 
 and 20.5x15.5 mm. 
 
 A second nest taken on the same date was similar in general shape 
 and in the materials employed in construction, but was some 40 cm. 
 from the ground in the forks of a low tree. It was not, however, in 
 any degree concealed by foliage ; and the entrance tube was almost 
 at right angles to the body of the nest, its position doubtless being 
 determined by the supporting limb, while the entrance tube in the 
 example described above entered at an angle of about 45 to the body 
 of the nest. This nest contained three eggs with incubation well 
 advanced. The eggs are uniform in color with the ones above 
 described but are more of a short ovate in form. They measure 
 19 x 15.2; 19.3 x 15.5 and 18 x 15.5 mm. 
 
 SYNALLAXIS CINNAMOMEA (Gmelin). 
 
 Ccrthia cinnamomea Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 480. 
 Synallaxis cinnamomea Berlepsch & Ha'rtert, p. 59. 
 
 Found abundantly at Ciudad Bolivar and at various points on the 
 San Feliz River near its junction with the Cuchivero River (and in 
 1897 very common at Altagracia, half way between Bolivar and Cai- 
 cara), but rarely met with at Caicara. It inhabits the thickets and 
 low bushes bordering streams and ponds. 
 
 Eye in different examples, varying from a hazel brown to a pale hair 
 brown ; bill, plumbeous above, pale below ; feet, from a slate to a 
 plumbeous grey. 
 
 A nest containing two fresh eggs, together with the parent bird, 
 was collected at Las Guacas on the San Feliz River May 31. 1907. 
 The nest, similar in structure and similarly located to nests of S. a. 
 ulbignlaris, was about 60 cm. from the ground in the centre of a thorny 
 bush. The eggs, a pale greenish or bluish green in color, are ovate 
 in form and measure 19.25 x 14.35 mm. and 19.25 x 14.5 mm, respect- 
 ivelv. 
 
 Beebe obtained specimens at Guanoco in the delta region.
 
 200 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BUCLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 SYNALLAXIS GUJANENSIS GUJANENSIS (Gmelin). 
 
 Motacilld gujanensis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 988. 
 Synallaxis guianensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 59. 
 
 This species was not observed on my earlier expeditions, but in 
 July, 1907, two adult males were collected at Las Barrancas in the 
 delta region. 
 
 In the American Museum there is an adult female collected by 
 Klages at La Union on the Caura River, Sept. 26, 1901. 
 
 Eye dusky brown ; -bill above black, below slate grey ; feet grey. 
 
 The Tring Museum received specimens from La Pricion on the 
 Caura River. 
 
 SYNALLAXIS RUTILANS Temminck. 
 
 Synallaxis rutilans Temm., PI. Col. 1823. p. 227; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 60. 
 
 Seen only on the upper river above the falls of Maipures, at 
 Nericagua. Klages and Andre both collected specimens on the 
 Caura River (Suapure, La Pricion, Nicare and La Union) that were 
 sent to the Tring Museum. There are two females in the American 
 Museum collected by Klages at Suapure on the Caura River, one in 
 September, the other in February. 
 
 SlPTORNIS VULPINA ALOPECIAS (Pelzeln). 
 
 Synallaxis alopecias Pelz., Sitz. Akad. Wien, XXXIV. 1859. p. 101. 
 Synallaxis vulpina alopecias Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 59. 
 
 Common at Ciudad Bolivar and at all points visited along the 
 Orinoco up to and beyond the falls of Maipures. It frequents the 
 thickets bordering streams and ponds. 
 
 Adults have the eye vandyke brown ; bill dark brown above, lilac 
 grey below; feet sage green. 
 
 A nest and two fresh eggs were collected at Caicara July 2, 1907. 
 One egg of the set was accidentally crushed, the remaining egg is 
 pure, dull white, ovate in form and measures 20x15.5 mm. Three 
 weeks prior to the collecting of the eggs and nest a pair of Fox-red 
 Spine-tails were observed hovering about what appeared to be a mass 
 of drift grass that had lodged between the forks at the top of a slender
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 261 
 
 sapling, and that at that time was some 2.13 m. above the sur- 
 face of the water. (The sapling stood in a flooded area and at that 
 level of the water was perhaps one hundred meters from the river 
 shore.) Masses, similar to that at which the Spine-tails were work- 
 ing, are common all along the river and represent in many cases 
 veritable accumulations of drift but quite as often they are doubtless 
 the old nests of such species as Pitangus sulphuratus rufipennis, Myio- 
 zetetes cayanensis rufipennis or M. texensis columbianus that have been 
 submerged during the flood season, and impregnated with the fine sedi- 
 ment from the surrounding water. After the waters recede, the mud filled 
 masses of drift become tenanted with many forms of insect life and soon 
 develop into a favorite hunting ground for various species of insect 
 feeding birds that gradually tear them to pieces, often piercing them 
 with tunnels in their search for insect prey. It was such a torn and 
 ragged bit of drift that the Spine-tails laid claim to it as their own spe- 
 cial property. The interior was hollowed out and enlarged, and 
 finally one of the entrances that had formed a part of a tunnel through 
 the nest was closed, some dry soft leaves and wood-fiber were taken in 
 as a foundation for an inner nest lining of grey lichens the nest was 
 completed but outwardly still looked a mere bunch of drift. 
 
 While the form of this nest, the materials employed in its general 
 structure and the site chosen all differ widely from the nests of other 
 species of spine-tails that I had opportunity to examine (such as that 
 described under Synallaxis albescens albigularis) there remains, in the 
 use of grey lichens as the inner lining of the nest, a characteristic com- 
 mon to all. Is this use of grey lichens in lining the nest cavity an 
 hereditary custom descended from a distant common ancestor? 
 
 Two eggs of the Venezuelan Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis 
 venezuelensis) were found in the nest with those of the Spine-tails. 
 
 SlPTORNIS HYPOSTICTA (Pelzeln). 
 
 Synallaxis hyposticta Pelz., Sitz. Akad. Wien, 1859. p. 102. 
 Siptornis hyposticta Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 60. 
 
 Noted only on the upper river at Munduapo and Nericagua. Speci- 
 mens were also taken at La Pricion on the Caura River by Klages. 
 
 In the American Museum collection there is a single specimen from 
 La Union on the Caura River, an adult male, collected October 23rd.
 
 262 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 THRIPOPHAGA CHERRiEi 1 Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Thripophaga cherriei Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 60 
 
 (Capuano, Orinoco River). 
 
 The male and female specimens on which this species is based were 
 collected Feb. 5, 1899, at a small Piaroa Indian settlement called 
 Capuano on the opposite side of the Orinoco and about twenty-five miles 
 above the mouth of the river Vichado. The species had not been ob- 
 served on subsequent expeditions. 
 
 H. von Berlepsch further says : 
 
 "This new species, which we have great pleasure to name after its 
 discoverer, Mr. G. K. Cherrie, seems to be quite distinct from any 
 species described hitherto. In its uniform upper surface it lesembles 
 somewhat Th. fusciceps Scl. from Bolivia; but it is a much smaller bird, 
 and has a dark orange-rufous mark on the upper part of the throat 
 wanting in that species. 
 
 "The upper parts of the body in the new species are of a dark 
 olivaceous brown with a rufescent tinge, which is not observable on the 
 pileum, this being of a paler olivaceous brown. The under parts of the 
 body are of a much clearer olivaceous brown with a fulvescent tinge. 
 The lower throat, the upper breast and the sides of the head show a 
 narrow and sharp creamy buff stripe in the middle of each feather, 
 which is widening a little to the tip of the feather. The large mark on 
 the upper throat is of a dark orange rufous color. The upper surface 
 of the wings is of a dark but vivid rufous brown. The tail, with the 
 upper tail-coverts, is of a bright chestnut. The under wing-coverts are 
 cinnamon, and the inner margins of the remiges are fulvous brown. 
 The upper mandible and the legs are dusky brown, the under mandible 
 is yellowish. 
 
 "Capuano: $ adult in much worn plumage, 9 5. ii., '99. 
 
 " 'Iris wood-brown ; feet sage-green ; bill above dusky smoke-grey, 
 below pale grey.' 
 
 JAs I believe, the type (an adult female), anda male taken at the same time, are still the only specimens 
 in existence in museums, I reproduce herewith the original description: 
 
 "Thripophaga cherriei, sp. nov. (PI. XII, f. 2). 
 
 _ "Thr. corpore supra obscure rufescente olivaceo-brunneo, absque striis vel maculis, pileo pallidiore 
 magis olivacep, corpore subtus cum capitas lateribus clariore fulvescente olivaceo brunneo, collo inferiore, 
 pectore capitisque lateribus striis angustis definitis fulvescenti-albis instructis, macula magna in gula 
 superiore intense aurantio-rufa, alis extus obscure castaneo-brunneis, cauda tectricibusque supracau- 
 dalibus obscure castaneis, tectricibus subalaribus cinnamomeis remigibus intus, f ulvo-brunneo marginatis; 
 maxilla pedibusque corneis. mandibula flavescente. 
 
 c? al. 67, caud. 68, culm. I4K. tars. 19 mm. 
 " 66, " 65, " I4K. " i8K mm. 
 
 "Habitat: circum Capuano, Rio Orinoco. 
 Typus: in Mus. H. von Berlepsch (cf 5. ii. '99)."
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 263 
 
 "(Nos. 11834, 11835, Cherrie coll.). 
 
 "The female is like the male, save that the back is slightly more 
 rufous, and the longitudinal marks on the chest are more fulvescent. It 
 is also a little smaller." 
 
 AUTOMOLUS TURDINUS (Pelzeln). 
 
 Anabates turdinus Pelz., Sitz. Wien, 1859. p. no (Brazil). 
 Automolus turdinus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 61. 
 
 Seen only at Munduapo. Two males taken in February. 
 
 AUTOMOLUS INFUSCATUS CERVICALIS (Sclater). 
 Philydor cervicalis Sclater, P. Z. S., 1889. p. 33. (Bartica Grove, Cama- 
 
 cusa, British Guiana). 
 Automolus sclateri Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 61 (Nericagua, Orinoco 
 
 River, La Pricion, La Union and Nicare, Caura River, Venez.). 
 Automolus infuscatus cervicalis Scl. ; Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. 
 
 p. 335. Caura River and Orinoco River, Venezuela ; British Guiana. 
 
 Observed only on the upper Orinoco. Male and female (adults) 
 taken at Nericagua during March-. Berlepsch and Hartert record 
 specimens from La Pricion, La Union and Nicare on the Caura River. 
 
 Three specimens, two males and a female, collected by Klages 
 at La Union on the Caura River, are in the American Museum. 
 These specimens have the crown of the head slightly rufescent in 
 contrast with the olive brown back which serves at a glance to 
 distinguish them from a specimen from the upper Amazon a true 
 A. infuscatus. 
 
 PHILYDOR PYRRIIODES (Cabanis). 
 Anabates pyrrhodes Cab. in Schomb., Reise Brit. Guiana, III. 1848. 
 
 p. 689." 
 Philydor pyrrhodes Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 62. 
 
 Not uncommon on the upper river at Munduapo and Nericagua. 
 Not observed elsewhere. 
 
 PHILYDOR RUFICAUDATUS (d'Orb & Lafr). 
 Anabates ruficaudatus Lafresnaye et d'Orbigny Syn. Av. II: 1838: 
 
 p. 15 (Bolivia). 
 
 In the American Museum collection there is a specimen from the 
 foot of Mt. Duida, collected by Miller & Iglseder.
 
 264 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 PHILYDOR RUEIPILEATUS CONSOBRINUS Sclater. 
 Philydor consobrinus Scl. P. Z. S. 1870. p. 323 (Bogota). 
 Philydor consobrinus rufipileatus Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 
 1902. p. 61. 
 Philydor rufipileatus consobrinus Hellmayr Verb. Zool. bot. Ges. Wien. 
 
 LIU. 19x53. p. 220 (River Caura, Venez.). 
 
 Recorded from the Caura River by Berlepsch and Hartert and 
 by Hellmayr. Not observed on the Orinoco proper. 
 
 XENOPS GENIBARBIS Illiger. 
 Xenops genibarbis 111., Prodr. Orn. 1811. p. 213; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 62. 
 
 Not noted until after passing above the falls of Atures ; common 
 from that point onward. Specimens were collected at Munduapo, 
 Nericagua and Maipures. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record specimens from La Union, Nicare 
 and Suapure on the Caura River. 
 
 MICROXENOPS MiLLERi (Chapman). 
 
 Microxenops milleri Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. XXXIII: 
 1914: 196 (Foot of Mt. Duida, Upper Orinoco, Venez.). 
 Type in collection of American Museum. 
 
 DENDROCOLAPTIDAE THE WOODHEWERS. 
 
 Twenty-six species and subspecies were included in the Berlepsch 
 and Hartert paper, twenty-three of which number were collected by 
 the writer on the Orinoco proper and three received by the Tring 
 Museum from points on the Caura River. 
 
 As was to be expected, as with the Furnariidae, the greatest num- 
 ber of species and of individuals was found in the heavily forested 
 regions above the cataracts of Atures and Maipures. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF DENDROCOLOPTIDAE. 
 
 a. Nostrils narrow and elongated with a distinct operculum. 
 6. Tips of rectrices strongly decurved. 
 
 c. Bill wedge-shaped, tip of maxilla flattened (horizontally). 
 a. Throat pale ochraceous-orange ; brown of back less intense ap- 
 proaching Dresden-brown Glyphorhynchus cunealus 
 
 d'. Throat dark ochraceous-orange; brown of back more intense ap- 
 proaching Brussels-brown Glyphorhynchus cuneatus cas- 
 
 c'. Bill slender, not wedge-shaped, tip of maxilla pointed Siitasomu's amazonus.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 265 
 
 b'. Tips of rectrices very slightly or not at all decurved. 
 
 c. Lores and chin buffy gray, general color of under parts a dark 
 Isabella color (Ridgway's Color Standards), wing usually more 
 thanioomm Dendrocinda olivacea phae- 
 
 c'. Lores dusky gray, chin whitish, general color of under parts brown- 
 ish olive, wing usually less than 100 mm Dendrocinda merula 
 
 a'. Nostrils rounded, operculum indistinct or absent. 
 
 6. Bill very long and slender and much curved Campylorhamphus trochilir- 
 
 b'. Bill not unusually long, slender or much curved. 
 
 c. Back not marked with pale or buffy shaft lines or stripes (at least 
 not indicated on more than anterior part of mantle and then in 
 combination with a whitish bill). 
 
 d. Top of head not marked with shaft lines or spots Xiphocolaptes major. 
 
 d'. Top of head distinctly marked with shaft lines or spots. 
 
 e. Feathers of back marked with indistinct transverse dusky bars Dendrocolaples certhia. 
 e'. Feathers of back without any indication of transverse bars. 
 /. Large, total length more than 25 cm.; wing more than 120 
 
 mm Nasica longirostris. 
 
 . /'. Smaller, total length less than 25 cm.; wing less than 120 
 
 mm. 
 
 g. Crown marked with narrow, pale, buffy shaft streaks .... Dendroplex picus picus. 
 g'. Crown marked with broadly guttate buffy shaft spots .... Dendroplex picirosiris. 
 c'. Back distinctly marked with buffy shaft lines or stripes, bill 
 
 blackish. 
 d. Under parts, including under tail-coverts, with distinct, well 
 
 defined, pale, buffy streaks Picolaptes albolineatus. 
 
 d'. Streaks on under parts, if extending to crissum and under tail- 
 coverts, then not distinct or well defined. 
 e. Feathers of chin and upper throat narrowly edged with dusky 
 
 or blackish. 
 /. Distance from nostrils to tip of bill greater than length of 
 
 tarsus, 
 g. Chin and upper throat whitish or pale buffy, cutting edge 
 
 of maxilla distinctly decurved at the tip Xiphorhynchus jardinei. 
 
 g' . Chin and upper throat ochraceous buff, cutting edge of 
 
 maxilla nearly straight Xiphorhynchus pardalotus. 
 
 /', Distance from nostrils to tip of bill not greater than length 
 
 of tarsus Xiphorhynchus obsolelus no- 
 
 latus. 
 
 e'. Feathers of chin and upper throat not edged with dusky or 
 blackish. 
 
 /. Under tail coverts strongly washed with rufous Xiphorhynchus guttatus gut- 
 
 tatoides. 
 f. Under tail coverts uniform with abdomen, faintly, or not at 
 
 all washed with rufous Xiphorhynchus susurrans. 
 
 SITTASOMUS AMAZONUS Lafresnaye. 
 Sittasomus amasonus Lafr., Rev. Zool. 1850. p. 509, 590; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 62. 
 Sittasomus sylviellus amazonus Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XVII: 1911: 
 
 p. 323 (Caura, Venezuela). 
 
 Not observed by the writer, but Berlepsch and Hartert record it 
 from Suapure on the Caura River. 
 
 GLYPHORHYNCHUS CUNEATUS CUNEATUS (Lichtenstein). 
 Dendrocolaptes cuneatus Licht., Abh. Kon. Akad. Wiss. Berl. 1820. p. 
 
 204, PI. 2, fig. 2. 
 Glyphorhynchus cuneatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 62. 
 
 Common at the falls of Maipures and beyond. Specimens were 
 collected at Maipures, Nericagua, Munduapo and Capuano. Ber- 
 lepsch and Hartert record specimens from Suapure, La Pricion and 
 Nicare on the Caura River.
 
 266 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 GLYPHORHYNCHUS CUNEATUS CASTELNAUDI Des Murs. 
 Glyphorhynchus castelnaudi Des Murs, Voy. Casteln. Ois. 1855 : P- 47 
 
 (Santa Maria, Peru). 
 
 Chapman (MS) has identified four examples from the foot of Mt. 
 Duida (upper Orinoco) as pertaining to this race. 
 
 XIPHORHYNCHUS GUTTATus SORORIA ( Berlepsch & Hartert). 
 Dendrornis rostripallens sororia Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 
 1902. 63 (Type, Maipures, Orinoco River). 
 D[endrornis] guttata sororia Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV: 1907: 59 
 
 (Orinoco and Caura rivers). 
 
 This new form of Woodhewer was first observed at Quiribana 
 de Caicara, where two specimens were taken in April, 1898 ; but it 
 was rarely seen until beyond the falls of Atures, beyond which point 
 it was abundant. In habits it did not seem to differ from its con- 
 geners, being strictly a bird of the thick forest. Specimens were 
 collected at Quiribana de Caicara, Bichaco, Perico, Maipures and 
 Munduapo, also one is included by Berlepsch and Hartert from Suapure 
 on the Caura River. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are two specimens taken by 
 Klages on the Caura River; a male at Maripa, January 24th and a 
 female at La Union, September 26th. 
 
 XIPHORHYNCHUS GUTTATUS GUTTATOIDES (Lafresnaye). 
 Nasica guttatoides Lafresnaye Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1850: 387 (Lorette, 
 
 Peru). 
 Dendrornis rostripallens sororia Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX: 
 
 1902: 63 (in part Nericagua, Orinoco). 
 Dendrornis guttata guttatoides Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV: 1907: 59 
 
 (Nericagua; crit). 
 
 The American Museum collection contains specimens from the foot 
 of Mt. Duida. 
 
 XIPHORHYNCHUS SUSURRANS SUSURRANS (Jard.). 
 
 Dendrocolaptes susurrans Jardine, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. XIX. 1847. p. 
 81. 
 
 Dendrornis susurrans jardinei Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 30 
 (Orinoco delta, Guanoco).
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 267 
 
 Beebe collected two specimens at Guanoco, in the delta region, 
 that are inseparable from the Brooklyn Museum series of X. susurrans 
 susurrans from Carenage, Trinidad. The characters cited by Hell- 
 mayr in his Birds of Trinidad as distinguishing the birds of the 
 Orinoco delta from those of Trinidad, do not seem to be constant, 
 one of Beebe's specimens having the throat as whitish (not buff) as 
 any example from Trinidad. Beebe's other specimen showing con- 
 siderable buff on throat and remaining light spots on under parts is 
 readily matched by Trinidad specimens. 
 
 This species was not observed by the writer. 
 
 XlPHORHYNCHUS LINEATOCAPILLUS (Bed. & Lever.). 
 
 Dendrornis lineatocapilla Beriepsch and Leverkuhn, Ornis, 1890: p. 24 
 * (Type ex Angostura, Orinoco). 
 
 I have not seen examples of this species. 
 
 XlPHORHYNCHUS PARDALOTUS (Vieillot). 
 
 Dendrocopits pardalotus Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XXVI. 1818. p. 117. 
 Dendrornis pardalotus Beriepsch & Hartert, p. 64. 
 
 Rare, seen only on the upper river where three specimens were 
 taken during March and April at Nericagua. 
 
 Beriepsch and Hartert report specimens collected at Suapure and 
 at La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 The American Museum collection contains specimens from La 
 Union and Suapure on the Caura River that agree with Brit. Guiana 
 specimens. There are also examples from the foot of Duida (Miller Col.). 
 
 XlPHORHYNCHUS OBSOLETUS NOTATUS (Eyton). 
 
 Picolaptes notatus Eyton, Contr. Orn. 1852. p. 26 (Rio Negro, apud. 
 
 Berl. & Hart.). 
 Dendrornis obsoleta notata Beriepsch & Hartert, p. 64. 
 
 Rare on the lower Orinoco from Altagracia and Caicara up as 
 far as the first falls, but common from the vicinity of Maipures 
 onward. On the 1907 expedition, observed and collected on the San 
 Feliz River near its junction with the Cuchivero River, and included 
 in the Beriepsch and Hartert paper from Suapure and La Pricion on 
 the Caura River. 
 
 In the American Museum are Caura River specimens collected 
 by Klages at Suapure and the mouth of the Malo River.
 
 268 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill above dusky fawn color, below ecru drab; 
 feet olive greenish or greenish gray. 
 
 DENDROPLEX PICUS PICUS (Gmelin). 
 Oriolus picus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 384. 
 Dendroplex picus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 65. 
 
 Three taken at Ciudad Bolivar, two females April I3th, male. 
 April I4th. 
 
 On my previous expedition not observed until I had reached 
 Perico in the neighborhood of the falls of Atures. 
 
 DENDROPLEX PICIROSTRIS (Lafresnaye). 
 Dendrocolaptes picirostris Lafr., Rev. Zool. 1847. p. 76. 
 Dendroplex picirostris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 65. 
 
 Not uncommon in the heavily timbered areas bordering the river. 
 Observed and collected at Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia and Caicara. 
 Specimens display a considerable variation in color, especially on 
 the under parts, where the throat in a female, taken April 2Qth, is 
 "a deep buff; in the male, taken May 8th (both collected at Caicara), 
 it is a pale cream color. All display a reddish brown wash on the 
 belly, very prominent in the male taken June 3rd and faintly indi- 
 cated in the one taken May 8th. 
 
 A set of three fresh eggs, together with the male parent bird, 
 was taken May 8th. The eggs are white, without gloss and between 
 an elliptical oval and an oval in form and measure 27.2 x 20.2 ; 25.5 x 
 19.6 and 26.5 x 20.2 mm. The nest was at the bottom of the hollow 
 centre of an old stump, about 40 cm. down. No nesting material had 
 been carried in. 
 
 A second set of two eggs was taken with the parent bird (female) 
 May nth. One of these eggs is elliptfcal ovate and the other ovate 
 in form. They measure 28.3 x 19.6 and 27.5 x 20.5 mm. This nest 
 was at the bottom of a natural hollow in a tree trunk about 1.25 
 metres from the ground. Bits of rather thick bark from 15 to 50 
 mm. across had been carried in to fill up the lower part of the cavity 
 which communicated with a hollow at the foot of the tree. The eggs 
 were about 40 cm. down from the opening and I obtained them by 
 digging out the bottom of the nest ! June 3rd I noted that the lower 
 part of the hole in this tree had again been filled with bits of bark.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 269 
 
 On going a little nearer, a Woodhewer of this species, a male, flew 
 from the opening and examination revealed three fresh eggs at the 
 bottom of the cavity. These eggs are slightly smaller than the two 
 preceding sets, short ovate in form, and measure 24.4 x 19; 23.6 x 19 
 and 23 x 19 mm. 
 
 XIPHOCOLAPTES ORENOCENSIS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Xiphocolaptes orenocensis Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. 
 
 P- 65- 1 
 
 Four specimens of this interesting new species were taken, three 
 at Munduapo and one at Nericagua. No others were seen. 
 
 PICOLAPTES ALBOLINEATUS (Lafresnaye). 
 Dendrocolaptes albolineatus Lafr., Rev. Zool. 1846. p. 208. 
 Picolaptes albolineatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 66. 
 
 This species is not common but found all along the lower and 
 middle stretches of the river as far as the mouth of the Apure River. 
 
 Eye seal brown; maxilla blackish at base, ecru drab at tip, mandible 
 pale grey ; feet dusky pea green. 
 
 A female taken at Ciudad Bolivar April I5th had a nearly devel- 
 oped egg in the oviduct. 
 
 NASICA LONGIROSTRIS (Vieillot). 
 
 Dendrocopus longirostris Vieill, Nouv. Diet. XXVI. 1818. p. 117. 
 Nasica longirostris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 66. 
 
 Not uncommon on the upper river at the first falls and beyond. 
 
 CAMPYLORHAMPHUS TROCHILIROSTRIS (Lichtenstein). 
 Dendrocolaptes trochilirostris Licht., Abh. Kon. Akad. Wiss. Berl. 1820. 
 p. 207. PI. 3. 
 
 iFor the benefit of those who may not have access to the Novitates Zoologicae, I reproduce the 
 original description and observations on this species. 
 
 "Xlphoeolantes orenocensis sp. nov. 
 
 "X. corpore supra obscure olivaceo rufo-brunneo. pileo nigrescente, pilei nuchaeque plun 
 angustis fulvo-albis scapalibus instructis; gula rufescenti alba, corpore mfenore relique capitisque laten 
 fulvescenti rufo-brunneis, colli inferioris pectoris ventrisque superioris capitisque laterum plumis stria 
 mediana fulyo-alba signatis, abdominis medii plumis maculis pogonio utroque tnbus mgns (fasciis mstar) 
 praeditis, alls caudaque obscure castaneis, rostro albo-corneo. 
 
 "Habitat: in vie. locorum Nericagua et Munduapo dictorum, Orinoco. . . 
 
 "Typus: in Mus. Tring cf Nericagua. no. 12484 (Cherrie coll.) * 
 
 species has a very long and powerful bill, agreeing in form nearly with that of X. major, while in its color 
 tion it resembles most A', promeropirhynchus. differing, however, in its darker back, and the more rufous 
 brown, less olivaceous tint of the lower parts of the body, as well as in the much darker chestnut of its tail 
 and wings. 
 
 " (A', emigrant of Central America is smaller, and is easily distinguished by the much lighter tail . 
 while the color of the upper surface is not so very different). " 

 
 270 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Xiphorhynchus trochilirostris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 67. 
 
 Rare. Observed only in the belt of heavy forest bordering the river. 
 
 Specimens taken at Altagracia, Caicara and Quiribana de Caicara. 
 Eye dark sepia brown; bill hazel brown; feet olive green. 
 
 DENDROCINCLA MERULA (Lichtenstein). 
 Dendrocolaptes merula Licht., Abh. Kon. Akad. Wiss. Berl. 1820. p. 208. 
 
 Dendrocincla merula Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 67; Oberholser, Proc. Ac. 
 
 Nat. Sci. Phila. LVI; 1904; p. 456 (Suapure). 
 
 Rare, observed and collected at Munduapo and Nericagua on the 
 upper river. In the American Museum collection are specimens taken 
 at Suapure on the Caura River by Klages. Berlepsch and Hartert 
 also record it from Suapure and as well as from Nicare on the Caura 
 River. 
 
 DENDROCINCLA MERULOIDES PHAEOCHROA Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Dendrocinda [sic] phaeochroa Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 
 1902. p. 67 (Type, $ Munduapo, Orinoco River). 
 Dendrocincla olivacea phaeochroa Oberholser, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 
 
 Phila. LVI. 1904. p. 458 (Suapure, La Union, Caura River, 
 
 Venezuela). 
 D[endrocincla] meruloides phaochroa Hellm. P. Z. S. Pt. IV: 1911: 
 
 p. 1156. 
 
 This species is closely related to D. merula but while the other is 
 rare this is the common Dendrocincla of the region. Observed only on 
 the upper river. 
 
 As there are probably many who do not have access to Berlepsch 
 and Hartert's paper, I have thought it might be worth while to re- 
 produce their original description and remarks on this species which 
 are given below 1 . 
 
 "Dendrocinda phaeochroa 8p. DOT. 
 
 J " D.D. meruloides (Lafr.) dictae affinis, sed paulo major et corpore supra subtusque obscure olivaceo- 
 brunneo, minus rufuscente tincto, necnon gula sordide albescente (nee gula collo concolore) distinguenda. 
 
 "cfc? al. 108, 109; caud. 94; culm. 29; tars. 24Xmm. 
 
 " 9?al. 106, 107, io8:caud. 86, 86K,87;culm. 28K ; tars 24K mm. 
 
 "Typus: o", Munduapo 10. ii., '99 (no. 11895 Cherrie coll.) 
 
 " Hab. Ad flumina Orinoco et Caura dicta. 
 
 "This new species differs from D. meruloides from Venezuela (Cumana, San Esteban, etc.), in its less 
 reddish, darker and more olivaceous brown color, its distinctly whitish upper throat and slightly larger 
 dimensions. It differs from D. merula, which occurs in the same localities, by its larger bill with a brownish, 
 less blackish upper maxilla, more olivaceous, less rufous upper wing-coverts, lighter color above and below, 
 less contrasting, less chestnut-ruious under tail-coverts, and paler under wing-coverts and lining of the 
 quills. 
 
 " It is most interesting to find D. merula and D. phaeochroa in the same localities. Hartert hesitated 
 for some time to recognize them as two species, but he is now, together with Berlepsch. fully convinced of 
 the correctness of their differentiation."
 
 : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 2Jl 
 
 DENDROCOLAPTES CERTHIA (Boddaert). 
 Picus certhia Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 38. 
 Dendrocolaptes certhia Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 68. 
 
 Common on the upper river. Observed from near the mouth of 
 the Meta River up as far as specimens were collected at Malaben, 
 Xericagua and Munduapo. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record specimens collected at Suapure, 
 Nicare and La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 FORMICARIIDAE ANT-THRUSHES. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert's paper listed forty-two species and sub- 
 species as representatives of sixteen genera. Of that number, the 
 writer collected twenty-eight species and subspecies pertaining to four- 
 teen genera, on the Orinoco proper. 
 
 Fifty-six species and subspecies are included in the present list, and 
 there is no doubt that a good many more will be added to the list as 
 soon as careful collecting will have been done throughout the entire re- 
 gion. 
 
 As was to have been expected, since the Ant-thrushes are 
 chiefly birds of the thick forest, members of this family were not found 
 abundantly either as species or as individuals, until after we had pene- 
 trated to the heavily forested regions of the upper Orinoco. 
 
 In aJl my experience as a collector, I have learned but little regard- 
 ing the nesting habits of birds of this group and regret to be able to add 
 so little at the present time. 
 
 KEY TO GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF FORMICARIIDAE. 
 
 a. "Second phalanx of middle toe entirely free from outer toe; acrotarsium 
 more or less distinctly scutellate (at least on inner side). " J 
 
 b. Posterior edge of planta tarsi rounded (not booted) Rhopoterpetorquata torguata. 
 
 b'. Posterior side of planta tarsi with a sharp edge. 
 
 c. "Nostrils oval or rounded and without operculum (or if present 
 
 not well developed) or other adjacent soft membrane. " J 
 d. Conspicuously barred above and below. 
 
 e. Crown and occiput uniform black or hazel brown (no white 
 
 bases to crown or occiput feathers) Cymbtlatmus lineatus Itneatus. 
 
 e'. Crown and occiput black, feathers with white bases tfThamnophtlus doltatus. 
 
 d'. Not conspicuously barred either above or below. 
 
 e. Wing coverts without white tips or other markings (males of 
 T. murinus have nearly obsolete small pale tips to wing 
 covertsl, and usually uniform with outer edges of quills. 
 /. Wing more than 65 mm. 
 
 g. Under parts white * Taraba major albicrtssa. 
 
 'From Ridgway's " Key to the Genera of Formicariidae" Birds of N. and M. Amer. V.: 1911 : p. 10. 
 
 'Ridgway 1. c. 
 
 (Cymbilaimus, Pygiptila.Hypolophus. Thamnophilus, Sclateria." Erionolus, Rhopochares, Dysilhamnus.) 
 . ' Mr. Ridgway in his " key " to the Formicariidae placed Sdaleria tentatively in the section having the 
 second phalanx of the middle toe partly united to the outer toe and the acrotarsiura fused, but I find in the 
 two forms examined (S. argentala and S. schistacea saturate) that the second phalanx of the middle to is 
 entirely free from the outer toe and the divisions of the acrotarsium are not obsolete.
 
 272 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE) BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 g'. Under parts not white. 
 
 h. General color of under parts slate gray . 
 
 h'. General color of under parts ochraceous buff (it may be 
 
 clear or dusky). 
 . Upper parts bright hazel brown, or olive brown. 
 
 j. Hazel brown above 
 
 j'. Olive brown above 
 
 '. Upper parts slate color 
 
 /'. Wing not more than 65 mm. 
 
 g. General color above gray (slate gray or olive gray) . 
 
 h. Middleof belly pale yellowish 
 
 h'. Middle of belly pale grayish (whitish) 
 
 g'. General color above olive or olive brown and crown and 
 
 occiput tawny olive. 
 h. Larger, tail as long as wing or more; under parts 
 
 pale buffy brownish 
 
 h'. Smaller, tail less than J as long as wing; under parts 
 
 pale grayish ; buffy yellowish on crissum 
 
 '. Wing coverts with distinct white or buffy tips, or other pale 
 wing markings. 
 
 /. General color below white (immaculate) ; above black 
 
 /'. General color below not immaculate white. 
 
 g. Head all round and throat black 
 
 g'. Sides of head and throat not black. 
 
 h. General color of under parts a uniform gray (in shade 
 
 varying from pale neutral gray to slate gray) . 
 j. Tertials and inner secondaries edged or tipped, or 
 
 both, with white or pale gray. 
 j. Crown and occiput black. 
 
 k. Primary coverts narrowly tipped with white .... 
 
 k'. Primary coverts not tipped with white 
 
 j'. Crown and occiput slate gray or gray mixed with 
 hazel brown ( cf im) 
 
 *'. Tertials and inner secondaries not tipped and edged 
 
 (on outer webs) with white or pale grayish. 
 j. Nearly uniform slate grayish above, no black on 
 crown, wing-coverts with very small whitish apical 
 
 spots 
 
 j'. Crown and nape black (and more or less black on 
 
 the interscapulars) 
 
 h'. General color of under parts not uniform grayish, 
 j. Chin, throat, and upper breast bright tawny ochrace- 
 
 tfDysithamnus ardesiacus ar- 
 desiacus. 
 
 9 Thamnophilus doliatus. 
 
 9 Dysilhamnus ardesiacus sat- 
 
 urninus. 
 tfPygiptila stellar is. 
 
 tfDysithamnus affinis andrei. 
 ^Thamnophilus murinus. 
 
 9 Thamnophilus murinus. 
 9 Dysithamnus affinis andrei. 
 
 tfTaraba major albicrissa. 
 
 tfHvpolophus canadensis trin- 
 iiatis. 
 
 Erionotus naevius naevius. 
 Erionotus insignis. 1 
 
 d" and cf im. Erionotus cine- 
 reiceps. 
 
 ^Thamnophilus murinus. 
 stellaris. 
 
 i'. Under parts in general a uniform pale buff or tawny 
 ochraceous; or striated with white on a gray ground, 
 or buffy brownish on a grayish white ground. 
 j. Tail cinnamon brown. 
 
 k. White tip to tail-feathers confined to inner web 
 except on two outermost rectrices (outer face 
 of posterior half of tarsus with more or less oval 
 scutes not closely joined to one another) 
 
 k'. White tips to rectrices larger and not confined to 
 inner webs of quills (outer face of posterior half 
 of tarsus with nearly quadrangular scutes unit- 
 ing with those from the opposite side in a sharp 
 
 ridge) 
 
 f. Tail black or blackish brown. 
 
 k. With an occipital crest; crown and occiput 
 chestnut, sharply different in color from back. . . 
 
 k'. No occipital crest, and color of crown and occiput 
 
 not different from back. 
 I. Slate gray (deep neutral gray) or slate black 
 
 above. 
 m. Smaller, wing less than 75 mm.; upper 
 
 parts deep neutral gray 
 
 m'. Larger, wing more than 75 mm.; upper 
 parts slate black 
 
 I'. General color above rufescent brown or mum- 
 my brown. 
 
 9 Thamnophilus amazonicus. 
 
 9 or cf (im) Erionotus in- 
 signis. 
 
 9 Erionotus naevius naevius. 
 
 9 Hypolophus canadensis trin- 
 itatis. 
 
 tfSdateria argentata. 
 tfSdateria schistacea cauren- 
 
 U do not know of any records in the immediate Orinoco valley, but there is a good series from Cristobal 
 Colon, Pana Peninsula (American Museum Collection), and as the type comes from British Guiana the 
 species is probably found in intermediate localities.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 
 
 273 
 
 m. Larger, wing more than 75 mm.; top of 
 head slate gray in sharp contrast with color 
 of back 
 
 m'. Smaller, wing less than 75 mm. and top of 
 
 head uniform with back 
 
 . "Nostrils more or less narrow and longitudinal, more or less dis- 
 tinctly operculate, or if broadly oval or roundish the remainder of 
 nasal fossae occupied by membranous integument." 1 (Myrmother- 
 ula, Myrmopagis, Microrhopias, Herpsilochmus, Ramphocaerus, 
 Cercomacra, Thamnomanes Myrmoborus, Hypocnemis, Hapalocer- 
 cus, Myrmeciza, Myrmoderas, Formicarius). 
 d. Bill long and slender, as long as head 
 
 d'. Bill not unusually long and slender, not as long as head. 
 
 e. Outstretched feet reaching little if any beyond the tips of the 
 
 under tail coverts 
 
 e'. Outstretched feet reaching much beyond the end of the under 
 
 tail coverts. 
 /. A restricted, sharply denned, buff colored area at the base 
 
 of the inner webs of the wing-quills, 
 g. Entire top of head, forehead, crown and occiput rufous 
 
 (the crown feathers tipped only with rufous) 
 
 g'. Wide frontal band black, crown and occiput rufous 
 
 /'. No restricted, sharply defined buff colored area at base of 
 
 inner webs of wing-quills. 
 
 g. Distance from tips of under tail-coverts to tip of tail not 
 greater (usually less) than length of bill, and lower back 
 not marked with rounded white or buff y spots. 
 h. Sides of face, lores and auriculars black. 
 
 '. With broad frontal and superciliary stripe, white in 
 males, rufous in females (no concealed white dorsal 
 spot) 
 
 '. No frontal band and superciliaries narrow (a con- 
 cealed white dorsal spot) 
 
 h'. Sides of face not black. 
 
 i. Tertials and secondaries with cinnamon buff tips .... 
 '. No cinnamon buff tips to tertials or inner secondaries. 
 j. General color of under parts gray and throat prac- 
 tically uniform with breast. 
 k. Slate gray below 
 
 k'. Light neutral gray below 
 
 j'. General color of under parts (gray) in sharp con- 
 trast with black or white throat; or with head and 
 back conspicuously striated. 
 k. Breast gray. 
 
 I. A white shoulder patch. 
 
 m. Tail-feathers narrowly tipped with white. . 
 
 m'. Tail not white tipped 
 
 I'. No white shoulder patch 
 
 k'. Breast not gray; and head and back striated. 
 /. General color of under parts yellow (pale or 
 lemon) ; and bill much more than one-half as 
 
 long as tail 
 
 /'. General color of under parts white or buffy, 
 and bill little if any more than one-half the 
 length of the tail. 
 
 m. Both maxilla and mandible black (females 
 as well as males striated with black on 
 
 underparts) 
 
 m'. Mandible pale, maxilla black, females not 
 strongly striated with black below 
 
 g'. Distance from tips of under tail-coverts to tip of tail 
 greater than length of bill; or lower back marked with 
 rounded white or buffy spots. 
 h. Back more or less striated. 
 
 . Gray or grayish white below 
 
 '. Throat and breast yellow or pale yellow. 
 j. Smaller, breast not (or less) distinctly squamate . . . 
 /. Larger, breast more distinctly squamate 
 
 9 Sclateria schislacea cauren- 
 sis. 
 
 9 Sclateria argentata. 
 
 Ramphocaenus melanurus Irin- 
 itatis. 
 
 Thamnomanes glaucus. 
 
 Formicarius ruficeps. 
 Formicarius colma colma. 
 
 Myrmoborus leucophrys leuco- 
 phrys. 
 
 Myrmoborus myotherina my- 
 otherina. 
 
 Myrmotherula guttata. 
 
 tf Myrmotherula cinereiven- 
 
 tris cinereiventris. 
 & Myrmotherula cinereiventris 
 pallida. 
 
 tf Myrmotherula longipennis. 
 o" Myrmopagis schisticolor . 
 Myrmoborus melanopogon. 
 
 Myrmotherula pygmaea. 
 
 Myrmotherula cherriei. 
 
 Myrmotherula surinamensis 
 surinamensis. 
 
 Herpsilochmus sticturus Stic- 
 turus. 
 
 Hypocnemis flavtscens humilis. 
 Hypocnemis flavescens ftatt- 
 scens. 
 
 'Ridgwayl. c. p. 12.
 
 274 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 h'. Back not striated (no pale markings). 
 
 . Greater and middle wing-coverts more or less con- 
 spicuously tipped, edged, or spotted with white, buff, 
 or black. 
 
 j. None of the rectrices tipped or marked with white. 
 k. Lateral toes with claws not reaching to base of 
 
 claw of middle toe. 
 /. Wing coverts with small white or whitish 
 
 apical spots 
 
 I'. Wing coverts with subapical black spots 
 
 k'. Lateral toes with claws reaching to or beyond 
 
 the base of the claw of the middle toe. 
 I. Feathers of chin and throat black, at least 
 basally 
 
 /'. Feathers of chin and throat not black, 
 
 even at base. 
 m. Middle of back dusky gray, not greatly 
 
 different from remaining upper parts 
 
 m'. Middle of back rufous, quite different from 
 
 remaining upper parts. 
 
 n. Throat ochraceous buff, remaining lower 
 parts tawny olive 
 
 n'. Throat pale (whitish), remaining lower 
 
 parts gray or brownish gray 
 
 j'. Some or all of the rectrices tipped or edged with 
 white (in C. iyrannina the white tips to tail-feathers 
 are almost obsolete) . 
 
 k. General color of under-parts yellow or yellowish. 
 k'. General color of under-parts black, gray or pale 
 
 buffy. 
 /. A concealed white dorsal spot. 
 
 m. General color, above and below, black 
 
 m'. General color, above and below, gray. 
 
 n. Shoulder patch white 
 
 n'. Shoulder patch slate gray like wing- 
 coverts (pale markings on wing-coverts 
 
 almost obsolete) 
 
 I'. No concealed white dorsal spot. 
 
 m. Back black or slate black 
 
 m'. Back smoke gray or cinnamon brown. 
 
 n. Upper-parts cinnamon brown. / 
 
 n'. Upper-parts smoke gray 
 
 i. Greater and middle wing-coverts unmarked (some 
 males of Cercomacra cinerascens have obsolete pale 
 markings on coverts). 
 
 j. General color above and below slate gray 
 
 f. General color above and below not gray. 
 
 k. Dorsal concealed spot white 
 
 k'. No concealed dorsal spot. 
 
 1. With hazel crown patch 
 
 I'. No crown patch. 
 
 m. Above grayish olive 
 
 m'. Above raw umber 
 
 "Second phalanx of middle toe partly united to outer toe; acrotarsium 
 fused (booted) " l (Pithys, Hylophylax, Anoplops). 
 >. Back marked either with rounded buff or white spots or narrow white, 
 
 or buffy, apical bands to the feathers. 
 c. Markings on back rounded white or buffy. 
 
 d. Back markings white 
 
 t d'. Back markings cinnamon buff 
 
 c'. Back markings in the shape of narrow apical, white or cinnamon 
 
 buff, bands to the feathers. 
 d. Apical margins to back feathers white. 
 
 e. Entire under parts including throat dark gray 
 
 Myrmoderas atrolhorax. 
 'Myrmeciza boucardi grisei- 
 pectus. 
 
 <fad Myrmopagis haematon 
 ta haematonola. 
 
 tfMyrmeciza schisiacea. 
 
 9 Myrmopagis haemalonola 
 haematonota. 
 
 Terenura spodioptila. 
 Herpsilochmusf rater. 
 tfCercom 
 
 era nigricans. 
 
 Myrmotherula melaena. 
 
 Microrhopias orenocensis. 
 Microrhopias cano-fumosus. 
 
 Cercomacra cinerascens. 
 9 Cercomacra tyrannina. 
 Hapalocercus meloryphus. 
 
 9 Myrmopagis axillaris. 
 [ 9 Myrmopagis melaena. 
 { 9 Myrmopagis schisticolor in- 
 ( terior. 
 
 Hylophylax punctulata. 
 Hylophylax naevia naevia. 
 
 e . Under parts ochraceous buff brightening to rufous on the 
 throat and darkening to buffy brown on the flanks ........... 
 
 '. Apical margins of back feathers cinnamon buff, (forehead, sides 
 of head and chin ferruginous, remaining under parts gray) . ..... 
 
 f ^Hylophylax poecilinota poe- 
 I cilinota. 
 
 1 9 Hylophylax poecilinota lepi- 
 [ donola. 
 
 poecilinota lepi- 
 
 9 Hylophylax poecilinola peo- 
 
 Hyloph 
 ilinota. 
 
 'Ridgway, Birds N. & M. America, V: 1911: p. 16.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 275 
 
 b'. Back without pale markings. 
 
 c. Under parts bright chestnut (ad. cF.chin. upper throat, lores, fore- 
 head and frontal crest white; immature with whole head and throat 
 black with faint brownish wash) Pilkys albifrons. 
 
 c'. Middle of breast ochraceous buff, sides and flanks Dresden brown 
 
 (chin, upper throat, and malar regionrufous) AnoplofsrufigtUapalidvs. 
 
 CYMBILAIMUS LINEATUS LINEATUS (Leach). 
 Lanius lineatus Leach, Zool. Misc. I. 1815. p. 20. PI. 6. 
 Cymbilanius lineatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 68 (La Pricion, Nicare, 
 
 Suapure, Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 Not observed by the writer on the Orinoco proper, but collected at 
 various points on the Caura River by Klages and by Andre. 
 
 The American Museum collection contains specimens from Sua- 
 pure and La Union on the Caura River. Collected by Klages. 
 
 TARABA MAJOR ALBICRISSA (Ridgway). 
 
 Thamnophilus albicrissus Ridgw., Proc. U. S. N. M. XIV. 1891. p. 481. 
 Thamnophilus major albicrissus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 68. 
 
 Not common, but observed all along the river from Las Barran- 
 cas in the delta region, below Ciudad Bolivar to the upper river. 
 
 Eye madder-brown; bill blackish, slate at base of mandible; feet 
 plumbeous. 
 
 THAMNOPHILUS LUNULATUS (Lesson). 
 Lanius lunulatus Less., Traite d'Orn. p. 375. PI. 45. fig. 2. 
 Thamnophilus lunulatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 68. 
 
 Recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert from Suapure on the Caura 
 River. 
 
 THAMNOPHILUS POLIONOTUS Pelzeln. 
 
 Thamnophilus polionotus Pelz., Zur. Orn. Bras. II. 1868. p. 147. 
 Thamnophilus sp. inc. Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 69 (La Pricion and Nicare, 
 
 Caura River, Venez.). 
 Thamnophilus polionotus Hellmayr. Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. pp. 338-339 
 
 (La Pricion and Nicare, Caura River, Venez.). 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco but recorded from its tributary, the 
 Caura, from La Pricion and from Nicare. 
 
 Mr. Hellmayr (/. c.) gives a good account of this species 'com- 
 pared with allied forms.
 
 2/6 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 THAMNOPHILUS CINEREONIGER Pelzeln. 
 Thamnophilus cinereoniger Pelz., Zur. Orn. Bras. 1870. pp. 76, 143 ; 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 69. 
 
 First observed at Altagracia where it was rare, and not noted as 
 common until I had gone beyond the second falls at Maipures. 
 
 THAMNOPHILUS MURINUS Sclater & Salvin. 
 Thamnophilus murinus Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1867. P- 75^; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 69. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco proper but recorded from its tribu- 
 tary the Caura River from Suapure, La Pricion and La Union. 
 
 ERIONOTUS NAEVIUS NAEVIUS (Gmelin). 
 Lanius naevius Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 308. 
 Thamnophilus naevius Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 69. 
 
 Found along the middle river from Altagracia as far as I extended 
 my collecting on the upper river. Common above the falls. Also re- 
 corded by Berlepsch and Hartert from La Pricion, La Union and Sua- 
 pure on the Caura River. 
 
 ERIONOTUS CINEREICEPS (Pelzeln). 
 
 Thamnophilus cinereiceps Pelz., Zur. Orn. Bras. 1870. pp. 77, 145,; Ber- 
 lepsch & Hartert, p. 70. 
 Not seen below the neighborhood of the falls of Atures. Common 
 
 from that point beyond. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are specimens from Boca de 
 
 Sina, Rio Cunucunuma, upper Orinoco. 
 
 HYPOLOPHUS CANADENSIS TRINITATIS (Ridgway). 
 Thamnophilus trinitatis Ridgw., Proc. U. S. N. M. XIV. 1891. p. 481. 
 Thamnophilus canadensis trinitatis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 70 (in part). 
 This form of H. canadensis seems to be found throughout the delta 
 region of the Orinoco, and all specimens that I have seen from points 
 on the Caura River (there is a fair series in the American Museum, col- 
 lected by Klages at Maripa and Mato River), and four specimens col- 
 lected by the writer on the San Feliz River near its entrance into the 
 Cuchivero River, are typical trinitatis.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 2/7 
 
 While the characters separating H ' . c. canadcnsis and H. c. trinitatis 
 are not great, nevertheless they seem to me sufficiently constant for one 
 to be justified in recognizing trinitatis as a subspecific form. In a series 
 of sixteen females from Trinidad, the Caura River, middle and lower 
 Orinoco regions, not one has the crown as light as in two specimens 
 from Cayenne. In the Cayenne birds the crown is almost clear russet, 
 while in the others the average is nearer a chestnut. The under parts of 
 specimens (females) from Trinidad, Caura River and Orinoco delta, 
 average decidedly more buffy, or better perhaps buffy clay coior, the 
 wash of the color extending over the entire under parts including the 
 centre of the abdomen. 
 
 Birds from the middle Orinoco, from Ciudad Bolivar, and beyond, 
 are intermediate in general color between the Cayenne birds and those 
 from Trinidad, the- Orinoco delta, and Caura River points, being as a 
 series, at once distinguishable by their paler coloring both above and 
 below. This pale coloring is perhaps more marked in the females, but is 
 very evident in the males also when compared as a series. So character- 
 istic does this paler form seem of the middle Orinoco region that I 
 would designate it as 
 
 HYPOLOPHUS CANADENSIS INTERMEDIUS subsp. nov. 1 
 The nesting season on the middle Orinoco is evidently a long 
 one, as I have found young birds in the nest in June, and fresh eggs in 
 September. The nest is a thin walled, rather loosely, though neatly 
 woven cup, suspended between the forks of a horizontal twig. Nesting 
 sites are similar to those of our Red-eyed Vireo. Two eggs collected 
 September 4, 1898, at Santa Barbara (near the mouth of the river 
 Carcunaparo, or sometimes called the Sinaruco) were "short ovate in 
 form, glossy white, covered with frequent red-brown spots, in color 
 and measured 21 x 16 and 20.5 x 16 mm 2 ." 
 
 A male in juvenal plumage, that cannot have been long out of 
 the nest, taken at Caicara, June 15, 1907, closely resembles the adult 
 female above and below, but there are no mesial blackish streaks on the 
 breast. 
 
 Another example, a male in transitional plumage from the juvenal 
 stage to that of the adult, is similar below to the adult female, and above 
 differs from the adult only in having the crown parti-colored, a few 
 
 *Type in collection of Brooklyn Institute Museum No. 3674. <? ad Caicara. Orinoco Rivor. Vener., 
 May 9, 1905 (No. 13669, Cherrie collection). 
 
 'Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 70.
 
 278 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 of the chestnut feathers of the immature being scattered among the 
 new black ones of the adult plumage. 
 
 THAMNOPHILUS DOLIATUS DOLIATUS (Linnaeus). 
 Lanius doliatus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12 I. 1766. p. 138. 
 
 A male and female taken at Ciudad Bolivar, April i4th and April 
 8th, respectively, are referable to typical doliatus. Specimens from 
 Las Barrancas are also referable to the typical form which ordinarily 
 is distinguished at a glance from the common Orinoco form by the 
 general darker color, narrower white and broader black bars in the 
 male and deeper rufous in the female. However, there are occasional 
 specimens from the lower Orinoco and delta regions that are somewhat 
 intermediate in character and can be referred to one or the other only 
 arbitrarily. 
 
 THAMNOPHILUS DOLIATUS FRATERCULUS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Thamnophilus doliatus fraterculus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 70. 
 
 Abundant, both at Ciudad Bolivar and at Caicara. 
 
 Eye straw yellow ; bill black above, plumbeous below ; feet plumbeous. 
 
 The white bars on the under parts are very noticeably wider than 
 in examples of T. doliatus doliatus. making the under parts generally 
 much lighter. A nest containing two young was found June 30. It was 
 located in a clump of open timber, very near a much frequented path. 
 The nest was placed like that of Vireosylva olwacea between the forks 
 near the end of a small branch about one metre from the ground. 
 The bowl of the nest was as large as that of an American Robin. 
 Grass stems and rootlets were the only materials used. 
 
 A nest without eggs taken at Caicara July 4, 1898, by Mrs. Cherrie, 
 was situated in a small -sapling that stood in an open glade of the 
 forest. This nest was about one metre from the ground suspended 
 between the horizontal forks of a slender twig and measured 10 cm. 
 outside diameter by 7 cm. inside; 5.5 cm. in depth outside, by 4 cm. 
 inside. Fine dry grass and long narrow strips of some soft inner bark 
 is employed for the outside while there is an inner lining of horse-hair- 
 like vegetable fibres. The whole is so loosely woven that eggs could 
 be easily seen through the nest walls. 
 
 A second nest containing two young, taken at Caicara by the writer 
 June 21, 1907, was in a region covered with dense thickets, having only 
 a few large trees scattered here and there. The nest was suspended
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 279 
 
 between horizontal forks of a limb of a tree known as Cafia-fistola; it was 
 about 1.52 m. from the ground and just above a thicket of thorny vines 
 that would have effectually protected it from most predatory animals. 
 In the materials employed, and in shape it is similar to the nest described 
 above and just as loosely and openly woven. The greatest diameter of 
 the nest cavity is just below the edge which is contracted on the two 
 sides by the branches of the fork and at the outer edge, between the 
 forks, by the drawing in of the nest wall, a condition which would have 
 prevented the eggs being thrown out had the branch swayed about a 
 great deal. 
 
 Of the two young taken with this nest, a male and a female, the 
 latter was considerably the larger and must have been a couple of days 
 the older. Ordinarily where there is any decided difference in the 
 plumages of adults, the young in Juvenal plumage will bear a greater 
 resemblance to the female than to the male. In the specimens before 
 me the pattern of coloration is that of the male in both the male andi 
 the female. The general color above is tawny ochraceous, inclined to 
 russet on the crown, rather broadly barred with blackish or dusky black ; 
 in short, they differ from the adult male chiefly in the lack of a length- 
 ened crest and in the replacing of the white by ochraceous. Below, they 
 are a pale ochraceous buff, that fades into almost pure white on the 
 abdomen, narrowly barred with dusky on the breast and sides, dark- 
 est on the upper breast, faintly showing on the flanks and entirely absent 
 on the abdomen. 
 
 PYGIPTILA STELLARIS (Spix). 
 
 Thamnophilus stellaris Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825. p. 27, PI. 36, fig. 2. 
 Pygiptila maculipenni's Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 71 (Munduapo, Neri- 
 
 cagua, Orinoco River), in part. 
 Pygiptila stellaris Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XII. 1906. p. 367. 
 
 Noted only on the upper river, above the second falls, where it was 
 not uncommon at Munduapo and Nericagua. Berlepsch and Hartert 
 also record it from La Union and La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 There are two specimens in the American Museum collection col- 
 lected by Klages at La Union on the Caura River, Venezuela, that 
 I am unable to identify with certainty. They may or may not belong to 
 the same species ; I am, however, strongly of the opinion that they repre- 
 sent distinct forms. They have both been marked as males by the col- 
 lector, in one case, however, with a question. Below I give a brief de- 
 scription of each of the specimens.
 
 280 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. % 
 
 No. 76025 American Museum Collection ( $ ? La Union, Caura Riv. 
 Venez. S. M. Klages leg.). 
 Thamnophilus sp. ? 
 
 $ ? La Union, Caura River, Venez. 18 Oct. 1901. Leg. S. M. 
 Klages (No. 76025 Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. Coll.). 
 
 Entire upper parts grey (almost slate). A concealed white spot 
 in centre of back. Outer webs of primaries dark russet or raw umber, 
 wing coverts narrowly tipped and edged with same color. General 
 color of under parts a pale cinnamon brownish or buff, much clearer 
 and paler on the throat and clearer brown (a wood brown) on the under 
 tail coverts, sides and flanks grey with brownish buff wash. Inner 
 edges of wing quills cinnamon, under wing coverts brighter, more ochra- 
 ceous. 
 
 W. 77 T. 40 B. 1 8 T.s 20 
 Thamnophilus sp.? 
 
 $ La Union, Caura River, Venez. 27 Sept. 1901. Leg. S. M. Klages 
 {76020 Am. Mus. Coll.). 
 
 Above, crown and middle of back slate grey, large concealed white 
 patch in centre of back; wings black, outer webs of quills largely or 
 entirely uniform slate grey, primary coverts black with small white 
 terminal spots ; greater, median and lesser coverts also blackish with 
 white terminal spots. The outer webs of the greater coverts are largely 
 slate grey. Tail slate grey. Below cinereous. Inner edges of some 
 of the wing quills faintly rufous. 
 W. 81 T. 46 B. 20 Ts. 20. 
 
 DYSITHAMNUS ARDESIACUS SATURNINUS (Pelzeln). 
 
 Thamnophilus saturninus Pelz., Orn. Bras. p. 147. 1869. (Borba). 
 Dysithamnus ardesiacus Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. : 1867 : p. 756 (Rio Napo) ; 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 71 (Munduapo, Nericagua, Orinoco River). 
 Dysithamnus ardesiacus saturninus Hellmayr, Verh. Zool.-bot. Ges. Wien. 
 
 LIII. 1903. p. 216 (Caura River). 
 
 Not seen by the writer along the Orinoco but recorded by Ber- 
 lepsch and Hartert from various points on the Caura River. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are two specimens collected by 
 Klages at Suapure on the Caura River, and one collected by Andre at 
 Nicare.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 281 
 
 DYSITHAMNUS AFFINIS ANDREI Hellmayr. 
 
 Dysithamnus affinis andrei Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. 31 (Type, 
 5 ad ex Caparo, Trinidad). 
 
 Mr. C. William Beebe obtained a specimen at Guanoco in the 
 Orinoco delta, which compared with examples from Trinidad, showed 
 itself to be the island form. 
 
 THAMNOMANES GLAUCUS Cabanis. 
 
 Thamnomanes glancus Cab., Wiegn-Arch. 1847. P- 2 3- PI- 35 Berlepsch 
 
 & Hartert, p. 71 (Munduapo, Nericagua, Bichaco, Orinoco River; 
 
 Suapure, La Pricion, Nicare and La Union, Caura River, Venez.). 
 T[hamnomanes] c[aesius] glaucus Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. 
 
 p. 368 (Orinoco region; Munduapo, Caura River). 
 T [hamnomanes] caesius glaucus Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. p. 
 
 65. (Munduapo and Bichaco, Orinoco River, Venez.). 
 
 Common on the upper Orinoco but not .observed below the falls 
 of Maipures. 
 
 In the American Museum is a series collected by Klages at La 
 Union and Suapure on the Caura River. 
 
 I prefer to consider this as a distinct species and not as a race of T. 
 caesius (Licht.) the large concealed white dorsal patch at once distin- 
 guishing it from caesius caesius and the two races hoffmannsi and per- 
 similis of that species. Also I believe T. caesius schistogynus Hellmayr 
 should be accorded specific rank, the much greater development of the 
 rictal bristles (not mentioned by its describer) and the very differently 
 colored female distinguishing it at once from other Thamnomanes. 
 
 MYRMOPAGIS SCHISTOCOLOR INTERIOR Chapman. 
 
 Myrmopagis schistocolor interior Chapman Bull. A. M. N. H. XXXIII : 
 1914: p. 614 (Type ex Buena Vista, above Villavicencio, Eastern 
 Andes, Colombia) Suapure and Mato Riv. ; Foot Mt. Duida, Ori- 
 noco Riv: 
 
 Mr. Chapman in discussing the races of schistocolor states that the 
 specimens from the Upper Orinoco and from Caura river points are 
 intergrades between s. sanctae-martae and s. interior. The upper Ori- 
 noco birds probably represent an undescribed form.
 
 282 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 MYRMOPAGIS 1 AXILLARIS (Vieillot). 
 
 Myrmothera axillaris Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XII. 1817. p. 113. 
 Myrmotherula axillaris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 73. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco proper, but recorded by Berlepsch 
 and Hartert from Suapure, Nicare and La Pricion on the Caura. 
 
 MYRMOPAGIS MELAENA (Sclater). 
 
 Myrmotherula cherriei Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 72 
 Myrmotherula melaena Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 74. 
 M[yrmopagis] melaena Ridgway Birds N. & M. Amer. V: 1911: p. 67 
 
 Crit. 
 
 Common along the upper river from the neighborhood of the 
 first falls. This species was found breeding at Maipures in January, 
 and the nest and eggs then collected have been described by Berlepsch 
 and H.artert (/. c.}, but as my observations made in the field are some- 
 what fuller, I reproduce the following notes from my journal. 
 
 The nest was situated about 2.13 m. above the ground in the 
 midst of a thick tangle of overhanging bamboo branches, the bamboo 
 thicket forming the undergrowth in the high, dense forest which 
 borders the river in that region. The outer walls of the nest were 
 composed of old and broken bamboo leaves, that were very loosely 
 held together, and that served admirably to conceal the nest which 
 was suspended by black thread-like vegetable fibres between the forks 
 of a delicate twig of bamboo. The nest lining consisted of fine, thread- 
 like vegetable fibres or rootlets. 
 
 The eggs are elliptical-ovate in form. When fresh the ground 
 color was a delicate pinkish white, which after blowing became a 
 dead white. They are dotted and covered with criss-cross, fine, short 
 lines of heliotrope purple. The markings are heaviest at the point of 
 greatest diameter and almost entirely absent about the smaller end. 
 
 The nest was discovered two days before it was collected and on 
 each visit the male parent bird was found brooding, and sat so 
 closely that I could approach and almost put my hand on him before 
 he would desert his post. When he would finally flush, it was to 
 slip quietly away and conceal himself in the surrounding thicket. On 
 one occasion I waited for over- an hour for his return but was disap- 
 pointed, and finally the female came slipping noiselessly along toward 
 
 'Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXII. 1909. p. 69.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 283 
 
 the nest, passing very near to me and pausing long enough to give 
 me a quizzical look before reaching the nest and settling down on 
 the eggs. 
 
 MYRMOTHERULA CHERRIEI Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Myrmothcrula cherriei Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 72 
 
 (Type, Perico, Orinoco River, Venez.). 
 
 The type of this species now in the Tring Museum was collected 
 by the writer at Perico, just below the falls of Attires. The species 
 was common there and also about Maipures, but was not noted 
 elsewhere. 
 
 MYRMOTHERULA SURINAMENSIS SURINAMENSIS (Gmelin). 
 Sitta surinamensis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 444, 
 Myrmotherula surinamensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 73. 
 M[yrmotherula] s[urinamensis] surmamcnsis Hellm. P. Z. S. Part IV: 
 
 1911; 1159 (Caura River Valley). 
 
 Only one specimen of this species was collected at Munduapo be- 
 yond the region where M. cherriei was abundant, owing to the faot 
 that I confounded it with the preceding species. 
 
 The Tring Museum received specimens from Caura River points, 
 collected by Klages and by Andre. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are specimens from La 
 Union, Mato River and Maripa on the Caura River, collected by 
 Klages. 
 
 MYRMOTHERULA PYGMAEA (Gmelin). 
 Muscicapa pygmaea Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 933. 
 Myrmotherula pygmaea Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 73. 
 
 Recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert from La Pricion, Caura 
 River. 
 
 MYRMOTHERULA GUTTATA (Vieillot). 
 
 Myrmothera guttata Vieill., Gal. Ois. I. 1825. p. 251. PI. 155. 
 Myrmotherula guttata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 73. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco proper but recorded from La Union 
 and La Pricion on the Caura River.
 
 284 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 MYRMOTHERULA HAEMATONOTA (Sclater). 
 
 Formicivora haematonota Sclater, P. Z. S., 1857, p. 48. 
 Myrmotherula pyrrhonota Scl. & Salv. Nomencl. Av. Neotr. 1873. PP- 
 
 72, 160; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 73. 
 Myrmotherula haematonota Hellmayr Novit. Zool. XIV: 1907: 71, 72 
 
 (Orinoco & Caura). 
 
 Abundant on the upper Orinoco, above the second falls. 
 
 Not observed elsewhere. Also recorded from Suapure, Xicare 
 and La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are specimens collected by 
 Klages on the Caura River at Suapure and La Union during Sep- 
 tember and October. 
 
 MYRMOTHERULA LONGIPENNIS Pelzeln. 
 
 Myrmotherula longipennis Pelz., Zur. Orn. Bras. II. 1868. pp. 82, 153; 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 74. 
 
 Recorded from Suapure, Nicare, La Union and La Pricion on 
 the Caura River, but not observed along the Orinoco. 
 
 MYRMOTHERULA CINEREIVENTRIS CINEREIVENTRIS Sclater & Salvin. 
 
 Myrmotherula cinereiventris Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1867 p. 756 (Ca- 
 yenne). 
 
 Specimen of M. cinereiventris in the American Museum collection 
 from points in the Caura region (La Union, and Mato River) belong to 
 the typical race and are conspicuously darker than is the Upper Ori- 
 noco race. . 
 
 MYRMOTHERULA CINEREIVENTRIS PALLIDA Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Myrmotherula cinereiventris pallida Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. 
 
 IX. 1902. p. 74. (Type, Nericagua, Orinoco River, Venez.). 
 
 The writer collected the type of this subspecies at Nericagua on 
 the upper Orinoco beyond the falls of Maipures, a short distance 
 above the mouth of the Vicada River. The subspecies was abundant 
 all along the Orinoco from near the mouth of the Meta River as far 
 as I ascended. Specimens in the American Museum collection from the 
 foot of Mount Duida belong to this race.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 285 
 
 HERPSILOCHMUS RUFIMARGINATUS PRATER Sclater & Salvin. 
 Herpsilochmus f rater Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1880. p. 159. 
 Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus frater Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 75. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco, but recorded from Suapure on the 
 Caura River. In the American Museum collection is an adult male from 
 that point. 
 
 HERPSILOCHMUS STICTURUS STICTURUS Salvin. 
 Herpsilochmus sticturus Salvin, Ibis 1885. P- 4 2 4 (Bartica Grove, 
 
 British Guiana). 
 
 In the American Museum collection is a specimen from Boca de 
 Sina, Cunucunuma River, Upper Orinoco. 
 
 HERPSILOCHMUS STICTURUS NIGRESCENS Todd. 
 Herpsilochmus sticturus nigrescens Todd, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 
 
 XXVIII. 1915, 80 (Type ex Maripa, Rio Caura, Venez.). 
 
 I have not seen this race, that is said to differ from s. sticturus in 
 having a greater admixture of black above and "under parts much 
 darker, more grayish, the throat and breast indistinctly striped with 
 dusky grayish and white." 
 
 MICRORHOPIAS CANO-FUMOSUS (Cherrie). 
 Formicivora cano-fumosus Cherrie, Sci. Bull. Bklyn. Inst. Mus. I. 1909, 
 
 p. 387. (Type, $ , ex Las Barrancas, Delta reg., Orinoco River, 
 
 Venez.). 
 
 Observed and taken only in the type locality, where three males 
 and three females were collected between July 3Oth and August 2nd. 
 
 MiCRORHOPiAs 1 ORENOCENSIS (Hellmayr). 
 
 Formicivora orenocensis Hellmayr, Bull. Br. Orn. Cl. XIV. 1904. 54 
 (Type, $ ad: ex. Altagracia, Orinoco River, Venez.) 
 
 Formicivora intermedia Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 75. 
 
 Abundant along the Middle Orinoco from Cuidad Bolivar to 
 
 Caicara. Keeps chiefly to the low thickets in heavily timbered 
 regions. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill above black, below slate color ; feet slate color. 
 
 l Microrhopias rufa. 
 
 MyiotherarufaWied, Beitr. Naturg. Bras..iii., p. IOQS. 1831. (Bahia). 
 
 Fvrmicivora rufatra Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XV. 1890. p. 251 (Orinoco?) Recorded from the 
 Orinoco, with a query by Sclater.
 
 286 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are specimens from points 
 on the Caura River, which agree exactly with Giudad Bolivar and 
 Caicara specimens. 
 
 HAPALOCERCUS MELORYPHUS (Wied). 
 
 Euscarthmus meloryphus Wied, Beitr. Naturg. Bras. III. 1831. p. 947. 
 Hapalocercus meloryphus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 40. 
 
 Rare. Only once met with by the writer, an adult female having 
 been collected at Ciudad Bolivar April 8, 1905. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill above black, below pale; feet grey. 
 
 The specimen secured was discovered perched low down on the 
 limb of a tree at the edge of a small clump of trees and bushes on 
 the savanna. In actions the bird was decidedly flycatcher-like ; but 
 the scutellation of the tarsus 1 is very like that of Formicivora and I 
 am following Mr. Ridgway 2 in including it with the Formicanidae. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record a single specimen collected by 
 Klages that was taken at Ciudad Bolivar. 
 
 The outer and middle toes are united at the base for the length 
 of the basal phalanx of the outer toe, and about one-half the length 
 of the basal phalanx of the middle toe. Outer toe with claw slightly 
 longer than the middle toe without claw ; without claw reaching to about 
 the middle of the subterminal phalanx of the middle toe. 
 
 TERENURA SPODIOPTILA Sclater & Salvin. 
 Terenura spodioptila Scl. & Salv., Ibis, 1881. p. 270. PI. 9. fig. i ; Berlepsch 
 
 & Hartert, p. 75. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco, but recorded from Suapure on the 
 Caura River. 
 
 CERCOMACRA CINERASCENS (Sclater). 
 
 Formicivora cinerascens Sclater, P. Z. S. 1857 p. 131 (Rio Napo). 
 
 Cercomacra napensis Scl., P. Z. S., 1868. p. 572 (Rio Napo) ; Berlepsch 
 & Hartert, p. 75. 
 
 Cercomacra cinerascens, Hellmayr Novit. Zool. XII: 1905: 287 (habi- 
 tat and crit.). 
 
 'The following observations were made as a result of an examination of a fresh tarsus; the acrotarsium 
 covers somewhat more than the anterior half of the tarsus. On the plantar tarsi is a double row of elongated 
 irregularly quadrate scutella extending from the heel to the toes; but from the point of the heel for a short 
 distance down the double series is separated by a median row of small scutella. There is also a narrow 
 non scutellate area along the inside face between the edges of the acrotarsium and the scutella covering 
 the planta and a similar area on the outside at the upper end. 
 
 'Birds of North and Middle America. IV. 1907. 339.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 287 
 
 Taken by the writer on the upper river at Munduapo, but not 
 noted elsewhere. It is also recorded from points on the Caura River. 
 
 CERCOMACRA TYRANNINA TYRANNINA (Sclater). 
 Pyriylcna tyrannina Sol., P. Z. S. 1855. p. 90. 
 Cercomacra tyrannina Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 76. 
 Cercomacra tyrannina tyrannina, Ridgw. Bds. N. and M. Amer., V: 
 
 1911 : 93 (Points on Orinoco and Caura rivers). 
 
 Abundant on the upper river from just below the falls of Atures 
 as far as I ascended. Not noted elsewhere by me, but recorded by 
 Berlepsch and Hartert from various points on the Caura River. 
 
 CERCOMACRA NIGRICANS Sclater. 
 Cercomacra nigricans Scl. P. Z. S. 1858. p. 245 ; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 76. 
 
 Noted as abundant in the delta region at Las Barrancas but 
 much less common along the middle stretches of the river up as far 
 as the mouth of the Apure. Orinoco birds seem to be identical with 
 American Museum specimens from the Caura River, Colombia, Santa 
 Marta and from Panama. 
 
 SCLATERIA ARGENTATA (Des Murs). 
 
 Herpsilochmns argentatus Des Murs, Voy. Casteln, Ois. (1855). p. 53. 
 fig. 2. 
 
 Sclateria argentata Oberholser, Proc. Phil. Acad. LI. 1899. p. 210; Hell- 
 
 mayr, Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. p. 375 (Maipures, Orinoco). 
 Heterocnemis argentata Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902, p. 
 76 (part) (Maipures, Orinoco River). 
 
 Rare, met with at Maipures, only, during December. Specimens 
 collected at La Union on the Caura River by Andre were also included 
 under H. argentata by Berlepsch and Hartert, but have since been 
 separated as a subspecific form of S. schistacca by Mr. Hellmayr. 
 
 SCLATERIA SCHISTACEA CAURENSIS Hellmayr. 
 Sclateria schistacea caurensis Hellmayr, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. XIX. 1906. 
 
 P- 9 (Type, $ ad. ex. Caura River, Venez.). 
 Heterocnemis argentata Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool IX. 1902. p. 76 
 
 (part)
 
 288 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 S[clateria] s[chistacea] caurensis Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. 
 P- 376. 
 Not observed on the Orinoco proper. 
 
 MYRMECIZA LONGIPES GRISEIPECTUS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Myrmeciza longipes griseipectus Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 1902. p. 76. (Type, $ ad. Caicara, Orinoco River, Venez. in 
 Museum Tring; Caicara, Perico and Munduapo, River Orinoco and 
 Suapure and La Pricion, Caura River. 
 
 M[yrmeciza] l[ongipes] griseipectus Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. 
 
 P- 33- 
 
 Eye bright chestnut ; bill black ; feet pinkish white. 
 
 This species was not noted below Caicara, but was observed on 
 the upper river as far as I extended my explorations. It inhabits the 
 thick forest, and while not rare it is more often heard than seen. It 
 has a high flute-like whistle that is very difficult to trace. Birds may 
 be very near, concealed in the thick underbrush, but as they walk 
 rapidly away from one, the call notes seem to come from half a dozen 
 different directions. I have never seen them anywhere except on the 
 ground where they walk and run easily and gracefully over the fallen 
 (leaves, and when flushed fly but a short distance and again drop to 
 the ground. 
 
 In the American Museum collection is a series collected by 
 Klages at Suapure and Maripa on the Caura River. 
 
 MYRMECIZA SCHISTACEA Todd. 
 
 Myrmeciza schistacea Todd, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXVI: 1913: 172 
 (Type ex El Llagual, Caura district Venezuela). 
 I have not seen this species. 
 
 MYRMODERAS ATROTHORAX (Boddaert). 
 
 Formicarius atrothorax Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 44. 
 
 Myrmeciza atrothorax Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 77. 
 
 Myrmeciza atrothorax atrothorax Hellmayr, Verh. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, 
 
 LIII. 1903. p. 214. 
 Myrmoderus atrothorax Ridgw. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXII : 1907 : 70. 
 
 Rare ; seen by the writer on the upper Orinoco only at Mun- 
 duapo. It is also recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert, from La 
 Pricion, Nicare and .La Union on the Caura River.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 289 
 
 HYPOCNEMIS FLAVESCENS FLAVESCENS Sclater. 
 Hypocnemis flavescens Scl. P. Z. S. 1864 p. 609 ( Marabitanas, Rio 
 
 Negro, Brazil). 
 
 In the American Museum collection is a series from the neighbor- 
 hood of the foot of Mt. Duida and Boca de Sina, Rio Cunucunuma 
 (Upper Orinoco) that probably represent typical Have sc ens flavescens. 
 
 I am not at all sure that the Caura River form is sufficiently dis- 
 tinct to warrant separation but as pointed out by Mr. Todd the breast 
 seems less distinctly squamate and apparently there is a slight difference 
 in size, /. humilis being the smaller. 
 
 HYPOCNEMIS FLAVESCENS HUMILIS Todd. 
 
 Hypocnemis flavescens humilis Todd, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash, XXVI : 
 
 1913: 172 (La Lajita, Caura, Venezuela). 
 Hypocnemis flavescens Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 77. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco proper, but recorded from Nicare, 
 Suapure, La Lajita and La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 HYLOPHYLAX POECILONOTA POECILONOTA (Cabanis). 
 
 Hypocnemis poecilonota Cab., Weigm. Arch. 1847. P- 2I 3- P L 4 n - 2 ! 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 78. 
 Hypocnemis poecilinota poecilinota Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. 
 
 p. 371 (Munduapo and Nericagua, Orinoco River, Suapure, Nicare, 
 
 La Union and La Pricion, Caura River). 
 Hylophylax poecilonota Ridgvvay, Birds of N. & M. Am. V: p. 128. 
 
 Common about Munduapo and Nericagua. Also recorded by 
 Berlepsch and Hartert, and by Hellmayr from points on the Caura 
 River. In the American Museum there is a specimen from Suapure. 
 
 HYLOPHYLAX POECILONOTA LEPIDONOTA (Sclater & Salvin). 
 Hypocnemis lepidonota Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1880 p. 160 Sarayagu, E. 
 
 Ecuador. 
 
 Miller and Iglseder, collecting for the American Museum, at the 
 foot of Mount Duida secured a series of specimens that I have referred 
 to this race. The males, however, are paler below, light neutral gray 
 (Ridgway's Color Standards), than are two other specimens, one from 
 La Murelia, Caqueta, Colombia, and one from Zamora. Province de 
 Loja, Ecuador, that are deep neutral gray. Two females are also lighter
 
 2QO BROOKLYN INSTITUTE; MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 in color than females from La Murelia with a greater suffusion of buffy 
 on the under parts and more rufous or hazel above, particularly on the 
 crown and occiput. 
 
 HYLOPHYLAX PUNCTULATA (Des Murs). 
 
 Rhopothera punctulata Des Murs, Voy. Casteln., Ois. p. 53. 
 Hypocnemis punctulata Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. p 377 (La 
 - Pricion, Caura River, Venez.). 
 
 There is a pair in the American Museum collection from La Union, 
 Caura Riv. 
 
 HYLOPHYLAX NAEVIA CONSOBRINA Todd. 
 Pipra naevia Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 1003. 
 Hypocnemis naevia Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 79. 
 
 H[ylophylax] 'naevia Ridgway. Birds of N. & M. Amer. V: p. 128. 
 Hylophylax consobrina Todd, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXVI: 1913: 172 
 
 (Rio Mocho, Rio Caura, Venezuela). 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco, but recorded from La Pricion on the 
 Caura River by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 Miller and Iglseder collected a pair of birds at the foot of Mount 
 Duida, Upper Orinoco (American Museum collection) that probably 
 belongs to this race. I have however only a single example (from 
 "Napo") that may be referred to naevia naevia for comparison. The 
 differences are not marked, but perhaps sufficient to constitute a good 
 race. The abdomen, flanks and under tail-coverts are pale buffy instead 
 of dark ochraceous buff. The buffy spots on the mantle are also larger. 
 
 MYRMOBORUS LEUCOPHRYS (Tschudi). 
 
 Pithy s leucophrys Tsch. in Weign. Arch. 1844. p. 18 (Peru, "Fluss 
 
 Tullnmayo"}. 
 
 Myrmoborus leucophrys Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. II: (1859) : 9. 
 Hypocnemis leucophrys Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 78. 
 
 "Common on the upper river above the falls of Maipures, also 
 recorded from points on the Caura River by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 MYRMOBORUS MYIOTHERINA MYioTHERiNA'(Spix). 
 
 Thamnophilus myiothcrinus Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825. p. 30, PI. 42, fig. i. 
 Myrmoborus myiotherinus Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. ii (1859) : 9.
 
 CHERKIK: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 291 
 
 Hypocnemis myiotherina Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 78. 
 
 Hypocnemis myiotherina myiotherina Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. 
 
 p. 20. 
 
 Not noted on the Orinoco but recorded from its tributary the 
 Caura, from La Pricion and Nicare. 
 
 MYRMOBORUS MELANOPOGON (Sclater). 
 Hypocnemis melanopogon Scl., P. Z. S. 1857. p. 130; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 78; Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV: 1907: 381. (Orinoco 
 
 River and Caura River localities). 
 
 Not noted as common at any point, but observed all the way 
 from Altagracia to above the falls. Also recorded by Berlepsch and 
 Hartert from points on the Caura River, and in 1907 I found this 
 species common along the San Feliz River near its junction with the 
 Cuchivero River. 
 
 PITHVS ALBIFRONS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Pipra albifrons Linn., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 339. 
 Pithys albifrons Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 79. 
 
 Rare, seen only on the upper river at Munduapo and Nericagua. 
 Usually in company with other species of Ant-Thrushes and Wood- 
 hewers following in the wake of the foraging ants. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert also record specimens from Suapure and 
 Nicare on the Caura River. 
 
 ANOPLOPS RUFIGULA PALIDUS Cherrie. 
 Anoplops rufigula palidus Cherrie, Sci. Bull. Bklyn. Inst. Mus. 1909. 
 
 p. 390 (Type, $ ex Suapure, Caura River, Venez.). 
 
 Similar to A. rufigula rufigula from Cayenne, but smaller and 
 much less deeply colored above, being olive brownish with a slight 
 rufous wash, while Cayenne birds are a deep rich umber brown 
 with olive wash. The type specimen measures : wing 74 mm. ; tail 
 47 -mm. 
 
 RHOPOTERPE TORQUATA TORQUATA (Boddaert). 
 
 Formicarius torquatus Boddaert, Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 43 (ex Dubentori 
 PI. enl. 700. Fig. i.) (Type, ex Cayenne apud Berlepsch.) 
 
 There are two specimens in the American Museum collection se- 
 cured by Klages at Suapure on the Caura River: $ September 11, 
 1901 ; $ February 8, 1901. 
 
 Not before recorded from the Orinoco region.
 
 292 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 RAMPHOCAENUS MELANURUS TRINITATIS Lesson. 
 Ramphocaenus trinitatis Lesson, Rev. Zool. 1839. p. 42. 
 Ramphocaenus melanurus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 79. 
 
 Rare on the Orinoco; two collected at Munduapo in February 
 and one at Nericagua in April. Berlepsch and Hartert record it from 
 the Caura River, and in the American Museum collection are speci- 
 mens taken by S. M. Klages at Suapure and at Maripa on that river. 
 
 FORMICARIUS COLMA coLMA Boddaert. 
 Formicarius colma Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 44. 
 Formicarius nigrifrons Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 80. 
 
 Rare, two taken at Nericagua during March and April. A nest 
 of this species, from which the parent was flushed, was found at 
 Nericagua in March, 1899. It was a natural cavity in a tree trunk, 
 about 5 metres from the ground. The cavity was about 40 cm. in 
 depth and about 15 cm. in diameter. The bottom was lined with 
 rootlets and dry grasses. The two eggs were pure white. 
 
 Recorded also from points on the Caura River by Berlepsch and 
 Hartert. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are four specimens, one from 
 El Llagual, and three from La Union, Caura River. These skins, 
 three of which are labelled as females, indicate that the adult female 
 is exactly similar to the adult males, i. e., without any white on chin 
 or throat 1 . One of the examples before me has the extreme upper 
 throat and chin white and the throat flecked with white ; another has 
 a small chin spot only white, while the third is without any white. 
 
 An examination of Mr. Ridgway's type of F. nigrifrons glaucopec- 
 tus 2 from British Guiana with the other examples of the same from the 
 American Museum collection, compared with the Caura River speci- 
 mens, indicates that glaucopectus is a well marked subspecies dis- 
 tinguished by the great extension of sooty blackish down over the chest 
 and even onto the sides. 
 
 FORMICARIUS RUFICEPS (Spix). 
 Myiothera ruficeps Spix, Av. Bras. i. p. 72, pi. 72 fig. I, (1824). 
 
 A single specimen in the American Museum collection, taken by 
 Klages at La Union, Caura River, Venez., evidently belongs to this 
 
 'Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XII. 1905. 292, believed the throat of adult female to be white "sharply 
 defined against the sooty grey breast. " 
 
 *Proc. U. S. N. M. XVI. 1893. p. 673.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 293 
 
 species. The specimen is a male and was taken September 26, 1901. 
 The throat and anterior part of the malar region is ochraceous buff, 
 but with many of the feathers tipped with blackish. 
 
 CONOPOPHAGIDAE THE GNATEATERS. 
 Only a single species of those pertaining to this family has been 
 recorded from the Orinoco region. 
 
 CORYTHOPIS TORQUATA ANTHOiDES (Pucheran). 
 Muscicapa anthoidcs Pucheran (ex Cuvier), Arch, du Mus. Par. VII 
 
 (1855), p. 334- 
 Corythopis anthoides Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 80. 
 
 Rare ; one specimen taken at Nericagua. There is a single speci- 
 men in the American Museum (Klages collection) from La Union on 
 the Caura River a female collected September 26, 1901. 
 
 TROCHILIDAE THE HUMMINGBIRDS. 
 
 I was disappointed in the number of species of hummingbirds 
 met with on the Orinoco River. Only twenty-eight were included in 
 Berlepsch and Hartert's paper, twenty-two of which number were 
 collected on the Orinoco proper by the writer, the remaining six were 
 from the Caura River collected by Klages or Andre. 
 
 While the number of species secured was a disappointment, it is 
 perhaps not remarkable when considered in connection with the fact 
 that we devoted the greater part of our time to the more or less 
 open savanna regions bordering the middle stretches of the Orinoco 
 a region of low altitude, characterized by great stretches of open or 
 sparsely wooded savannas, and little variety in the vegetation. 
 
 GLAUCIS HIRSUTA HIRSUTA (Gmelin). 
 Trochilus hirsutus Gm., Syst. Nat. I, 1788. p. 490. 
 Clauds hirsuta Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 80. 
 One taken at Munduapo. 
 
 PHOETHORNIS AFFINIS AFFINIS Pelzeln 1 . 
 
 Phaetornis affinis Pelz., Sitz. Akad. Wien, XX. 1856. p. 157. 
 Phacthornis superciliosus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 80. 
 
 Common on the upper river at Munduapo and Nericagua. 
 
 'See Hellmayr's remarks regarding the use of this name: Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 374-
 
 294 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 PHOETHORNIS HISPIDUS (Gould). 
 Trochilus hispidus Gould, P. Z. S. 1846. p. 90. 
 Phaethomis hispidus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 81. 
 
 Common in the same general region as P. affinis affinis. 
 
 PHOETHORNIS AUGUSTI (Bourcier). 
 
 Trochilus august i Bourc., Ann. Soc. Agric. Lyon, X. 1847. p. 623. 
 Phaethomis augusti Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 81. 
 
 Seen only at Caicara where two specimens were taken. 
 
 PHOETHORNIS RUPURUMII RUPURUMII Boucard. 
 Phaetornis Rupurumii Boucard, The Humming Bird, II. 1892. p. i. 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 81. 
 
 Colors of fresh birds are : eye seal brown ; maxilla black, mandible 
 lemon yellow, black at tip; feet dusky. 
 
 This species is found all along the middle "and upper Orinoco and 
 is not uncommon in the low, often almost impenetrable, thickets near 
 the borders of deep forest areas. They keep close to the ground, and 
 their color harmonizes so closely with stems of the vines and the 
 branches of the undergrowth about them that they are rarely seen. 
 I have sat for a half hour at a time hearing their oft-repeated squeaky 
 hissing notes all about me, frequently within a very few feet of me, 
 and have failed to see one of the performers. 
 
 PHOETHORNIS RUBER EPISCOPUS Gould 1 . 
 Phaethomis episcopus Gould, P. Z. S. 1857. p. 14. 
 Phaethomis ruber Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 82. 
 Phaethomis caurensis Simon et Delmas, Ornis, XI. 1901. p. 208 (Caura 
 
 River, Venez.). 
 
 Common at Munduapo and at Nericagua. 
 
 CAMPYLOPTERUS LARGIPENNIS (Boddaert). 
 Trochilus largipennis Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 41. 
 Campylopterus largipennis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 82. 
 Abundant at Nericagua. Not seen elsewhere. 
 
 1 See Hellmayr's notes on the races of P. ruber: Novit Zool. XIV. 1907. P- 375.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 295 
 
 FLORISUGA MELLIVORA MELLIVORA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Trochilus mellivorus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I. 1758. p. 121. 
 Florisuga mellivora Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 82. 
 
 Not observed at Bolivar and rare at Caicara where an adult male 
 and an adult female were taken May 8th. Abundant on the upper 
 river. 
 
 Eye seal ; bill black ; feet dusky blackish. 
 
 AGYRTRIA ALBIVENTRIS (Lesson). 
 
 Ornismya albiventris Less., Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouches, 1829. pp. XXXIV, 
 
 209. PI. 76. 
 Agyrtria albiventris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 83. 
 
 This is the most abundant species of Hummingbird found along 
 the Orinoco up as far as the falls in the river. It is a bird of the 
 open savanna regions. 
 
 Eye dark seal brown ; bill dusky reddish with blackish tip ; feet 
 dusky. 
 
 I have found nests every month from May to November, and in 
 localities as varied as the months from a point out toward the ex- 
 treme tip of a limb of a tree 20 metres up, to the forks of a slender 
 shrub not more than 50 cm. above the ground. A nest before 
 me is a neat, trim, little cup-shaped affair, built of the soft silky bits 
 of . native cotton adorned, on the outside, with scattered pieces of 
 greenish gray lichens. It measures 4 cm. diameter by 2.8 cm. in 
 depth outside, and 2.7 cm. diameter by about 1.8 cm. in depth inside. 
 It was located about 1.6 m. from the ground near the tip of a large 
 horizontal limb of a mango tree, at a point where a tiny twig 
 branches from the main stem, the angles between the two forming 
 the foundation for the nest. The egg (one of the set broken) is 
 elliptical-oval in form and measures 13.2 x 8.8 mm. 
 
 AGYRTRIA FIMBRIATA (Gmelin). 
 
 Trochilus fimbriatus Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I: 1788: p. 493 (Cayenne). 
 Agyrtria fimbriata Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913: p. 201 (Boca 
 
 Uracoa, and Buelta Trieste, River Manimo; Cano Corosal). 
 
 Reported from the delta country by Stone.
 
 296 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE) MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 AGYRTRIA MILLERI (Bourcier). 
 Trochilus milleri Bourc., P. Z. S. 1847. p. 43. 
 Agyrtria milleri Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 83. 
 
 The distribution along- the Orinoco seems to be about the same as 
 with albiventris but it is much less common. 
 
 AGYRTRIA CHIONOPECTUS CHIONOPECTUS (Gould). 
 Thaumantias chionopectus Gould, Monogr. Trochili. V: (1859) : pi. 293 
 
 (Trinidad); Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913: p. 201 
 
 (Guinipa Village; Pedernales). 
 
 Stone records specimens from the delta. It is replaced from the 
 mouth of the Caura and beyond by the allied race whitelyi. 
 
 AGYRTRIA CHIONOPECTUS WHITELYI (Boucard). 
 
 Uranomitra whitelyi Boucard, The Humming Bird, III. 1893. p. 8. 
 Agyrtria chionopectus whitelyi Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 84. 
 
 This species was reported from the Caura River by Berlepsch 
 and Hartert, having been collected by both Andre and Klages. In 
 May, 1907, the writer found it abundant along the San Feliz River 
 near its union with the Cuchivero River. Either this or typical chion- 
 opectus will be very likely found in the Orinoco Delta. 
 
 SAUCEROTTIA CUPREICAUDA (Salvin & Godman). 
 Amazilia cupreicauda Salv. & Godm., Ibis, 1884. p. 452. 
 Saucerottia cupreicauda Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 84. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record specimens from "Mountains west 
 of Suapure," collected by Klages. Not observed by the writer. 
 
 SAUCEROTTIA ERYTHRONOTOS CAURENSIS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Saucerotta erythronotos caurensis Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 1902. p. 84. (Type in Museum Tring, $ , Suapure, Caura River, 
 Venez.). 
 
 The writer did not obtain specimens of this Hummingbird, but 
 examples were sent to the Tring Museum from Ciudad Bolivar, and 
 the type locality by S. M. Klages.
 
 ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 297 
 
 HYLOCHARIS SAPPHIRINA (Gmelin). 
 Trochilus sapphirinus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 496. 
 Hylocharis sapphirina Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 84. 
 
 Seen only on the upper river at Nericagua, where it was abun- 
 dant. 
 
 HYLOCHARIS CYANUS VIRIDVENTRIS Berlepsch. 
 Hylocharis cyanea viridiventris Berl., Ibis, 1880. p. 113. 
 Hylocharis cyanus viridiventris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 85. 
 
 Three taken at Nericagua during April, 1899; not observed at 
 other points along the Orinoco proper. 
 
 Recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert from Suapure and from La 
 Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 CHLORESTES COERULEUS (Vieillot). 
 
 Trochilus coeruleus Vieill., Nouv. Diet. VII. 1871. p. 361. 
 Chlorestes coeruleus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 85. 
 
 Common from Altagracia to Munduapo on the upper river; also 
 recorded from Caura River points by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; maxilla and tips of mandible black, basal four-fifths 
 of mandible flesh color; feet dusky. 
 
 CHLOROSTILBON CARIBAEUS NANUS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Chlorostilbon caribaeus nanus Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. 
 
 p. 86 (Type, ex Caicara River, Orinoco, Venezuela). 
 
 Abundant at Caicara, where the writer collected the type speci- 
 men (adult male No. 10157 Coll. Geo. K. and Stella M. Cherrie, Cai- 
 cara, Venez. Feb. 19, 1898), now in the Tring Museum (/. *:.) This 
 species was not observed anywhere beyond the falls of Atures. 
 
 Eye dusky ; bill and feet black. 
 
 THALURANIA TSCHUDII Gould. 
 Thalurania tschudii Gould, P. Z. S. 1860. p. 312; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 86. 
 
 Common on the upper river at Munduapo and Nericagua. Not 
 observed elsewhere.
 
 298 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 THALURANIA REEULGENS Gould. 
 Thalurania refulgens Gould, P. Z. S. 1852: p. 9; Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. 
 
 Sci. Phil. 1913: p. 201. (Manimo Riv., Isla de Morocatico). 
 ; Recorded by Stone from the delta country. 
 
 THALURANIA EURCATA EISSILIS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Thalurania furcata fissilis Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. 
 
 p. 87 (Type, Caura River, Suapure, Venezuela). 
 
 This species was described from specimens collected on the Caura 
 River. It has not been observed on the Orinoco proper. 
 
 Recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert from "Parima Mountains" 
 (Caura River region) collected by Klages. On my first expedition 
 this species was not observed, but in 1905 and in 1907, it was noted 
 as not uncommon about Caicara during the month of May. 
 
 Eye dark ; bill black ; feet dusky. 
 
 ANTHRACOTHORAX NIGRICOLLIS (Vieillot). 
 Trochilus nigricollis Vieill., Nouv. Diet. VII. p. 349. 
 Lampornis nigricollis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 87. 
 
 Common from the mouth of the river Meta up as far as I ex- 
 tended my explorations. 
 
 ANTHRACOTHORAX GRAMINEUS (Gmelin). 
 Trochilus gramineus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., 1 : 1788 : p. 488. 
 Anthracothorax gramineus Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913 : p. 201 
 
 (Pedernales). 
 
 Recorded by Stone from the delta. 
 
 CHRYSOLAMPIS ELATUS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Trochilus mosquitus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. i 1766. p. 192. 
 Chrysolampis mosquitus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 87. 
 
 Common along the middle stretches of the river from Ciudad 
 Bolivar up as far as the mouth of the Meta. Recorded by Berlepsch 
 and Hartert from Suapure, Temblador and La Pricion, on the Caura 
 River.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 299 
 
 HELIOTHRYX AURITA (Gmelin). 
 Trochilus auritus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 493. 
 Hdiothrix aurita Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 88. 
 
 Rare. One specimen taken at Maipures. Berlepsch and 
 Hartert record specimens collected by both Klages and Andre at 
 points on the Caura River. 
 
 ANTHOSCENUS LONGIROSTRIS LONGIROSTRIS (Audeb & Vieillot). 
 Trochilus longirostris Aud. & Vieill., Ois. Dor. I. 1802. p. 128, PI. 59. 
 Floricola longirostris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 88. 
 
 Rare. One specimen taken at Maipures ; also recorded by Ber- 
 lepsch and Hartert from Suapure and La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 CALLIPHLOX AMETHYSTINA (Gmelin). 
 Trochilus amethystinus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 496. 
 Calliphlo.v amethystina Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 88. 
 
 Not observed on my first expedition to the Orinoco, but not un- 
 common at Caicara, both in 1905 and 1907. The specimens secured 
 were feeding about the flowers of low bushes just along a path at the 
 edge of the dark forest. 
 
 Eye dusky; bill and feet blackish. 
 
 Recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert from Suapure on the Caura 
 River. 
 
 CATHARMA ORTHURA (Lesson). 
 Ornismya orthura Lesson, Hist. Nat. Troch., p. 85, 88 t. 28, 29 (1832). 
 
 On my first expedition to the Orinoco this species was not ob- 
 served, but in 1905, and in 1907, during May and June, it was not 
 uncommon about Caicara. The females collected do not have the red 
 apical spots on the throat feathers. On the other hand each feather 
 of the throat has the tip green, similar in shade to the back, and nar- 
 rowly edged with buff. The forward parts of the cheeks are white, 
 and the dusky spots below the eye blend into the dusky greenish 
 feathers of the lower throat forming an ill-defined band across the 
 lower throat. The outer rectrices are tipped with cinnamon. 
 
 LOPHORNIS ORNATUS (Boddaert) 
 Trochilus ornatus Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 39. 
 Lophornis ornatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 88.
 
 300 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Not uncommon at Caicara. Three males and one female were 
 taken during June, 1907. One only taken on my first expedition. 
 Eye dark seal ; bill black ; feet blackish. 
 
 POLEMISTRIA VERREAUXi KLAGESi (Berlepsch & Hartert). 
 Lophornis verreauxi klagesi Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. X. 1902. 
 
 p. 89 (Type, ex Suapure, Caura River, Venezuela). 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco proper, but recorded by Berlepsch 
 and Hartert from Suapure and from La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 DISCOSURA LONGICAUDA (Gmelin). 
 Trochilus longicaudus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 498. 
 Discosura longicauda Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 89. 
 
 A single female was taken at Nericagua in April, 1899. Not 
 observed elsewhere. 
 
 CAPRIMULGIDAE GOATSUCKERS, NIGHTHAWKS AND 
 
 WHIP-POOR-WILLS. 
 
 Five species are included in the Berlepsch and Hartert paper, each 
 of which is abundant throughout the region. 
 
 THERMOCHALCIS 1 CAYENNENSIS INSULARIS (Richmond). 
 
 Caprimulgus cayennensis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 1031. 
 
 Stenopsis cayennensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 89. 
 
 Stenopsis cayennensis insularis Richmond, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XV: 
 
 1902: 159 (Curagao). 
 S\tenopsis\ c\ayennensis] insularis Ridgway, Birds N. & M. Am. VI: 
 
 1914: 501 (Rio Caura, Venez.). 
 Stenopsis cayennensis monticola Chapman, Bull. A. M. N. H. XXXIII : 
 
 1914: 173. (Maripa, Rio Caura, Ven.) 
 
 Common in the neighborhood of Altagracia, Caicara and Quiri- 
 bana de Caicara. During the day time they frequent the thickets that 
 border the heavily wooded areas, where they may be seen resting on the 
 ground (usually) or on low horizontal branches. 
 
 A nest with two fresh eggs was found at Caicara, May 8, 1905. 
 The nest was a slight hollow in the bare ground of an open field. The 
 eggs are elliptical-ovate in form and measure 17.6x24.6 and 17.5x23.7 
 
 'Richmond Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXVIII: 1915: 180.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OP THE ORINOCO REGION. 30! 
 
 mm. They are a pale vinaceous buff, with two sets of markings, 
 one superimposed above the other. The inner markings are a pale 
 lavender greyish, the outer set ferruginous. In one of the eggs the 
 markings are scattered over the entire surface and consist of irregular 
 lines and dashes. In the other egg the markings are grouped chiefly 
 about the larger end and consist of irregular dots, spots and blotches. 
 
 NYCTIDROMUS ALBICOLLIS ALBICOLLIS (Gmelin). 
 
 Caprimulgus albicollis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 1030. 
 Nyctidromus albicollis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 90. 
 
 Native name Aguita Camino. Common. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill black ; feet dusky. 
 
 These birds frequent the more thinly wooded districts or the edges 
 of thick forest region during the daytime, resting on the ground among 
 the fallen leaves, where their colors blend with that of the dead leaves. 
 I have never observed this species perched anywhere except on the 
 ground. At night they come out in the open savannas, and are fre- 
 quently seen about the doorways of the houses as well as out in the 
 country districts. 
 
 About Caicara fresh eggs are found from early in March until the 
 end of May. There is no nest built and the two eggs are often deposited 
 in the most open, and what would seem dangerous, situations, on the 
 bare ground. Two eggs found on the 9th of March were near the edge 
 of thick forest bordering the river and almost directly in a path much 
 used by cattle, pigs, and other animals. The eggs lay on a spot of 
 bare ground about 8 cm. in diameter surrounded on all sides by dead 
 leaves. Incubation was far advanced and only one egg was preserved. 
 It is a pale vinaceous buff in color marked all over with irregular spots 
 and blotches of vinaceous brown; ovate in form and measures 28.5x21 
 mm. 
 
 The male parent bird and a set of two fresh eggs were collected 
 May 5th. The bird, when flushed, feigned a broken wing to draw my 
 attention from the eggs. One of these eggs is elliptical-ovate and the 
 other between an elliptical-ovate and an ovate in shape. The mark- 
 ings are in two shades of color, those of a dark vinaceous overlying 
 others of pale vinaceous brown. They measure 28.5x21.3 and 
 28.4 x 20.5 mm.
 
 3O2 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 NYCTIPOLUS NIGRESCENS (Cab.). 
 
 Caprimulgus nigrescens Cabanis in Schomburgk Reisen. Brit. Guiana 
 
 III: (1848): 710 (Brit. Guiana): Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XVII: 
 
 1910: 381 (Caura, Venezuela). 
 Nyctipolus nigrescens Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXV: 1912: 
 
 p. 198. 
 
 There are three specimens in the American Museum collection from 
 the Caura River; two from La Union and one from Suapure. 
 
 CHORDEILES ACUTIPENNIS ACUTIPENNIS (Boddaert). 
 
 Caprimulgus acutipennis Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 46. 
 Chordeiles acutipennis Berlepsch & Haftert, p. 90. 
 
 Not uncommon. Taken at Altagracia, Quiribana de Caicara and 
 at Maipures. 
 
 A nest of this species was found at Raton Island about midway 
 between Maipures ajid the mouth of the Vichada River. The nest, or 
 better, nesting site, was a mere slight hollow near the centre of one of 
 the enormous flat-topped granite boulders that are so common along the 
 Orinoco. The colors of the sitting bird blended almost perfectly into 
 the colors of the surroundings and I would not have discovered her 
 had I not flushed her by almost putting my foot upon her. The color 
 of the eggs was also decidedly protective. The eggs were taken Feb- 
 ruary ist and were entirely fresh. They are nearly elliptical-oval, in 
 form, being scarcely noticeably smaller a.t one end than at the other. 
 The ground color is a pale vinaceous buff and over the entire surface 
 are thickly scattered small, faint, ill-defined markings of greyish under- 
 lying others of pale raw umber. They measure 24.75 x z 9- 2 5 an d 25 x 
 19.25 mm. 
 
 NANNOCHORDEILES PUSILLUS SEPTENTRIONALIS Hellm. 
 
 Chordeiles pusillus Gould, P. Z. S. 1861. p. 182. 
 Nannochordeiles pusillus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 90. 
 N[annochordeiles] pusillus septentrionalis Hellm., Novit. Zool. XV: 
 
 1908: p. 78 (Type ex Maipures). 
 
 Observed at Maipures only, where two specimens were collected on 
 my first expedition, one in December, the other in January.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY Of THE ORINOCO REGION. 303 
 
 NYCTIPROGNE LEUCOFYGIA (Spix). 
 
 Caprimiilgus leucopygus Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1823. p. 3. PI. 3. 
 Nyctiprogne leucopygia Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 90. 
 
 Eye blackish; feet dusky slate. 
 
 This species was in the Delta Region about Las Barrancas, also at 
 Ciudad Bolivar and at Caicara. During the day time these birds con- 
 ceal themselves in .the dense thickets bordering ponds and streams, 
 where they may be found perched on horizontal branches from 30 to 
 100 cm. from the ground. They perch crossways of the branch, and 
 not infrequently I have seen from two to eight or ten huddled close 
 beside one another all facing in the same direction. 
 
 POD ACER NACUNDA (Vieillot). 
 
 Caprimulgus nacunda Vieill., Noiiv. Diet. x. p. 240 (1817). 
 
 Two taken at San Mateo de Caicara; male May igth and female 
 May 25th. 
 
 Eye dark ; bill blackish ; feet dusky grey. 
 
 On my previous visits to the Orinoco this species was observed on 
 two occasions but no specimens were collected. It seems to keep entirely 
 to the open savanna not even seeking the protection and concealment of 
 thickets when at rest during the day. 
 
 In my rather long experience as a collector I have met with very 
 few birds as difficult to make up into good skins as the present species. 
 
 MICROPODID^ THE SWIFTS. 
 
 Only three species were included in the Berlepsch and Hartert 
 paper, two of which number were collected on the Orinoco proper and 
 the third recorded from Suapure on the Caura River. Additional col- 
 lecting will almost certainly add to this number. 
 
 CLAUDIA SQUAMATA (Cassin). 
 
 Cypselus squamatus Cass., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. VI. 1853. p. 369. 
 Claudia squamata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 91. 
 
 This species was abundant about Altagracia and at Caicara where 
 they were frequently observed coursing over the savannas during the 
 afternoon, when the -sun was hottest. They were noted in parties of 
 from twenty to fifty.
 
 304 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 CHAETURA SPINICAUDA (Temminck). 
 
 Cypselus spinicaudus Temm., Tabl. Meth. in PI. Col. I. 1839. p. 57. 
 Chaetura spinicauda Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 91. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco by the writer, but recorded by Ber- 
 lepsch and Hartert from Suapure on the Caura River. 
 
 CHAETURA ANDREI Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Chaetura andrei Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 91 (Type, 
 $ , ex Caicara, Orinoco River, Venezuela. Cherrie Coll. No. 10534.) 
 I arrived at Altagracia the first of November, but no specimens of 
 this swift were observed until the 2nd of February following; after that 
 date they were seen but owing to their habit of flying high up, speci- 
 mens were secured with the greatest difficulty. Noted as not uncommon 
 at Caicara during March and April. 
 
 PICIDAE THE WOODPECKERS. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert's paper includes seventeen species, fifteen 
 of which number were observed and collected by the writer on the 
 Orinoco proper, the other two species included in that list came from 
 points on the Caura River. 
 
 KEY TO GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF PICIDAE. 
 
 a. Tail-feathers stiff and pointed. 
 
 6. Middle of belly bright red or reddish. 
 c. Back barred black and white. 
 
 d. Rump and upper tail-coverts white, not barred Cenlurus subelegans. 
 
 d'. Rump and upper tail-coverts white, barred like back Cenlurus terricolor. 
 
 c'. Back black, not barred. 
 
 d. With a white superciliary stripe and yellow nuchal band Tripsurus cruentalus. 
 
 d'. Without superciliary stripe or yellow nuchal band Tripsurus rubrifrons. 
 
 b'. Middle of belly not red or reddish. 
 
 c. Under-parts barred or spotted with black or blackish. 
 
 d. Chin, throat and sides of head yellow. (In males a short, red 
 
 malar streak) Chloronerpes flavigula. 
 
 d'. Chin, throat and sides of head not uniform yellow. 
 
 e. Under-parts spotted with black Chrysoptilus punctigula punc- 
 
 tipectus. 
 
 e'. Under-parts barred with black. 
 /. General color of upper-parts black. 
 
 g. Outer hind toe longer than outer front toe (centre of 
 
 back largely white) Scapaneus melanoleucos. 
 
 g . Outer hind toe not longer than outer front toe (centre of 
 
 back black and spaculars white) Ceophloerus lineatus. 
 
 f . General color of upper- parts olive or yellowish green. 
 g. Wing-quills barred with buffy or white on inner webs. 
 h. Wing-coverts with buffy or white spots. 
 
 i. Upper back slightly tinged with reddish Veniliornis passerinus. 
 
 i' . Back golden olive without reddish tinge Veniliornis cassini. 
 
 h'. Wing-coverts without spots but with yellowish shaft 
 lines showing through the reddish tips (obsolete in 
 
 some) Veniliornis orenocensis. 
 
 g'. Wing-Quills not barred on inner webs Chloronerpes rubiginosus. l 
 
 'Has been recorded from points in the state of Bermudez, Venezuela and from Brit. Guiana.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY Of THE ORINOCO REGION. 305 
 
 c' '. Under-parts not barred or spotted with black. 
 
 d. General color above and below yellowish buff CrocomorPhus Aavus 
 
 d'. General color above not yellowish buff. 
 e. Back black. 
 /. Basal half or more of primaries (except the two outermost) 
 
 hazel brown Scapaneus IracheloDvrus 
 
 f. Outer webs of primaries black (or at least with broad black 
 
 edges) Scapaneus rubricollis. 
 
 e . Back chestnut brown. 
 /. General color of under parts brown, darker than back. 
 
 g. Crest dark chestnut, darker than back Celeus jumana. 
 
 g . Crest tawny or cinnamon brown Celeus elegans hellmayri. 
 
 f . Lower throat and breast black, remaining under parts dark 
 
 buff Cerchneipicus lorquatus. 
 
 a'. Tail-feathers soft (Picumnus). 
 b. Under-parts barred with black. 
 
 c. Feathers of crown tipped with red or yellow. 
 
 d. Feathers of crown tipped with red <?Picumnus undulatus. 
 
 d . Feathers of crown tipped with yellow o" Picumnus stellae. 
 
 c'. Feathers of crown with white or pale yellowish tips 9 Picumnus slellae. 
 
 9 Picumnus undulatus. 
 b . Under-parts not barred Picumnus leucogaster. 
 
 CHLORONERPES FLAVIGULA (Boddaert). 
 Picus ftavigula Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 49. 
 Chloronerpes flavigula Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 91. 
 
 Observed only in the heavily wooded region, beyond the falls of 
 Atures. Miller and Iglseder collected a specimen at the Foot of Mount 
 Duida (Am. Mus. Collection). 
 
 CHRYSOPTILUS PUNCTIGULA PUNCTIPECTUS Cabanis & Heine. 
 Chrysoptilus punctipectus Cab. & Hein., Mus. Hein. IV. 1863. p. 163. 
 Chrysoptilus punctigulus guttatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 92. 
 
 Common from Ciudad Bolivar to the mouth of the Apure. Found 
 more commonly in the scattering clumps' of trees on the savannas than 
 in the heavy timber along the river. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill blackish slate ; feet olive green. 
 
 CENTURUS SUBELEGANS SUBELEGANS Bonaparte. 
 Centurus subelegans Bonaparte, P. Z. S. 1837: p. 109 ("Mexico"- 
 
 Venezuela, see Bonaparte Consp. Av. i: 1850: 119). 
 
 Common at Ciudad Bolivar and at Caicara. Like the preceding 
 species this is rarely met with in heavily wooded districts. 
 
 Eye mummy brown; bill black; feet dusky slate. 
 
 CENTURUS TERRICOLOR Berlepsch. 
 Centurus terricolor Berl., Ibis, 1880. p. 130. 
 Melanerpes terricolor Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 92. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert include all the specimens of Centurus that 
 I sent to the Tring Museum as terricolor, but the specimens secured on
 
 306 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 later expeditions have all been subelegans! None have been seen having 
 the rump and upper tail-coverts barred the distinguishing character of 
 terricolor. I am inclined to agree with Richmond 1 that terricolor of 
 Berlepsch is the same as subelegans of Bonaparte. 
 
 TRIPSURUS CRUENTATUS (Boddaert). 
 Picus cruentatus Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. 'p. 43. 
 Melanerpes cruentatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 92. 
 
 Rare. Two collected at Munduapo in February (Berl. & Hart. 1. c.). 
 
 Eye lemon yellow, eye-lids black, bare skin about eyes straw yel- 
 low; bill slate black; feet plumbeous pea green. 
 
 TRIPSURUS RUBRIFRONS (Spix). 
 
 Picus rubrifrons Spix, Av. Bras. I: (1824) : p. 61 ("in sylvis Parae"). 
 Melanerpes cruentatus Berl. & Hart., Novit. Zool. IX : 1902 : 92 in part 
 
 (Suapure). 
 T[ripsurus] rubrifrons Ridgway, Birds of N. & M. America VI: 1914: 
 
 118. 
 
 In the Berlepsch and Hartert paper, birds from Suapure (Caura 
 River) are entered as cruentatus. There are, however, in the American 
 Museum collections, six Caura River specimens (one male from Suapure 
 and four females and one male from La Union) that are certainly 
 rubrifrons. The Suapure male shows a distinct, although imperfect, 
 poStocular superciliary stripe; it is entirely absent in the four females 
 and male from La Union : and none of the specimens show a - trace of 
 the conspicuous yellow nuchal band of cruentatus. 
 
 VENILIORNIS CASSINI (Malherbe). 
 
 Mesopicus cassini Malh., Picidae, II. 1862. p. 55. PI. 68, figs. 2. 3. 
 Veniliornis cassini Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 93. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco proper but recorded by Berlepsch 
 and Hartert from Suapure and from La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 VENILIORNIS ORENOCENSIS Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 Veniliornis orenocensis Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 93. 
 (Type, ex "regione fluminis Orinoco") ; I would substitute Mundu- 
 apo, Orinoco River. 
 
 ip.U.S.N.M. XVIII: 1895: p. 667.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 
 
 307 
 
 Although Berlepsch and Hartert give the habitat of this species as 
 covering the. region from Angostura (Ciudad Bolivar) to Munduapo, 
 inclusive, it was not observed below the falls of Attires by the writer, 
 its place being taken on the middle stretches of the river between the 
 mouth of the -Meta River and Ciudad Bolivar by the following species. 
 
 Eye vandyke brown; bill above black, below slate grey; feet olive 
 plumbeous. 
 
 In the American Museum are two specimens from Boca de Sina, 
 Cunucunuma River, Upper Orinoco. 
 
 VENILIORNIS PASSERINUS (Linnaeus). 
 Picus passerinus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 174. 
 Veniliornis passerinus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 93 (in part). 
 
 Common from Ciudad Bolivar to Caicara and beyond as far as 
 the mouth of the Meta. 
 
 Eye dark sepia brown ; bill black; feet plumbeous olive. 
 
 CELEUS ELEGANS HELLMAYRI Berlepsch. 
 Celeus elegans hellmayri Berlepsch, Novit. Zool. XV: 1908: 272 (Brit. 
 
 Guiana; Venezuela). 
 Celeus elegans reichenbachi Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII: 1906: p. 40 
 
 (Guanoco, Orinoco Delta, Venezuela). 
 
 There is a specimen, an adult female, in the American Museum col- 
 lection, that was taken by Klages at La Union, Caura River, Oct. 7, 
 1901. 
 
 The absence of pale shaft-streaks or spots on the feathers of the 
 back and upper wing-coverts (as pointed out by Hellmayr) serves to 
 distinguish this race from elegans elegans and elegans leotaudi. 
 
 CELEUS JUMANA (Spix). 
 
 Picus jumana Spix, Av. Bras. I. 1824. p. 57. PI. 47, figs. I $ , 2 9 . 
 Celeus jumana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 94. 
 
 Common on the upper river from Perico onwards, as far as I col- 
 lected. 
 
 CELEUS GRAMMICUS (Malherbe). 
 
 Picus grammicus Malh., Mem. Soc. Roy. Liege, 1845. p. 69. 
 Celeus grammicus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 94. 
 
 Not common. Taken onlv at Munduapo and Nericagua.
 
 308 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 CERCHNEIPICUS TORQUATUS (Boddaert). 
 Picus torquatus Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 52. 
 Cerchneipicus torquatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 94. 
 
 Not observed by the writer. Recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert 
 from Suapure and from La Pricion on the Caura River, and there are 
 two specimens from La Union in the American Museum collection. 
 
 CROCOMORPHUS PLAVUS (Mull.). 
 Picus flavus Mull., Syst. Nat. Supplement, 1776. p. 91. 
 Crocomorphus flavus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 94. 
 
 Not observed below Altagracia but collected there, at Caicara, and 
 up as far as the falls of Maipures. 
 
 Eye carmine red; bill chrome yellow shading into sulphur yellow at 
 the base of the mandible; feet dark pea green. 
 
 This species I did not see in the sparsely wooded savanna districts. 
 It kept to the heavier forests along the Orinoco. The call notes of 
 this woodpecker are somewhat like those of our Great-crested Fly- 
 catcher not what one expects from a woodpecker. They are usually 
 seen in pairs or family parties of two adults and three or four imma- 
 ture birds. Specimens that I have collected have had the feet invariably 
 covered with a mass of small black ants (dead) held by some sticky sub- 
 stance, and the birds themselves have a strong odor of formic acid. 
 
 SCAPANEUS RUBRICOLLIS (Boddaert). 
 Picus rubricollis Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 37. 
 Campephilus rubricollis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 95. 
 
 Rare, seen only in the heavily wooded region above the falls. Two 
 specimens were collected at Munduapo. 
 
 Eye light lemon yellow ; bill pale horn color, ridge of culmen dusky 
 and base of mandible shaded with greenish; feet dark sage green. 
 
 SCAPANEUS MELANOLEUCOS (Gmelin). 
 Picus melanoleucos Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 462. 
 Campephilus melanoleucus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 95. 
 
 Native name Carplniero Soldado. Not rare, but very wary and 
 somewhat difficult to collect. Keeps to heavily timbered districts. 
 Noted and specimens collected at Ciudad Bolivar, but rarely below 
 the mouth of the Apure. Seen on the upper river as far as I extended 
 my explorations.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 309 
 
 CEOPHLOEUS UNEATUS (Linnaeus). 
 Picus lineatus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12, 1766. p. 174. 
 Ceophlocus lineatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 95. 
 
 This, like the preceding species, is known as Carpintero Soldado 
 Not uncommon on the middle Orinoco from some distance below 
 Ciudad Bolivar to the falls of Atures. 
 
 Eye straw yellow ; bill dusky slate above, whitish below ;. feet 
 plumbeous. 
 
 PICUMNUS LEUCOGASTER Pelzeln. 
 Picumnus leucogaster Pelz., Orn. Bras. 1869. pp. 241, 335; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 95. 
 
 Not common. This is the only species of Picumnus seen on the 
 middle Orinoco. Specimens were collected at Altagracia and Caicara. 
 
 PICUMNUS UNDULATUS Hargitt. 
 Picumnus undulatus Hargitt, Ibis 1889. p. 354; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 
 
 95- 
 
 Rare on the Orinoco where two specimens only were collected 
 by the writer on the upper river, one at Perico in September and the 
 other at Nericagua in March. 
 
 Not uncommon on the Caura River, as Berlepsch and Hartert 
 record specimens from La Union, Suapure, La Pricion and Nicare. 
 
 PICUMNUS STELLAE 1 Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 Picumnus stellae Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 96 
 
 (Type, 9 ex Maipures, Orinoco River). 
 
 This was the common form of Picumnus on the upper river. It 
 was not observed below the falls of Atures. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill black, basal half of mandible slate grey; feet 
 plumbeous. 
 
 CUCULIDAE THE CUCKOOS. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert include ten species in their list. Nine of 
 the ten were collected on the Orinoco proper by the writer, and one 
 (Piaya melanogastra}, noted only from its tributary, the Caura River. 
 
 'This species was named after Mrs. Cherrie, who accompanied me on the first Orinoco expedition, 
 sharing the hardships and pleasures of camp life, ignoring the former and adding much to the latter.
 
 310 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 I am now able to add to the list C. euleri very distinct from C. ameri- 
 canus, but sometimes confused with that species. 
 
 The species of Piaya and of Crotophaga and Tapera naevla are, I 
 believe, resident in all localities where found, while the species of Coc- 
 cyzus are transient, or at best, not permanent residents in the Orinoco 
 region and ark known collectively as Crecienteros, a vernacular name 
 alluding to the fact that they appear at the season of the annual rise of 
 the Orinoco. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OE CUCULIDAE. 
 
 a. Maxilla very deep, much compressed; general color of plumage above 
 
 and below black. 
 
 b. Sides of maxilla smooth with neither longitudinal grooves nor ridges . Crotophaga ani. 
 V . Sides of maxilla ridged or grooved longitudinally. 
 
 c. Larger, wing more than 17 cm.; upper parts of body glossed with 
 
 iridescent steel blue Crotophaga major. 
 
 c'. Smaller, wing less than 17 cm.; body glossed with iridescent 
 
 purplish Crotophaga sulcirostris. 
 
 a'. Maxilla not abnormally deep and compressed, and general color of 
 
 plumage not black. 
 b. General color of upper-parts red-brown. 
 
 c. Top of head grey, in sharp contrast with red-brown back Piaya melanogastra. 
 
 c'. Head not grey, nearly uniform with back. 
 
 d. Smaller, total length less than 30 cm Piaya rutila orinocensis. 
 
 d'. Larger, total length more than 30 cm. 
 
 e. Outer webs of second and third pairs of rectrices largely rufous 
 (except for the blackish subapical band, about 25 mm. in 
 
 width) Piaya cayana insulana. 
 
 e'. Outer webs of second and third pairs of rectrices not rufous. 
 /. Tail-feathers underneath nearly uniform blackish, with little 
 or no trace of rusty shading, and blackish subterminal band 
 
 almost obsolete Piaya cayana cayana, 
 
 f. Tail underneath blackish but with a distinct rusty shading, 
 
 and narrow subapical band about 10 mm. in width Piaya cayana columbiana. 
 
 b'. General color of upper-parts not red-brown. 
 
 c. - Very large, tail more than 20 cm.; none of the rectrices white 
 
 tipped. 
 d. Chin and upper throat dusky brownish, merging into black on 
 
 lower throat; breast and belly dusky mouse-gray Neomorphus nigrogularis. 
 
 d'. Chin and upper throat smoke-gray, followed by a band across 
 the lower throat and neck where the feathers have black tips 
 (narrow anteriorly but occupying half or more of feather posteri- 
 orly) ; breast and belly drab gray ; under tail-coverts dusky brown Neomorphus rufipennis. 
 c'. Smaller, tail less than 20 cm.; rectrices (except intermediae) white 
 tipped. 
 
 d. Crested ; upper-parts more or less streaked with blackish Tapera naevia. 
 
 d'. Not crested, and upper-parts not streaked. 
 
 e. Chin and throat hazel brown, in sharp contrast with remaining 
 
 lower parts Micrococcyx pumilus. 
 
 e'. Color of chin and throat not in sharp contrast with remaining 
 
 lower parts. 
 
 /. Mandible black; lower parts strongly suffused with buff Coccyzus melacoryphus. 
 /'. Mandible yellowish or orange with blackish tip; under parts 
 
 not strongly buff. 
 g. Much rufous on both outer and inner webs of inner 
 
 primaries Coccyzus americanus. 
 
 g'. Without rufous on wing quills Coccyzus euleri. 
 
 COCCYZUS AMERICANUS (Linnaeus). 
 Cuculus americanus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1758. p. in. 
 Coccysus americanus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 96. 
 
 Two of the cuckoos sent to the Tring Museum were identified by 
 Messrs. Berlepsch and Hartert, as C. americanus; one, a female, was
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY Of THE ORINOCO REGION. 3!! 
 
 collected at Altagracia in November, and a male was taken at Neri- 
 cagua, on the upper river, in April. 
 
 COCCYZUS EULERI Cabanis. 
 Coccyzus euleri Cabanis, Journ. f. Orn. 1873. p. 73. (ex Cantagallo). 
 
 Two specimens were taken, both females, that differed slightly in 
 the colors of the bill, eye-lids, etc. The first, collected at Ciudad 
 Bolivar, April 15, 1905 (No. 13443 Geo. K. Cherrie Coll.) had the eye 
 seal brown, eye-lids lemon yellow; bill above black with basal cutting 
 edges olive yellow, mandible chrome yellow with blackish tip; feet 
 dusky slate grey. 
 
 The second collected at Caicara, June 10, 1905 (No. 13856 Geo. 
 K. Cherrie Coll.) had the eye seal brown, eye-lids blackish; maxilla, and 
 extreme tip of mandible black, with basal cutting edges of maxilla, to a 
 line bordering the lower edge of the nostrils and extending nearly one- 
 half way to the tip, and mandible orange-buff; feet dusky slate grey. 
 
 The ovaries of the latter bird were much enlarged, indicating the 
 near approach of the breeding season. My attention was drawn to 
 this bird by hearing the familiar "rain crow's" note. It is in what I 
 believe to be full nuptial plumage a delicate pearl grey on breast, 
 sides and flanks, shading to an almost silvery white on the belly. 
 
 C. euleri is at once distinguished from C. americanus by the 
 entire absence of rufous on both the outer and inner webs of the wing 
 quills and the darker general color above. This species has not been 
 previously recorded from Venezuela. 
 
 COCCYZUS MELACORYPHUS Vieillot. 
 Coccysus melacoryphus Vieill., Nouv. Diet. VIII. 1817. p. 271 ; Berlepsch 
 
 & Hartert, p. 97. 
 
 On my first expedition this species was observed only once, a 
 single specimen having been collected at Quiribana de Caicara April 
 28, 1898. It was not seen in 1905, but in 1907 two were collected at 
 Caicara in June ; and at Las Barrancas (in the Delta region) it was 
 common during July. 
 
 One of the specimens collected at Las Barrancas seems some- 
 what abnormally colored, or may possibly represent another race. 
 Below, it is exactly similar to typical examples of C. melacoryphus; 
 above, the back is also similar, but the wings are decidedly different, 
 the quills being dull rufous brownish on both webs, except the tips
 
 312 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 which are dusky. The primary-coverts are also strongly dull rufous 
 brownish as are also the outer webs and tips of the greater wing- 
 coverts. The pattern of coloration is similar to that of the wings of 
 the yellow -billed cuckoo (C. americanus}. It is possible this rufous 
 shading is characteristic of immature birds. 
 
 MICROCOCCYX PUMILUS (Strickland). 
 
 Coccyzus pumilus Strickl., Contrib. Orn. 1852. p.' 28. PI. 82 ; Berlepsch 
 & Hartert, p. 97. 
 
 In the American Museum collection is a specimen collected by 
 Klages at Maripa on the Caura. The forehead, crown and occiput are 
 gull gray; the mantle and lower back mouse gray; the two colors blend- 
 ing insensibly into one another at the base of the occiput. The wings 
 and tail are browner; the primaries blackish, especially toward the tip; 
 the ends of the rectrices are black, narrowly tipped with white ; sides of 
 head, chin and throat hazel brown; breast and belly pale buffy; flanks, 
 thighs and under wing- and tail-coverts buff; under surface of tail gray, 
 the inner webs of the rectrices buffbasally. Wing 103 ; tail 105 ; bill 17 mm. 
 
 Rare. An adult male was taken, on my first expedition, at Quiri- 
 bana de Caicara, April 29, 1905, and a second adult male at Caicara, 
 May 2, 1905. 
 
 Eye carmine, eye-lids carmine; bill black; feet slate gray. 
 
 PlAYA MELANOGASTRA (Vieillot). 
 
 Cuculus melanogaster Vieill., Nouv. Diet. VIII. 1817. p. 236. 
 Piaya melanogastra Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 97. 
 
 Not observed by the writer on the Orinoco proper, but included in 
 Berlepsch and Hartert's list based on a single specimen collected by 
 Klages at Suapure on the Caura River. There is now a specimen in 
 the American Museum collection taken at the foot of Mt. Duida. 
 
 PIAYA CAYANA CAYANA Linnaeus. 
 Cuculus cayanus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 170. 
 Piaya cayana guianensis Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884. p. 435. (Angostura) ; 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 97, part (Suapure and La Pricion, Caura 
 
 River, Venez.) ; Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 43. 
 Piaya cayana cayana Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. p. 35; 
 
 Stone, Proc. Phila. Acad. Sci. LX. 1908. pp. 497-8 (Suapure). 
 
 A study of the specimens in this museum from the Orinoco
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 313 
 
 region, together with those in the collection of the American Mu- 
 seum, convinces me that there are only two ways in which they can 
 be treated logically. Either all must be lumped together under a 
 single name (possibly P. c. columbiana) ; or, three or four distinct 
 races must be recognized as inhabiting that region. 
 
 I have adopted the latter course my conclusions, therefore, being 
 quite at variance with those of the two authors 1 who have most 
 recently studied the P. cayana group. 
 
 The native name of the birds of this group is Piscua. They 
 frequent the less heavily wooded districts. 
 
 Birds from the Caura River (American Museum collection), a 
 single example from the San Feliz River near its junction with the 
 Cuchivero River, and British Guiana specimens are readily separable 
 from the middle Orinoco birds by the darker ash grey of the breast 
 and more sooty blackish or greyish of the under tail-coverts. Also 
 the tail-feathers underneath are uniformly blackish with little or no 
 trace of rusty shading, and the subterminal bar practically obsolete. 
 Above, these birds are uniformly darker, more inclined to bay with 
 less ferruginous. 
 
 PlAYA CAYANA COLUMBIANA (Cabanis). 
 
 Pyrrhocorax columbianus Cabanis, Journ. f. Orn. 1862. p. 70 (Car- 
 tagena). 
 
 Piaya cayana guianensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 97, part. (Points on 
 the Orinoco ; Altagracia, Caicara, Ciudad Bolivar) ; Hellmayr, ib. 
 XIII. 1907. p. 44. (Orinoco points.) 
 
 Piaya cayana cayana Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. p. 35 (Ori- 
 noco valley). 
 The birds from the middle Orinoco region from Ciudad Bolivar 
 
 (where P. c. cayana is also found) up at least as far as the mouth of 
 
 the Meta River seem to me referable to this race. 
 
 While closely related to typical cayana, they average much 
 
 lighter in color, as pointed out in my remarks under that race; and 
 
 the rusty shading of the under side of the tail-feathers seems to 
 
 afford a ready means of separating the two races. 
 
 Eye dark lake red, bare skin about eye carmine; bill citron yellow 
 
 distally shading to an apple green at base ; feet plumbeous. 
 
 iHellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. pp. 43-4; i*. XIV 1907. 35- Stone <A Review of the Genus 
 Piaya Lesson>. Proc. Phila. Acad. Sci. LX. 1908 (published January. 1909). pp. 493-SOi.
 
 314 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 The specimens in the American Museum collection from Boca de 
 Sina, Cunucunuma River (Upper Orinoco) differ from examples from 
 the middle Orinoco in the almost total absence of the rusty shading of 
 the under side of the tail-feathers, as in c. cayana., but their much 
 darker, more intense bay (with a distinct purplish sheen in certain 
 lights) rather than chestnut seems to separate them from that race. It 
 is possible these birds are representatives of the race (c. venesuelensis) 
 described by Cory (Orn. Series Field Mus. Pub. i; May, 1913: p. 284). 
 I feel that a series from the Upper Orinoco would show the birds from 
 that region to be a distinct race. 
 
 PIAYA CAYANA INSULANA Hellmayr. 
 
 Piaya cayana insulana Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 43 (Type, 
 
 ex Chaguaramas, Trinidad). 
 
 Hitherto this race has been known from Trinidad only, but speci- 
 mens collected at Las Barrancas (delta region) and compared with 
 Trinidad examples show them to be identical. 
 
 Birds of this race are closely related to those from the middle 
 Orinoco, but are brighter and lighter cinnamon-rufous, or ferruginous 
 above (very much paler than Guiana birds) ; and as pointed out by 
 their describer, they have the outer webs of the second and third 
 rectrix entirely rufous, except for the blackish subapical band. The 
 sub-terminal black bars on the rectrices are broader and more sharply 
 defined than in Guiana or Orinoco birds, averaging 25 mm. while in 
 the birds of the middle Orinoco the average does not exceed 10 mm. 
 
 A pair were observed carrying nesting material August 1st. 
 
 PIAYA RUTILA ORINOCENSIS Cherrie. 
 Piaya rutila orinocensis Cherrie, Bui. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. XXXV, 1916, 
 
 P- 393- 
 Piaya rutila Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 97. 
 
 Not common, but noted at Las Barrancas (Delta region), Ciuclad 
 Bolivar, Altagracia and up as far as Maipures. 
 
 Eye vermillion red ; bill sulphur yellow ; feet dusky plumbeous olive. 
 
 TAPERA NAEVIA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Cuculus naevius L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1776. p. 170. 
 Diplopterus naevius Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 98. 
 
 Not common. Native name Pavita. While nowhere common
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 315 
 
 this species was observed everywhere from Las Barrancas and Ciuclad 
 Bolivar as far as I worked on the upper river. 
 
 Adult female, eye clay color; bill, ridge of culmen clove brown, 
 cutting edge of maxilla cinnamon brown, mandible brown. 
 
 NEOMORPHUS RUFIPENNIS (Gray). 
 Cultrides rufipennis Gray, P. Z. S. 1849: p. 63. pi. 10 (Guiana). 
 
 Two specimens from the Caura River are in the American Museum 
 Collection. 
 
 NEOMORPHUS NIGROGULARIS Chapman. 
 
 Neomorphus nigrogularis Chapman, Bull. Am. Nat. Hist. XXXIII: 
 1914: p. 194 (Foot of Mt. Duida, Venezuela). 
 Type in the collection of the American Museum. 
 
 CROTOPHAGA, ANI Linnaeus. 
 Crotophaga ani L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1758. p. 105 ; Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. 
 
 p. 435 (Angostura) ; Berlepsch" & Hartert, p. 98. 
 
 Native name Tio Louis. Common along the middle stretches of 
 the river from Ciudad Bolivar and Caicara beyond the falls of Mai- 
 pures as far as I extended my explorations. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill and feet black. 
 
 CROTOPHAGA SULCIROSTRIS Swainson. 
 Crotophaga sulcirostris Swainson, Philos. Mag. New & Unit. Ser. I: 
 
 (1827) : 440 (Mexico) : Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 98. 
 
 The three species of Crotophaga seem to be found throughout the 
 Orinoco region. Of the two smaller forms C. ani is the more abun- 
 dant. I did not observe sulcirostris above the falls, but Miller collected 
 a specimen for the American Museum at Maipures. 
 
 CROTOPHAGA MAJOR Gmelin. 
 Crotophaga major Gm., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1788. p. 363; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 98. 
 
 Native name Hervidor Oriquelo. Not observed below Ciudad 
 Bolivar, but noted at almost all points visited beyond. This species 
 frequents the tangled thickets and densely wooded areas that cover 
 or border swamps, ponds or water courses. Like other members of 
 the genus they are social, going about in small flocks of from six or 
 eight to twenty or thirty.
 
 316 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 The native name Hervidor is derived from the Spanish verb hervir 
 to boil doubtless in allusion to the peculiar vocal performance 
 which certainly is much like the sound of bubbling, boiling water. 
 
 These cuckoos are occasionally seen in a state of semi-domesti- 
 cation about the native houses. 
 
 CAPITOXIDAE THE BARBETS OR THICKHEADS. 
 Two races of a single species are known from the Orinoco region. 
 
 CAPITO AURATUS INTERMEDIUS Berlepscli & Hartert. 
 Capita auratus intermedius Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. 
 
 p. 98. (Type, ex Nericagua, upper Orinoco, Venez.). 
 
 Only two specimens, a male and a female, were collected on my 
 first expedition, at Nericagua, on the upper Orinoco. 
 
 There is a series in the American Museum collection from Boca de 
 Sina, Cunucunuma River (upper Orinoco), that doubtless should be re- 
 ferred to this race. They show, however, a considerable orange wash 
 on the lower breast and abdomen, a character supposed to be distinctive 
 of a. aurantiicinctus, and are scarcely to be distinguished from a couple 
 or Caura River specimens. I am consequently doubtful if intermedius 
 is a valid race. 
 
 CAPITO AURATUS AURANTIICINCTUS Dalmas. 
 Capita aurantiicinctus Dalmas, Bull. Soc. Zool. France. 1900. p. 178 
 
 ("Dans le bassin de la riviere Caura"). 
 Capita auratus aurantiicmctus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 99. 
 
 In the Am. Museum collection are two specimens from La Union 
 (Caura River). One shows a considerable amount of the orange color on 
 the middle of the breast that is supposed to be distinctive of the race. 
 
 First described and recorded from the Caura River by Dalmas. 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record a specimen collected by Andre at Nicare 
 on the same river. 
 
 RAMPHASTIDAE THE TOUCANS. 
 
 Nine species are embraced in the Berlepsch and Hartert paper, but 
 only five were collected by the writer on the Orinoco proper, the remain- 
 ing four having been collected by either Klages or Andre at points on 
 the Caura River. None were seen until I arrived in the heavily forested 
 regions beyond the falls of Maipures.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OP THE ORINOCO REGION. 317 
 
 The name Piapoco is applied to the toucans of the region collec- 
 tively. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF RHAMPHASTIDAE. 
 
 a. Nostrils opening behind the casque (Ramphastos) . 
 
 b. Upper tail-coverts lemon yellow, general color of bill reddish Ramphastos monilis. 
 
 b'. Upper tail-coverts red (scarlet) or orange or in combination; general 
 color of bill blackish. 
 
 c. Upper tail-coverts uniform scarlet Ramphastos vitellinus. 
 
 c . Upper tail-coverts not uniform scarlet. 
 
 d. Throat white, blending into yellow, vary ing in shade from lemon 
 to orange, followed by a scarlet band, the scarlet extending 
 
 centrally back onto the breast Ramphastos osculans. 
 
 d . Throat and neck white or white with lemon yellow tinge on neck. 
 e. Smaller, bill less than 17 cm. Throat only slightly if at all 
 
 tinged with lemon yellow Ramphastos culminatus. 
 
 e . Larger, bill more than 17 cm. Throat strongly tinged with 
 
 lemon yellow Ramphastos cuvieri inca. 
 
 a'. Nostrils rounded, opening upward at the edge of the casque. The 
 culminal ridge extending back beyond the nostrils (Pleroglossus.) 
 
 b. No band across the breast (sexes different) Pteroglossus viridis. 
 
 b'. Breast banded (sexes alike). 
 
 c. Throat chestnut Pteroglossus flaviventris. 
 
 c'. Throat black. 
 
 d. With two black bands beneath Pleroglossus pluricinclus. 
 
 d'. A single scarlet band across lower breast; maxilla with a broad 
 black culminal stripe (at base occupying entire space between 
 nostrils^ ; thighs reddish green Pteroglossus aracari roraimae 
 
 RAMPHASTOS CUVIERI IXCA Gould. 
 Ramphastos inca Gould, P. Z. S. 1846. p. 68. 
 Ramphastos cuzneri inca Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 99. 
 
 One specimen secured at Munduapo on the first expedition and 
 recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 RAMPHASTOS MONILIS MULLER. 
 Ramphastos monilis P. L. S. Miiller, Natursyst. Suppl. (1776): p. 83 
 
 (Cayenne). 
 Ramphastos haematorhynchus Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 
 
 1902. p. 99. (Type, ex La Pricion, Caura River, Venez.). 
 
 Recorded by Berlepsch & Hartert from points on the Caura River 
 only. Not seen on the Orinoco. 
 
 RAMPHASTOS OSCULANS Gould. 
 Ramphastos osculans Gould, P. Z. S. 1835. p. 156; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 100. 
 
 Only one specimen collected, taken at Munduapo February 10, 
 1899, not seen on subsequent expeditions. 
 
 Eye seal brown, bare skin about eye turquoise blue; bill, with a 
 narrow band at the extreme base deep black ; culmen and tips of maxilla 
 and mandible and the upper third of a sub-basal band sulphur yellow, 
 lower two-thirds of sub-basal band azure blue, body of both maxilla and 
 mandible black ; feet glaucous blue.
 
 318 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 RAMPHASTOS VITELLINUS Lichtenstein. 
 Ramphastos vitellinus Licht, Doubl. Verz. 1823. p. 7; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 101. 
 
 Not taken by the writer, but recorded from Suapure, La Pricion 
 on the Caura River by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 RAMPHASTOS CULMINATUS Gould. 
 Ramphastos culminatus Gould, P. Z. S. 1833. p. 70; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 101. 
 
 More often seen than either cuvieri inca or osculans. Five speci- 
 mens were collected on my first expedition at Munduapo and at Neri- 
 cagua. 
 
 The iris is bicolored, having an inner ring of seal brown and an outer 
 zone of greenish grey; bare skin about eye turquoise blue; bill with a 
 narrow band at the extreme base deep black, succeeded by a much 
 broader band, which on the mandible and one-fourth of the maxilla is 
 azure blue, the remainder, as also the culmen and tips of both maxilla 
 and mandible, is sulphur yellow, body of the bill, maxilla and mandible 
 black ; feet glaucous blue. 
 
 PTEROGLOSSUS PLURICINCTUS Gould. 
 Pteroglossus pluricinctus Gould, P. Z. S. 1835. p. 157; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 101. 
 
 Four specimens taken at Munduapo during February. Eye straw 
 yellow, bare skin about eye paris green ; bill with a narrow band at the 
 extreme base of maxilla and mandible ochre yellow, remainder of mand- 
 ible black, maxilla with a basal band, including a long acute triangular 
 area along its basal cutting edge and the culmen black, tip pinkish 
 vinaceous, body of the maxilla bicolor, the basal part being ochre yellow, 
 the anterior part a soiled yellowish white, the two shades blending grad- 
 ually into one another in the centre; feet dusky oil green, bare skin on 
 sides of tarsi plumbeous. 
 
 PTEROGLOSSUS FLAVIROSTRIS FLAVIROSTRIS Fraser. 
 Pteroglossus flavirostris Fraser, P. Z. S. 1840. p. 61 ; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 101. 
 
 Probably the most common of the species of toucan seen on the 
 Orinoco.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 319 
 
 Bare skin about the eye, on side of face, bicolored, a band immedi- 
 ately surrounding the eye slate black and the remaining outer portion 
 dark maroon purple; bill, maxilla very pale primrose yellow with a 
 series of black spots along the cutting edges of the basal part, together 
 with a small elongated black patch also on the cutting edge near the tip, 
 mandible very pale primrose yellow with an elongated ochraceous patch 
 near the centre of the cutting edge; feet dark sage green. 
 
 PTEROGLOSSUS VIRIDIS (Linnaeus). 
 Ramphastos ziridis L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 150. 
 Pteroglossus viridis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 101. 
 
 Not noted on the Orinoco. Recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert 
 from Suapure and from La Union on the Caura River. 
 
 PTEROGLOSSUS ARACARI RORAIMAE Bradbourne & Chubb. 
 Pteroglossus aracari atricollis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 102. 
 Pteroglossus roraimae Bradbourne and Chubb, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 
 
 1912: p. 261 (Guiana, Roraima) ; Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 
 
 1913: p. 199 (Guinipa River: Rio Vagre). 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco. Berlepsch and Hartert record only a 
 single specimen collected by Klages at Suapure. Stone records it as 
 abundant on the Guinipa and Vagre Rivers. 
 
 There is a specimen of Pteroglossus in the Am. Museum collection, 
 from Sacupano, Orinoco Delta, that differs from examples from Cristo- 
 bal Colon (Paria Peninsula), in that the thighs and under tail-coverts 
 are largely dusky greenish without reddish wash, whereas in typical 
 roraimae those parts are lighter, more dusky sulphur yellowish with a 
 reddish wash. 
 
 BUCCONIDAE THE PUFF-BIRDS. 
 
 Six of the seven species included in Berlepsch and Hartert's paper 
 were collected on the Orinoco proper. 
 
 KEY TO GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF BUCCONIDAE. 
 
 a. One or more black bands across the breast. 
 
 b. Two distinct black bands across the breast Hypnelus btctnctus. 
 
 b'. One distinct black band across the breast. 
 
 c. Head and back without transverse blackish bars. 
 d. Middle of belly white, unmarked.
 
 32O BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 c'. Head and back thickly barred with black lines Bucco capensis. 
 
 a'. Without black bands across breast although the throat and breast may 
 
 be blackish. 
 b. Throat chestnut or hazel brown. 
 
 c. Feathers of breast and sides with broad terminal black spots or 
 
 bands Nystactes tamatia lamatia. 
 
 c'. Feathers of breast and sides without terminal black spots or bands . Nonnula duidae. 
 b'. Throat slate gray or black. 
 
 C. Bill black; rump white Chelidoptera tenebrosa. 
 
 c'. Bill red ; rump slate gray like back Monasa ttigra. 
 
 Bucco CAPENSIS Linnaeus. 
 Bucco capensis L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 168; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p.. 102. 
 
 This species was met with on my first expedition, only a single 
 specimen, an adult female collected at the Alataben Rapids, 1 February 
 2, 1899. 
 
 NOTHARCHUS HYPERRHYNCHUS DYSONI (Sclater). 
 
 Bucco dysoni Sclater, P. Z. S. 1885 : p. 193 (Honduras); Stone, Proc. 
 
 Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913: p. 199 (Manimo River). 
 Notharchus hyperrhynchus dysoni Ridgway, Birds N. & M. Am. VI : 
 
 1911: 376. 
 
 Stone records this species from the delta region. 
 
 NOTHARCHUS TECTUS TECTUS (Boddaert). 
 Bucco tectus Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 43; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. IO2. 
 
 B[ucco] t[ectus] tectus Hellm., P. Z. S. Part IV. 1911, 1195 (Caura 
 
 River). 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco. Berlepsch and Hartert record speci- 
 mens collected by Klages at Suapure and at La Pricion on the Caura 
 River. 
 
 ARGICUS MACRODACTYLUS cAURENsis Cherrie. 
 Argicus macrodactylus caurensis Cherrie, Bui. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 
 
 XXXV. 1916, p. 389. 
 Bucco macrodactylus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 102. 
 
 Rare. One taken, an adult male, at Maipures, December 21, 1898. 
 
 The eye is liver brown; bill black; feet smoke grey. 
 
 NYSTACTES TAMATIA TAMATIA (Gmelin). 
 
 Bucco tamatia Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 405; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 p. 102. 
 
 'The Mataben Rapids are above the falls of Maipures, between that point and the mouth of the 
 Vichada River.
 
 : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE) ORINOCO REGION. 32! 
 
 Bucco tamatia tamatia Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XVII: 1910; 391 
 
 (Maipures). 
 
 Rare; two were taken at Maipures, one in December and one in 
 January. The American Museum has an example collected at the same 
 place in April. 
 
 Eye walnut brown; bill black; feet olive plumbeous. 
 
 HYPNELUS BICINCTUS (Gould). 
 Tamatia bicinctus Gould, P. Z. S. 1836. p. 80. 
 Bucco bicinctus Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 435 (Angostura) ; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 102. 
 
 Adult male: eye straw yellow; bill black; feet plumbeous olive. 
 
 Common. Found most commonly in the thinly wooded savanna 
 regions. 
 
 The nesting habits of this species are somewhat extraordinary. 
 The nest is excavated by the parent bird, in one of the large nests of 
 the common termite (the white ant of the region) which form so con- 
 spicuous an object in many of the forest trees. The entrance is usually 
 placed at about the middle on one side of the termite nest ; the excava- 
 tion then passes backward and upward for nearly the entire diameter 
 of the termite dwelling, and is terminated with a slightly enlarged 
 spherical chamber about 15 cm. in diameter. The entrance tunnel is 
 about 8 cm. in diameter. No nesting- material is carried in and the 
 eggs are deposited on the debris at the bottom of the nest cavity. 
 
 A nest found at Caicara May 6th contained a single fresh egg. 
 The parent bird remained in the nest cavity until I had cut and hacked 
 at the termite nest (which by the way is exceedingly tough and hard) 
 for some time. She must have been covered with the termites for they 
 swarmed out everywhere over the nest in countless numbers, and the 
 question uppermost in my mind was : How were the birds able to make 
 their excavation in the face of the hoards of -creeping biting termites? 
 The egg is white, slightly glossy, short ovate in shape, and measures 
 24.6 x 20 mm. 
 
 In the American Museum collection are three examples from 
 Maripa on the Caura River. 
 
 NONNULA DUIDAE Chapman. 
 
 Nonnula duidac Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. XXXIIT : 1914: 
 195 (Foot Mt. Duida, Venez.). 
 The type is in the collection of the American Museum.
 
 322 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 MONASA NIGRA (Muller). 
 
 Cuculus niger Miill., Syst. Nat. Supplement, 17/6. p. 90. 
 Monasa nigra Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 103. 
 
 Native name Pico de Lacre. Not observed on the lower Orinoco, 
 but common from near the mouth of the Meta and beyond. Also com- 
 mon on the San Feliz River, near its junction with the Cuchivero River 
 and recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert from points on the Caura River. 
 
 In fresh birds the eye is bay brown ; bill poppy red ; feet slate grey. 
 
 Birds of this species will frequently sit on low branches five or 
 six feet from the ground, stupidly watching one until they can be 
 almost taken in the hand. They were only observed in heavily timbered 
 districts. 
 
 A female shot at Nericagua March 27th had an egg in the oviduct 
 that would soon have been deposited. It was pure white in color. 
 
 A nest, with young nearly able to shift for themselves, was found 
 at La Cascabel on the San Feliz River, near its. union with the Cuchi- 
 vero River, on the 27th day of May, 1907. The nest proper was at 
 the bottom of an excavation 1.5 m. in depth. It was situated in a belt 
 of heavy timber, on level ground, bordering the San Feliz River. The 
 excavation (whether made by the puff-bird, or not, I am unable to say) 1 
 descended at an angle of about 45 from the horizontal and was about 
 7.6 cm. in diameter. 
 
 Over the entrance had been heaped a pile of rotten coarse dead 
 twigs, as large as a half bushel measure, and having a rounded tunnel 
 running along the ground from one edge to the entrance of the ground 
 excavation. This pile of sticks forming a barrier to the real nest ent- 
 rance was unquestionably of recent construction. 
 
 The nest was discovered by hearing the cries of the young issuing 
 from what seemed only a pile of brush. 
 
 Birds in Juvenal plumage resemble the adults except that the 
 white patch on the bend of the wing is lacking, and the bill is a dusky 
 dirty white. 
 
 CHELIDOPTERA TENEBROSA TENEBROSA (Pallas). 
 Cuculus tenebrosus Pallas, Neue. Nord. Beytr. III. 1782. p. 2. 
 Chelidoptera tenebrosa Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 103. 
 Eye seal brown; bill black; feet slate color. 
 
 1 There was no loose dirt about the entrance to indicate that the cavity was of recent excavation.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY Of THE ORINOCO REGION. 323 
 
 Not uncommon. Frequents open glades in forest regions or the 
 less heavily wooded districts bordering open savannas. 
 
 The nesting season continues from February to June. The nest 
 is an excavation made by the birds themselves, sometimes in the bank 
 of a stream, after the manner of our Bank Swallow, and again in level 
 ground. 
 
 A nest containing two slightly incubated eggs found at Munduapo 
 River, Orinoco, on March 2nd, 1899 (No. 12155 Coll. Geo. K. and Stella 
 M. Cherrie) was situated in the gently sloping bank of the river about 
 ten meters back from the water's edge and about two meters above its 
 surface. The excavation went straight back from the entrance to the 
 nest proper, sloping downward at an angle of 30 with the horizontal, 
 and for a distance of 150 cm. from the entrance. The nest chamber 
 was merely a slight enlargement of the end of the tunnel. There was 
 no nesting material and the eggs lay on the bare sand. The bottom 
 of the nest was 75 cm. from the surface. The parent bird was seen to 
 come from the nest, and during my excavating of the two slightly 
 glossy pure white eggs she remained sitting within easy range on the 
 topmost branch of a tree on the shore. Not a note (that I heard) did 
 she utter or show any special interest in the locality. 
 
 A nest containing two eggs, with incubation far advanced was 
 found at Caicara, May 6, 1905. The excavation for this nest was made 
 in nearly level ground at the edge of the open savanna. The burrow 
 extended straight backward and downward at an angle of about 30 
 with the surface. The nest chamber was about one meter from the 
 entrance and 30 cm. below the surface. A small quantity of short bits 
 of dead grass had been taken in as a nest lining. One of the eggs is 
 short ovate in form, the other ovate. They measured 24 x 19 and 
 26 x 19.5 cm. 
 
 A rather remarkable thing about these nests, as in that of Monasa 
 nigra, is that the dirt that is excavated is not seen about the mouth of 
 the entrance tunnel. 
 
 Near Caicara, on the 8th of May, 1907, I found two nests each with 
 two young birds. Judging from the young found in these two nests, 
 and from those found in other nests examined, I believe that ordinar- 
 ily one of the two young is born several days before the other. At birth 
 the young are slate black in color, they are entirely naked (without a 
 trace of natal down) and the eyes do not open until about the third or 
 fourth dav. When about half grown or a little less, the pin feathers
 
 324 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 of the juvenal plumage appear. This plumage is similar to the adult 
 plumage. At about the same time that the pin-feathers begin to appear, 
 the young commence to creep out to the entrance to their burrows, 
 where they sprawl in the sun and await the visits of the parents with 
 food. If alarmed, they will scuttle backwards into the burrow, never 
 turning around to dive in head foremost. 
 
 The bottom of the cavities, in nests containing half grown young, 
 are a.live with maggots working in the excrement and cast off parts of 
 the insect food chiefly small beetles brought to the young. 
 
 The two nests referred to above, as found on the 8th of May, were 
 both situated on (or in) the practically level sandy soil of the open 
 savanna. In each, the excavation was in an almost straight line back 
 from the entrance, descending at an angle of about 30 with the hori- 
 zontal. In one case the entrance tunnel was 200 cm. long and the 
 nest cavity 50 cm. from the surface, in the other the entrance tunnel 
 was 135 cm. long and the nest cavity 35 cm. from the surface. 
 
 GALBULIDAE THE JACAMARS. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert's paper records five species only, two of 
 which were met with on the Orinoco proper, the other three being re- 
 corded from Caura River points. An additional species from the upper 
 Orinoco is now recorded. 
 
 I believe that without exception the members of this family are 
 resident wherever found. 
 
 KEY TO GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF 1 GALBULIDAE. 
 
 a. General color above green-iridescent. 
 6. Bill wholly black. 
 
 c. Under surface of tai' rufous Galbula ruficauda. 
 
 c'. Under surface of tail not rufous. 
 
 d. A broad iridescent green band across the breast Galbula galbula. 
 
 d'. Without a green band across breast Jacamerops aureus. 
 
 b'. Mandible and base of maxilla yellowish horn color; tip of maxilla 
 
 blackish Psilopornis albiroslris. 
 
 a'. General color above blackish or brownish. 
 
 6. Throat white; tail long and much graduated Urogalba dea. 
 
 b'. Throat brownish ; tail not graduated Brachygalba lugubris. 
 
 UROGALBA DEA (Linn.). 
 
 Alcedo dea Linn., Syst. Nat. (1758): p. 116 (Surinam). 
 
 In the American Museum are two specimens collected by Miller at 
 Boca de Sina, Cunucunuma River, Upper Orinoco. This species has not 
 before been recorded from the Orinoco.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 325 
 
 GALBULA GALBULA (Linnaeus). 
 Alcedo galbula L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 182. 
 Galbula galbula Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 103. 
 
 Not observed by the writer below the falls of Atures but common 
 there, and beyond, where it replaces G. rnficauda of the middle Orinoco. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill black; feet olive buff. 
 
 GALBULA RUFICAUDA Cuvier. 
 Galbula ruficauda Cuv., Regn. Anim. I. 1817 p. 420; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 P- 103- 
 
 The native name of this and the species preceding is Barranquero. 
 Common, found most abundantly near the borders of heavily 
 timbered regions throughout the territory of the middle Orinoco. 
 
 This species nests in holes in the ground usually in the banks of 
 streams. The excavation ordinarily slants slightly upward and is from 
 25 to loo cm. in depth. No nesting material is taken into the burrows. 
 From two to four dull white eggs are laid. 
 
 Eye dark seal brown ; bill black ; feet olive yellow, claws black. 
 
 PSILOPORNIS ALBIROSTRIS Latham. 
 Galbula albirostris Lath., Ind. Orn. I. 1790. p. 245 ; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 
 p. 104. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco. Recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert 
 from La Pricion, La Union and Nicare on the Caura River. 
 
 BRACK YGALBA LUGUBRIS (Swainson). 
 Galbula lugubris Swains., Anim. in Menag. 1838. p. 329. 
 Brachygalba lugubris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 104. 
 
 Not seen on the Orinoco. Recorded from Nicare and from La 
 Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 JACAMEROPS AUREUS (P. L. S. Miiller). 
 Alcedo aurea Mull., Syst. Nat. Supplement, 1776. p. 94. 
 Jacamerops aureus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 104. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record two specimens taken by Klages 
 at Suapure on the Caura River.
 
 326 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 ALCEDINIDAE THE KINGFISHERS. 
 
 Five species are included in Berlepsch and Hartert's paper, all 
 of which were observed on the Orinoco by the writer. These, like 
 the Jacamars, frequent the same general localities throughout the year. 
 
 The native names Matraqucro and Martin Pescador are applied 
 indifferently to any and all kingfishers found in the Orinoco region. 
 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF ALCEDINIDAE. 
 
 a. Breast and sides, including flanks, chestnut. 
 
 b. Middle of belly and crissum white (the smallest of the American 
 
 kingfishers) Chloroceryle aenea aenea. 
 
 b'. Center of breast and crissum chestnut, nearly uniform with sides. 
 
 c. Very large, wing more than 14 cm ; back slate blue, not iridescent . . Megaceryle torquata torquata. 
 - c' . Much smaller, wing less then 14 cm; back dark green, iridescent .. Chloroceryle inda. 
 a'. Sides and flanks not chestnut but with a broad chestnut band across 
 the breast in the males. 
 
 c. Innerwebsof tail-feathers spotted with white Chloroceryieamazona. 
 
 c'. Inner webs of tail-feathers white for basal half or more Chloroceryle americana ameri- 
 
 cana. 
 
 CHLOROCERYLE INDA (Linnaeus). 
 Alcedo inda L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 179. 
 Ceryle inda Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 104. 
 
 Observed at various points on the Orinoco above the mouth of 
 the Apure River. It is recorded from points on the Cattra River by 
 Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 CHLOROCERYLE AENEA AENEA Pallas. 
 Alcedo (aenea} Pallas, in Vroeg's Cat. Ois., Adumbr., 1764, i, no. 54 
 
 (Surinam). 
 Ceryle superciliosa Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 104. 
 
 Common all along the river; also recorded from points on the 
 Caura River. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill blackish ; feet dusky. 
 
 MEGACERYLE TORQUATA TORQUATA (Linnaeus). 
 Alcedo torquata L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 180. 
 
 Ceryle torquata Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 435 (Rio Apure) ; Berlepsch 
 
 & Hartert, p. 104. 
 
 Not observed at Bolivar. Common at Caicara and farther up the 
 river, as far as the first falls, at least. 
 
 Eye dark seal brown ; bill black, slate color at base of mandible and 
 at basal angle of maxilla; feet dusky plumbeous olive.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 327 
 
 In the neighborhood of Caicara there were several barrancas 
 (ravines) whose steep sides afforded nesting places for these king- 
 fishers. At such points they were found most frequently associating 
 in little colonies of four or five pairs. But at a point on the main 
 river (the Orinoco) some eight miles above Caicara, there is a high 
 sand bank facing the river. At this point there is a colony of about 
 one hundred and fifty pairs of these birds. The nest cavity is from 
 one to three metres back from the face of the bluff; the tunnel runs 
 horizontally straight back and is from 8 to 12 cm. in diameter. The 
 breeding season lasts from June to August. 
 
 CHLOROCERYLE AMAZON A (Latham). 
 Alcedo amazona Lath., Ind. Orn. I. 1790. p. 257. 
 Ceryle americana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 105. 
 
 Eye dark seal brown; bill and feet black. 
 
 Not uncommon. Noted at all points visited on the Orinoco and 
 recorded from the Caura. 
 
 CHLOROCERYLE AMERICANA AMERICANA (Gmelin). 
 Alcedo americana Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 451. 
 Ceryle americana Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 105. 
 
 Eye dark seal brown ; bill black ; feet dusky blackish. 
 
 Common at all points visited. 
 
 MOMOTIDAE THE MOTMOTS. 
 
 There are only two species known to me from our region. Both 
 were collected on the upper Orinoco beyond the second falls, and were 
 not observed below that point. 
 
 MOMOTUS MOMOTA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Ramphastos momota, L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 152. 
 Momotus momota Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 105. 
 
 Eye vermilion; bill black, smoke grey at base of mandible; feet 
 dark smoke grey. 
 
 Rare. One specimen taken on the upper river at Nericagua. 
 Probably not uncommon on the Caura River, as it was collected by 
 both Andre and Klages, and recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert from 
 Suapure, Nicare and La Pricion.
 
 328 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 MOMOTUS IGNOBILIS (Berlepsch). 
 
 Momotus brasiliensis ignobilis Berl., Journ. f. Orn. 1889. p. 306. 
 Momotus ignobilis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 106. 
 
 Rare. An immature male was shot at Mataban above the falls 
 of Maipures. 
 
 Eye vermilion ; bill black, smoke grey at base of mandible ; feet dark 
 smoke grey. 
 
 TROGONIDAE THE TROGONS. 
 
 The Trogons are but poorly represented in the Orinoco region, 
 two species only having been observed. 
 
 TROGON VIOLACEUS VIOLACEUS Gmelin. 
 
 Trogon violaceus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 404; Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 p. 1 06. 
 
 A single specimen identified by Berlepsch and Hartert (/. c.) was 
 collected at Munduapo February 23, 1899. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill above blackish, mandible and cutting edges of 
 maxilla slate grey; feet slate color. 
 
 TROGON STRIGILATUS STRIGILATUS Linnaeus. 
 
 Trogon strigilatus L. Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 167. 
 Trogon viridis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 106. 
 
 This species is not uncommon on the upper Orinoco from the 
 falls of Atures onward, and is met with, although rarely, on the middle 
 stretches of the river down as far, at least, as the mouth of the Caura 
 River. 
 
 In fresh specimens the eye is seal brown, eye-lids blue-grey; bill 
 whitish horn color; feet slate grey. 
 
 PSITTACIDAE THE MACAWS. PARROTS, PARAQUETS, 
 
 ETC. 
 
 The Berlepsch and Hartert paper listed seventeen species, twelve 
 of which number were observed and collected on the Orinoco proper by 
 the writer. The remaining five were recorded from points on the 
 Caura River, where Andre and Klages both made collections. Three 
 additional species are included in the present paper.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 
 KEY TO THE GENERA, SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF PSITTACIDAE. 
 
 329 
 
 a . Forehead and more or less of the sides of face naked , 
 a'. Forehead feathered. 
 
 b. Lores and region about eye almost entirely naked (feathers if present 
 
 arranged in narrow lines). 
 c. Cheeks (at base of mandible) naked. 
 
 d. Lines of feathers extending from the lores below the eyes across 
 
 the face. 
 e. Bill black. 
 
 /. General color of under parts green 
 
 /'. General color of under parts yellow 
 
 e'. Maxilla white (except black triangle at base of cutting edge); 
 
 general color of body red 
 
 d'. Without lines of feathers extending across the face 
 
 c.'. Cheeks feathered 
 
 V. Loral region at least partly feathered. 
 
 c. Tail long and much graduated (the central pair of rectrices always 
 
 longest). ' 
 d. Breast with transverse bars or scale-like appearance. 
 
 e . Primary coverts red with yellowish tips 
 
 e'. Primary coverts blue like the primaries 
 
 d'. Breast without transverse bars or scale-like appearance. 
 
 e. Inner webs of tail feathers (except intermediae) reddish, and 
 
 under parts uniform green 
 
 '. Inner webs of tail feathers not reddish. 
 
 /. Under parts not uniform. Lower breast and belly washed 
 
 with orange ochraceous 
 
 /'. Under parts uniform green (no orange wash) 
 
 c'. Tail not long and much graduated. 
 
 d. Tips of tail-feathers sharply tapering, not rounded. 
 
 e. Nostrils opening in the middle of a naked cere, bill slightly 
 compressed at base. 
 
 /. Primary coverts orange red 
 
 f. Primary coverts blue or bluish edged with green. 
 
 g. Head black 
 
 g'. Head green (paler than back) 
 
 e'. Nostrils opening at the base of the cere and bill slightly ex- 
 panded (not compressed) at base. 
 
 /.' Axillaries and under wing coverts green, not blue or purple. 
 
 g. Inner webs of quills underneath greenish; feet pale 
 
 brownish 
 
 g'. Innerwebsof quills underneath with tingeof bluish green; 
 
 feet dusky brownish 
 
 /'. Axillaries and under wing coverts not all green. 
 
 g. Rump deep blue 
 
 g'. Rump bright green (brighter than back) 
 
 d'. Tips of tail-feathers rounded. 
 
 e. General color of under-parts from throat to crissum green. 
 /. Wing with a red or orange red speculum. 
 
 g. No red color on the tail, no yellow on the head 
 
 g'. Tail partly red or orange, especially at base. 
 
 h. Head partly blue, pileum tinged with blue and lores 
 
 blue 
 
 h'. Head without any blue, crown yellow, lores whitish .... 
 /'. Without red or orange red speculum; forehead red, lower 
 
 back and rump red 
 
 e'. General color of under-parts including throat not green. 
 /. Throat blue or yellow. 
 
 g . Entire head, throat and breast blue 
 
 e.' . Entire top of head black, throat yellow 
 
 /'. Throat and general color of under-parts reddish purple. . . . 
 
 Gypopsitla vullurina. 
 
 Ara severe. 
 Ara ararauna. 
 
 Ara chloroplera. 
 Ara macao. 
 Diopsittaca hahni. 
 
 Pyrrhura melanura. 
 Pyrrhura picta picta. 
 
 nga haemorr 
 
 Aratinga chrysophrys. 
 Aralingaleucophthalmus. 
 
 Brologeris chrysopterus. 
 
 Eucinetus caica. 
 Brotogeris devillei. 
 
 9 Psittacula guianensis I'iri 
 dissima. 
 
 9 Psittacula modesta modes la. 
 
 <? Psittacula modesta modesta. 
 tfPsittacula guianensis firt 
 dissima. 
 
 Amazona inornata. 
 
 Amazona amazonica. 
 Amazona ochrocephala. 
 
 A mazona bodini. 
 
 Pionus menstruus. 
 Pionites melanocephala. 
 Pionut fuscus. 
 
 ARA MACAO (Linnaeus). 
 
 Psittacus macao L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1758. p. 96. 
 Ara macao Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 107. 
 
 Native name Guacamayo. Not uncommon, but very wary. 
 
 Eye straw-yellow; bill above horny white with tip slate and angle 
 at base black, below black, bare skin about head dead flesh white ; feet 
 slate blackish.
 
 33O BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 This species was observed at all points visited from the delta 
 region up, as far as I extended my explorations. Like most, if not 
 all, of the species belonging to this family, its presence in any par- 
 ticular locality depends largely on the ripening of the fruits on which 
 it feeds. 
 
 ARA CHILOROPTERA G. R. Gray. 1 
 
 Ara chloroptera G. R. Gray, List Psit. Brit. Mus. (1859) p. 26. 
 Native name Carapaico. Less frequently seen than the preceding 
 species. An adult male and an adult female were taken at Caicara 
 May 23, 1905, and others taken in 1907. Like the preceding species 
 they usually go in pairs. Not noted on my first expedition to the 
 Orinoco. 
 
 ARA ARARAUNA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Psittacus Ararauna Linnaeus, Syst. Nat, ed 10; 1758: p. 96 (Brazil). 
 Ara ararauna Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913: p. 196 (Guinipa). 
 Recorded from Guinipa Village by Stone. 
 
 ARA SEVERA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Psittacus severus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1758. p. 97. 
 Ara severa Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 107. 
 
 Native name Maracano. During the season for ripe mangoes 
 about Caicara, from April to June, this species is abundant, associated 
 in small flocks of from five or six to twenty individuals. At this 
 season they are extremely fat and many are shot for food by the 
 natives. 
 
 Eye chrome yellow, bare skin about eye chalk white ; bill black ; feet 
 blackish slate. 
 
 DIOPSITTACA HAHNI (Souance). 
 Psittacara hahni Souance, Rev. Zool. 1856. p. 58. 
 Ara hahni Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 107. 
 
 Diopsittaca hahni Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Coc. Wash. XXV: 1912: p. 99. 
 Not observed on the Orinoco. Recorded by Berlepsch and Har- 
 tert from Suapure on the Caura River. 
 
 "Why should not this be Ara brasiliensis Brisson, Orn. IV. 1760. p. 184. pi. XIX f.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 331 
 
 ARATINGA LEUCOPHTHALMUS (P. L. S. Miiller). 
 Psittacus leucophthalmus P. L. S. Miiller, Syst. Nat., Suppl. 1776: p. 75 
 
 (Guiana). 
 Aratinga leucophthalmus Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913 : p. 196 
 
 (Buelte Triste, Manimo Riv.). 
 
 Recorded from the delta country by Stone. 
 
 ARATINGA HAEMORRHOA Spix. 
 
 Aratinge haemorrhoa Spix, Av. Bras. I. 1824. p. 29. PI. xiii. 
 Conurus haemorrhous Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 107. 
 
 Abundant about Ciudad Bolivar during April, less common at 
 Caicara. Flocks of from two to thirty or forty were frequenting 
 trees of ripe mangoes. 
 
 Eye and eye-lid orange yellow, bare skin about eye yellowish 
 white; maxilla vinaceous cinnamon, slaty at the extreme tip, mandible 
 slate color; feet buffy yellow. There is considerable variation in 
 the color of the bill; in some it is vinaceous cinnamon above with the 
 extreme tip and mandible blackish slate ; in others the mandible is 
 whitish horn color, slaty at the tip. Many of these, as in the pre- 
 ceding case, are killed for food. 
 
 ARATINGA CHRYSOPHRYS (Swainson). 
 Conurus chrysophrys Swainson, Two Cent, and a Quart, of Birds (in 
 
 Anim. in Menag. pt. Ill: 1838: p. 320, No. 120) (Guiana). 
 Conurus aeruginosus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 107. 
 
 Native name Cara-Sucia. Common. 
 
 Eye yellow, bill grey, feet slate grey. 
 
 This species associates in large flocks, except for a short time 
 during the breeding season. It is the most abundant parrot found along 
 the Orinoco. Tame, very often seen about the native houses. 
 
 Chapman (MS.) has pointed out that the proper name for this bird 
 is as given above. 
 
 PYRRHURA MELANURA (Spix). 
 Aratinga melanurus Spix, Av. Bras. I: (1824) p. 36. 
 
 Miller collected a series at Boca de Sina, Cunucunuma River 
 (Upper Orinoco) now in the American Museum collection. 
 
 PYRRHURA PICTA PICTA (P. L. S. Miiller). 
 Psittacus pictus Mull., Syst. Nat. Supplement, 1776. p. 75. 
 Pyrrhura picta Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 108.
 
 332 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Pyrrhura picta picta Hellmayr Novit. Zool. XIV: 1907: 37 (Caura 
 
 River). 
 
 Not noted by the writer, but Klages collected specimens at 
 Suapure and at La Pricion that are recorded by Berlepsch and 
 Hartert and there is a fine series in the American Museum collection 
 from La Union, Caura River. 
 
 PSITTACULA MODESTA MODESTA Cabanis. 
 Psittacula modesta Cab., in Schomb. Reis. Guian. iii. p. 727, 1848 (Brit. 
 
 Guiana). 
 Psittacula sclateri Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 108. 
 
 Not noted on the Orinoco. Berlepsch and Hartert record a 
 specimen collected by Andre at La Union on the Caura River. 
 
 PSITTACULA GUIANENSIS VIRIDISSIMA Lafresnaye. 
 Psittacula viridi-ssima Lafresnaye, Rev. Zool. 1848. p. 172 (Caracas). 
 Psittacula guianensis Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. p. 108. 
 P. guianensis viridissima Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIV. 1907. p. 
 
 88 (Orinoco points Altagracia, Ciudad Bolivar). 
 
 Native name Espanolito. Common, usually associating in flocks of 
 from ten to forty or fifty birds. 
 
 Eye dark raw umber; bill greyish white; feet whitish. 
 
 A nest of this species was found at Quiribana de Caicara, April 
 26, 1898. It was at the bottom of a hollow in an old stump, about 
 four metres from the ground. The eggs were about 60 cm. down 
 from opening to the nest cavity. No nesting materials had been used 
 and the eggs rested on the bits of decayed wood at the bottom. The 
 nest had contained seven eggs but two had already hatched and all 
 were at the point of hatching. Both parent birds were seen, but flew 
 away and did not return near the nest until long after I had left the 
 nest tree. 
 
 BROTOGERIS CHRYSOPTERUS (Linn.). 
 Psittacus chrysopterus Linn., Syst. Nat. I: 1766: p. 149. 
 
 Two specimens from La Union, Caura River in American Museum 
 collection. 
 
 BROTOGERIS DEVILLEI Salvadori. 
 
 Brotogerys devillei Salvad., Cat. Birds, Brit. Mus. XX. 1891. p. 259; 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 109.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 333 
 
 In the region about the falls of Maipures and beyond, this was 
 a common species. Not noted, however, below the rapids. 
 
 AMAZONA INORNATA (Salvadori). 
 
 Chrysotis inornata Salvad., Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XX. 1891. p. 281. 
 Amasona inornata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 109. 
 
 Native name Sarambo. Not common and only observed in the 
 neighborhood of Munduapo on the upper river. 
 
 The colors taken from fresh birds are : eye orange yellow, bare 
 skin around the eye pale greyish white; bill, above dusky slate along 
 ridge of oilmen and for the apical one-third, angle at rictus and base 
 dusky wax yellow, below dusky yellowish grey, skin above the nostrils 
 black ; feet plumbeous pea green. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record also specimens collected by Andre 
 at Nicare on the Caura River. 
 
 AMAZONA OCHROCEPHALA (Gmelin). 
 
 Psittacus ochrocephalus Gm. Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 339. . 
 Amasona ochrocephala Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 109. 
 
 Common. Native name Loro Real 
 
 Iris orange chrome, with an inner ring of dark buff; bill blackish, 
 horny white toward the base; feet dusky slate color. 
 
 This is the species most sought after as a cage bird (although 
 almost never caged) by the natives, and there is scarcely a house in 
 the country districts where one or more is not to be seen. Except 
 during the breeding season, parrots of this species associate in large 
 flocks (often two or three hundred birds together), which seem to be 
 made up of pairs of adult birds which keep close to one another, and of 
 immature birds not yet mated. The nesting season begins at the end 
 of March and continues to the end of May. 
 
 AMAZONA BODINI (Finsch). 
 
 Chrysotis bodini Finsch, P. Z. S. 1873. p. 569. PI. 49. 
 Amasona bodini Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 109. 
 
 Native name Tagua or Loro gor<o Colorado. During my first 
 expedition on the Orinoco I found this species abundant along the 
 middle stretches of the river, especially about Altagracia and Caicara. 
 None were seen on the two more recent trips.
 
 334 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Eye orange chrome : bill dusky ; feet slate grey. 
 
 A great many parrots of this and the preceding species, both of 
 which congregate in great flocks, are killed for their flesh. Except 
 during the breeding season, they are very fat and make a most 
 acceptable addition to one's bill of fare. 
 
 The status of this species prior to the series I secured in 1897 
 and 1898, was in doubt. 
 
 AMAZONA AMAZONICA (Linnaeus). 
 Psittacus amazonicus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 147. 
 Amasona amasonica Berlepsch & Hartert, p. no. 
 
 Native name Cotorra. Rare, one specimen taken at Quiribana de 
 Caicara in April, 1898. 
 
 Eye orange yellow; maxilla blackish, mandible yellowish horn color 
 with dusky tip;. feet dusky olive plumbeous. 
 
 PIONUS Fuscus (P. L. S. Miiller). 
 
 Psittacus fuscus Mull., Syst. Nat. Supplement, 1776. p. 78. 
 Pionus fuscus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. no. 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco. Berlepsch and Hartert record a 
 specimen that was collected by Klages in the "Mountains west of 
 Suapure" (Caura River). 
 
 The American Museum contains a specimen from El Llagual 
 (Caura). 
 
 PIONUS MENSTRUUS (Linnaeus). 
 
 Psittacus menstruus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 148. 
 Pionus menstruus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. no. 
 
 Native name Catanito. Not uncommon. Observed only on the 
 upper river. 
 
 Three young were taken on the I3th of March. The nest was a 
 hole in a tree, a natural cavity, about 6.10 m. from the ground. The 
 cavity was about 60 cm. deep, and no lining or nesting material of 
 any kind had been taken in. The oldest of the three young had the 
 body nearly as large as that of the parent, but almost naked. Judging 
 by the size of the three young, there must have been at least four or 
 five days between the hatching of the oldest and of the youngest. 
 
 Adults in life have the eye seal brown, bare skin about eye bluish
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 335 
 
 slate color; bill blackish above with reddish spot near the basal cutting 
 edge, mandible dusky horn color ; feet dusky olive greyish. 
 
 Recorded also from Suapure and from Nicare on the Caura 
 River by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 PIONITES MELANOCEPHALA (Linnaeus). 
 Psittacus melanocephalus L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 1766. p. 149. 
 Pionites melanoccphala Berlepsch & Hartert, p. no. 
 
 Native name Calzoncito. Not common. Observed only on the 
 upper river, about Munduapo and Nericagua. 
 
 Eye orange yellow ; bill slate color ; feet dusky blackish slate. 
 
 Collected on the Caura River, also by both Andre and Klages 
 (Berlepsch and Hartert). 
 
 EUCINETUS CAICA (Latham). 
 Psittacus caicus Latham, Ind. Orn. i: (1790) : p. 128 ("Cayana"). 
 
 The American Museum collection contains two specimens from La 
 Union, Caura River. 
 
 GYPOPSITTA VULTURINA (Kuhl). 
 Psittacus vulturinus Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. 1820. p. 62. 
 Gypopsitta vulturina Berlepsch & Hartert, p. no. 
 
 Xot observed on the Orinoco. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record specimens from Suapure and from 
 La P-ricion on the Caura. 
 
 CATHARTIDAE THE AMERICAN VULTURES. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert list only a single species sent by the writer 
 from Caicara. Field work and a study of the larger series of specimens 
 in this museum, together with material from the American Museum of 
 Natural History and from the U. S. National Museum, has convinced 
 the writer that there are at least two, and possibly a third species of 
 Cathartes found along the shores of the Orinoco. I have not had access, 
 however, to sufficient authentic material, material with reliable data, 
 to work out the relationship to my own satisfaction. I brought back 
 with me eleven specimens, representing two quite distinct and well . 
 marked species, both of which are resident in the region under con- 
 sideration and are distinguished by the native Venezuelans who call 
 them respectively Zamuro Oripopo de Cabeza Colorado and Zamuro
 
 336 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Oripopo de Cabesa Amarilla. Of these, the one having the "Cabesa 
 Colorado" (red head) is much the more common and is probably the 
 Qinops pernigra of Sharpe (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. I, 1874, p. 26). The 
 synonomy of the South American vultures of the genus Catharies is in 
 some confusion and while I have neither the specimens nor the nec- 
 essary library facilities to elucidate the tangle, I hope by the descrip- 
 tions and careful field notes that follow to make at least two of the 
 species found in northern South America recognizable. Mr. E. \Y. 
 Nelson did most excellent service determining the status of C. burro- 
 vianus 1 and by so doing eliminating it from the South American 
 vultures, at least from those found on the Orinoco where there is a race 
 which it resembles in size but not in other characters. 
 
 In life the two forms found on the Orinoco are distinguishable 
 at a glance, one appearing much larger and heavier than the other, 
 although the wing and tail measurements are practically the same, as 
 will be noted in the tables of measurements given under the'species, 
 and the head in the case of the larger appearing pink or reddish, while 
 that of the smaller is decidedly yellow. 
 
 CATHARTES PERNIGRA (Sharpe). 
 
 CEnops pernigra Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. I. 1874. p. 26. 
 Cathartes aura pernigra Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884. p. 437 (Angostura). 
 Cathartes burrovianus Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX: 1902. p. in 
 
 (in part). 
 
 Native name Zamuro Oripopo de Cabesa Colorado. 
 
 This, the commoner of the two Cathartes seen on the Orinoco, was 
 observed at every point visited from Barrancas in the Delta region to 
 above the falls of Atures and Maipures. Occasionally one or two 
 vultures of this species will be seen feeding on some carcass in company 
 with a crowd of Black Vultures. They are seen only in pairs or singly, 
 and I do not remember ever having seen one perched on the roof of a 
 house, as is the custom with the Black Vultures. 
 
 My field' notes for an adult male of this species, (No. 10486 Cherrie 
 Collection) taken at Caicara River, Orinoco, March 14, 1898, notes 
 written while the bird was perfectly fresh, and before being skinned, are 
 as follows: 
 
 Eye golden brown ; bill horn white ; bare skin on head and neck pansy 
 
 iProc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XVIII. 1905. pp. 122-125.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 337 
 
 purple, except occiput and back of neck which are primrose yellow, the 
 line between the two colors being abrupt and sharply drawn ; feet pansy 
 purple. 
 
 There is some slight variation in the shade and intensity of color- 
 ing but the above represents the average coloring of the head in this 
 species. There is no appreciable difference in coloring between the 
 male and the female and the table of jneasurements indicates that 
 they are about equal in size. The plumage is black, in freshly 
 moulted specimens strongly washed with purplish (or steel blue) 
 and greenish bronze, the former predominating. As the feathers 
 grow old they bleach to a brownish shade, lightest along the edges 
 and at tip, but the light colored edges of the feathers never become 
 prominent as in the Turkey Vulture (C. aura septentrionalis} . Below, 
 on breast and belly, the bronzy greenish sheen is more pronounced. 
 The color of the shafts of the primaries below is white or yellowish 
 white; above it varies from a seal brown to the yellowish white of 
 old ivory, depending entirely on the age of the feather, freshly moulted 
 quills being seal brown. The skin of the head and neck is mostly 
 smooth, being transversely wrinkled on the nape and upper part of 
 back of neck only. The feathering does not ascend further on the 
 back of the neck than it does on the sides there is no ruff. On the 
 lores there is a patch of short bristly black hairs, four or five spring- 
 ing from each papilla, a few about the auricular orifice and on the 
 side of the face below the eye, while they are sparsely scattered over 
 the throat and under side of the neck. In cabinet skins the tips of 
 the wings rarely reach to the end of the tail. Following is a list of 
 specimens examined, with measurements : 
 
 W T Ts 
 
 131946 U. S. N. M. Mashapee Br. Guiana, Apr., 1892, 495 270 60 
 
 1 3 1 947 " Araby " " June, 1891, 495 270 60 
 $ 5204' B. I. M. Agua Salada de Apr., 1907, G. K. Cherrie 
 
 Bolivar, Venez. 1441 1 52O 270 62 
 
 $ 5212 " Caicara, River Ori- July, 1907, G. K. Cherrie 
 
 noco, Venez. 15047 5> 260 61 
 
 9 5210 " Caicara, River Ori- June, 1907, G. K. Cherrie 
 
 noco, Venez. 15075 495 260 58 
 
 $ 5209 " Caicara, River Ori- June, 1007, G. K. Cherrie 
 
 noco, Venez. 14942 495 265 60 
 
 $ 3751 " Caicara, River Ori- June, 1905, G. K. Cherrie 
 
 noco, Venez. 13794 495 280 60 
 
 "Crown patch, nape and back of neck cream yellow.
 
 338 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 2 5208 B. I. M. Caicara, River Ori- June, 1907, G. K. Cherrie 
 
 noco, Venez. 14921 490 260 59 
 
 ? 5206' Caicara, River Ori- Apr., 1907, G. K. Cherrie 
 
 noco, Venez. 14559 493 265 60 
 
 $ 5205 Caicara, River Ori- Apr., 1907, G. K. Cherrie 
 
 noco, Venez. 14539 495 260 60 
 
 c? 5211 " Caicara, River Ori- June, 1907, G. K. Cherrie 
 
 noco, Venez. 15000 490 268 60 
 
 CATHARTES URUBITINGA Pelzeln. 
 
 Cathartes urubitinga Pelz., Sitz. Akad. Wien. XLIV. p. 7 (1861, ex 
 Natt. M. S.); Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884. p. 437 (Angostura). 
 
 Cathartes burrovianus Berlepsch & Hartert, Novit. Zool. IX. 1902. 
 
 p. in (in part). 
 
 This, the Zamuro Oripopo de Cabeza Aniarilla of the Venezue- 
 lans along the Orinoco, is much less common than C. pernigra. Its 
 habits so far as I have observed are identical with those of the pre- 
 ceding species and the Turkey Vulture of the United States. Below 
 Altagracia on the Orinoco, no specimens were secured and the species 
 was not observed; but Berlepsch (/. c.) has recorded a specimen from 
 Ciudad Bolivar ("Angostura") and a specimen from the U. S. National 
 Museum collection, collected at Georgetown, British Guiana, indicates 
 that its distribution includes the hot coast region as well as the interior 
 savanna districts. 
 
 The accompanying sketch of the head of the adult female taken 
 at Caicara, River Orinoco, Venezuela, August 9, 1898, (No. 11099 
 Cherrie Collection 2 ), reproduced from my field notes, will serve to 
 indicate the distribution of color on the head better than any mere 
 written description. The sketch of the head of an adult male (No. 
 14666 Cherrie Collection) taken at Caicara, May 6, 1907, is also repro- 
 duced from my field notes and shows a somewhat different pattern 
 of coloration, but whether the difference shown would be constant in 
 a series I am unable to say. 
 
 The plumage is blackish above, heavily washed with purplish 
 steel blue and a dark greenish bronze, more or less iridescent the 
 greenish bronze shading predominating; below, the general color 
 
 J In old, much worn plumage, the difference in color between the quills freshly moulted and those 
 old and much worn is very striking. The cream-colored crown patch and nape so prominent in other 
 examples is very pale. . 
 
 Specimen sent to the Rothschild Museum, Tring. England. 
 
 On his departure for South America, Mr. Cherrie left no sketches with the galley proof, so the 
 bulletin must go to press without them. Ed.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 339 
 
 effect is brownish black, but when looked at closely there is seen to 
 be a strong wash of dusky greenish bronze over all. There i-s no ruff 
 about the neck; the bare part of which is much shorter than in 
 pernigra or aura, and the feathering extends well up on the back 
 almost to the nape. .The character most distinctive about the head is 
 probably the fleshy caruncles sparsely scattered along the sides of the 
 neck and (at least in adults) across the nape. In skins of this species 
 which I have examined, the tips of the folded wings extend beyond 
 the tip of the tail while in C. pernigra the tips of the wings rarely 
 reach to the end of the tail. Pei/.eln's description of this vulture is 
 full and clear and requires no modification except in regard to the 
 color of the shafts of the primaries which are said to be white both 
 above and below ("scapis remigum primariarum supra et subtus 
 albis") ; I have found the color of the upper side of the shafts of the 
 primaries to depend entirely on the age of the feather. Freshly 
 moulted primaries have the shaft dark rich seal brown in color, but 
 with exposure this color rapidly fades to an ivory white ; in the same 
 way the webs of the primaries become more bronzy brown in hue, 
 the steel blue or purplish sheen of the freshly moulted feathers rapidly 
 fading. The under sides of the shafts of the primaries are white in 
 every stage, but in some of the older quills they become a dirty 
 yellowish white. Only four specimens were available for comparison, 
 
 the measurements of which are given below. 
 
 W T Ts 
 
 c? 3750 B I. M. San Mateo de Cai- May, 1905, G. K. Cherrie 480 228 58 
 cara, River Ori- 
 noco, Venez. 
 
 d 1 5207 " Caicara, River Ori- May, 1907, G. K. Cherrie 464 218 58 
 
 noco, Venez. 
 
 $ 131945 U. S. N. M. Georgetown, July, 1891, 474 235 56 
 
 British Guiana, 
 34984 Brazil, Natterer 470 230 56 
 
 GYPAGUS PAPA (Linnaeus). 
 Vultur papa Linn., Syst. Nat., I, p. 86, 1758 (Brazil). 
 
 Native name Rey de Zamuro. Noted everywhere along the Ori- 
 noco and while not common, it could not be classed as rare. Speci- 
 mens were collected at Caicara. 
 
 CATHARISTA URUBU BRASILIENSIS (Bonaparte). 
 Cathartcs brasiliensis Bonap., Consp. Av. I, 1850, p. 59. 
 Cathartes atratus Berlepsch, Ibis 1884; p. 438 (Angostura).
 
 340 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Native name Zamuro. Abundant everywhere, especially about 
 the towns and villages, where, walking- about the streets and perched 
 on the house tops, they are characteristic of every landscape. 
 
 FALCONIDAE THE HAWKS. 
 
 Eighteen of the twenty-one species recorded in the Berlepsch and 
 Hartert paper were collected by the writer on the Orinoco. The other 
 three species were recorded from points on the Caura River. 
 
 POLYBORUS CHERIWAY (Jacquin). 
 Falco che'riway Jacq., Beitr. 1784. p. 17. PI. 4. 
 Polyborus auduboni Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 437 (Angostura). 
 Polyborus cheriway Berlepsch & Hartert, p. in. 
 
 Native name Caricari. Common. There is much variation in the 
 color of the skin on the sides of the head, of the feet and of the bill. 
 An adult female taken at Altagracia, January 31, had the iris cinna- 
 mon; bill plumbeous whitish at the tip; bare skin about face pinkish 
 white; feet whitish. A male, taken at Caicara July 4th, had the eye 
 cinnamon; bill plumbeous whitish along the cutting edges; bare skin on 
 face and cere grayish white ; feet grayish. 
 
 Birds of this species are usually seen in pairs. In company with 
 black vultures, they occasionally feed on carrion, but more frequently 
 they are seen hunting through the grass on the savannas, where they 
 capture small lizar&s and many insects. I have been told by natives 
 that many snakes are killed and eaten by these birds. They show 
 much intelligence in searching the sandy beaches for eggs of the com- 
 mon river turtle. I have seen on many occasions a pair apparently fol- 
 lowing on the trail left by a female turtle as she crawled up over the 
 beach in search of a spot where she might deposit her eggs. The birds 
 would often stop and scratch and probe about in the sand with the bill 
 and not infrequently their search was awarded by finding the coveted 
 eggs. Again I have seen a pair stationed by a nest from which young 
 turtles were just emerging to fall victims to the greed of the Caracara. 
 Also I have observed them hanging about a nest of the crocodile where 
 young crocodiles were angrily flopping themselves free from the confin- 
 ing shell and snapping viciously at anything and everything in sight. 
 That the Caracara actually feeds on the young crocodile I cannot say, 
 but that he is present for any disinterested purpose is extremely doubtful. 
 
 In the neighborhood of Caicara the Caracara nests in May. The 
 nest is placed in low Guaramal scrub oak trees that are found in 
 clusters dotting the savannas.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 34! 
 
 ATER (Vieillot). 
 
 Daptrius ater Vieill., Analyse, 1816. pp. 22, 68. 
 Ibycter ater Berlepsch & Hartert, p. in. 
 
 Not observed by the writer, but Beebe collected a specimen at 
 Guanoco in the Orinoco delta. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record specimens from Temblador and from 
 Nicare (Caura River). 
 
 IBYCTER AMERICANUS (Boddaert). 
 Falco americanus Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 25. 
 Ibycter americanus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 112. 
 
 Not uncommon about the rapids of Atures, and at Maipures. 
 
 Colors from fresh birds are : eye carmine ; bill straw yellow ; cere, 
 bare loral region and sides of lower jaw back as far as the rictus, 
 plumbeous; bare skin around eye, cheeks and throat vermilion: feet 
 vermilion. 
 
 MlLVAGO CHIMACHIMA (Vieillot). 
 
 Polyborus chimachima Vieill., Nouv. Diet. V. 1816. p. 259. 
 
 Milvayo chimachima Berlepsch. Ibis. 1884. p. 437 (Angostura) ; 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 112. 
 
 Native name "Chiriquari" (Chee-ree-qua-ree) or Garapatera. Not 
 uncommon. An examination of the stomachs of several indicated that 
 this species feeds largely on beetles and other insects, but is not averse 
 to a diet of small fish ( !) and large ticks such as infest cattle are greedily 
 eaten. This hawk is not infrequently seen perched on the backs of 
 cattle. 
 
 There is considerable variation in the colors of the fleshy parts 
 about the head, due to age, sex and season. In nuptial plumage the 
 colors seem to be : eye dark mummy brown ; bare skin about eye chrome 
 yellow, blending into a sulphur yellow at base of maxilla and mandible; 
 bill very pale blue; feet pea green. 
 
 ACCIPITER BICOLOR BicoLOR (Vieillot). 
 Sparzrius bicolor Vieill., Nouv. Diet. X. 1817. p. 325. 
 Cooperastur bicolor Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 112. 
 Accipiter bicolor bicolor Hellmayr, Novit. Zool. XIII. 1906. p. 382 
 
 (Caicara, Orinoco River). 
 
 Not common. Noted at Altagracia, Caicara and Quirbana de 
 Caicara in the thinly wooded savanna regions back from the river. 
 Hawks of this species were usually seen hunting in pairs.
 
 342 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Colors from fresh birds are (adult male taken August n, 1898): 
 eye orange ; bare skin immediately surrounding eye chrome yellow ; 
 bill black, slate color at base of mandible ; cere, lores and remaining bare 
 skin on sides of face greenish sulphur yellow ; feet yellowish olive yellow. 
 
 ACCIPITER TINUS (Latham). 
 Falco tinus Lath., Ind. Orn. I. 1790. p. 50. 
 
 Accipiter tinus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 114 (La Pricion, Caura River). 
 
 Not observed on the Orinoco. Berlepsch and Hartert record an 
 
 immature female collected by Andre at La Pricion on the Caura River. 
 
 RUPORNIS MAGNIROSTRIS (Gmelin). 
 Falco magnirostris Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 282. 
 Asturina magnirostris Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884. p. 436 (Riv. Apures). 
 Rupornis magnirostris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 112. 
 
 While this is the most abundant of the hawks along the middle Ori- 
 noco, I did not learn of any vernacular name other than the generic 
 term Gavilan (hawk). 
 
 Eye deep chrome yellow; bare skin about eye, lemon yellow; bill 
 black, an olive slate color at base ; cere orange ; feet deep chrome yellow. 
 
 A nest with set of two eggs was found at Caicara, May loth, 1907. 
 The nest was located in the top of a Chaparo tree near the border of a 
 large tract of heavy timber. It was in -the extreme top of the tree about 
 6.10 m. from the ground, a bulky structure built up of coarse dry sticks 
 placed between upright forks. Across the top it measured 45.7 cm. in 
 diameter and the depth was 35.5 cm. There was only a slight hollow 
 at the centre of the top where a lining of dry leaves formed a bed for 
 the two eggs. Incubation was far advanced. One egg was accidentally 
 broken in getting down from the tree, the other egg is almost oval in 
 shape and measures 37.5 x 43.5 mm. In color it is white, irregularly 
 blotched with pale ferruginous brownish. 
 
 The parent birds were both seen but were wary and did not ap- 
 proach within range. 
 
 PARABUTEO UNICINCTUS (Temminck). 
 
 Falco unicinctus Temm., PI. Col. I, pi. 313, 1824 ("Bresil"). 
 Antenor unicintus Berlepsch, Ibis 1884: p. 436 (Angostura). 
 
 Berlepsch (/. c.} has recorded a specimen from Angostura (Ciu- 
 dad Bolivar).
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 343 
 
 URUBITINGA URUBITINGA (Gmelin). 
 Falco urubitinga Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 265. 
 Urubitinga zonura Berlepsch, Ibis 1884. p. 436 (Angostura). 
 Urubitinga urubitinga Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 113. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill black, slate color at base ; cere and at corners of 
 the mouth chrome yellow ; lores and bare skin about eye sulphur yellow ; 
 feet chrome yellow. 
 
 Common, noted at all points visited along the river. On two 
 occasions I caught birds of this species feeding on eggs of the Hoatzin 
 ( Opisthocomus hoasin ) . 
 
 URUBITINGA ANTHRACINA (Nitzsch). 
 Falco anthracina Nitzsch, Syst. Pteryl. 1840: p. 83 (Mexico). 
 
 Urubitinga anthracina Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913: p. 195, 
 (La Pedrita, Rio Uracoa). 
 Stone records it from the delta country. 
 
 HETEROSPIZIAS MERIDIONALIS (Latham). 
 Falco meridionalis Lath., Ind. Orn. I. 1790. p. 36. 
 Heterospizias meridionalis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 113. 
 
 Native name Pita Venado. Not uncommon in thinly wooded savan- 
 na regions. 
 
 Eye golden brown ; bill black, blackish at base ; cere chrome yellow ; 
 feet chrome yellow. 
 
 This species is thoroughly detested by the hunter who may be 
 bent on bagging venison, for his game is very frequently startled by 
 the alarm notes of this hawk, which perched on the topmost branch 
 of some tall tree is sure to note the skulking form of the hunter and 
 instantly sound an alarm understood by all the woods people. 
 
 TACHYTRIORCHIS ALBICAUDATUS EXIGUUS Chapman. 
 Tachytriorchis albicaudatus exiguus Chapman, Bull. Am. Nat. Hist. 
 XXXIV: 1915: 637 (Type ex Barrigon, Rio Meta, Colombia). 
 Chapman records a specimen from Maripa, Venezuela. 
 
 BUSARELLUS NiGRicoLLis (Latham). 
 Falco nigricollis Lath., Ind. Orn. I. 1790. p. 35. 
 Busarellus nigricollis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 113.
 
 344 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Native name Gavildn Colorado. Common along the wooded banks 
 of streams and ponds throughout the middle Orinoco region. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill black, blackish slate at base ; cere blackish slate ; 
 corners of the mouth plumbeous ; feet greyish white. 
 
 BUTEOGALLUS AEQUiNocTiALis (Gmelin). 
 
 Falco aequinoctialis Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I: 1788: 265 (Cayenne). 
 Bwteogallus aequinoctialis Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913 : p. 195 
 
 (Pedernales). 
 
 Recorded from the delta region by Stone. 
 
 ASTURINA NITIDA (Latham). 
 Falco nitida Lath., Ind. Orn. I. 1790. p. 41. 
 Asturina nitida Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 113. 
 
 Rare, not met with on either my first or second expedition, but 
 a fine adult male was collected at Caicara on April 30, 1907. 
 
 Eye vandyke brown; bill black, slate at base of mandible; cere and 
 bare skin about gape chrome yellow ; feet chrome yellow ; claws black. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert recorded a single specimen from Suapure 
 on the Caura River. 
 
 MICRASTUR BRACHYPTERUS (Temminck). 
 
 Falco brachypterus Temm., Rec. PI. col. tab. 116, 141 (1822). 
 M icrastur semitorquatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 113. 
 
 Not common. In 1898 two specimens were taken at Caicara. an 
 adult male in April and an immature female in July. In July. 1907. 
 an adult female was collected at the same point. The stomach in 
 each case contained remains of small lizards. 
 
 Colors from fresh birds ; eye seal brown ; bill black, base of mandible 
 yellowish oil green; feet deep chrome yellow, with an olive wash, espe- 
 cially on the toes. 
 
 CIRCUS BUFFONI (Gmelin). 
 
 Falco Buffoni Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I: 1788: p. 277 (Cayenne). 
 Circus buffoni Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913: 194. (La Pedrita, 
 
 Rio Uracoa). 
 
 Recorded from the delta region by Stone.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 345 
 
 GERANOSPIZIAS CAERULESCENS (Vieillot). 
 Sparvius caerulescens Vieill., Nouv. Diet. X. 1817. p. 318. 
 Geranospisias caerulescens Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 114. 
 
 Twice observed at Altagracia ; once at Capuchin (nearly opposite 
 the mouth of the Apure River), and once at Caicara. The colors of 
 an immature female taken at Altagracia, November 15, 1897, were: 
 eye chocolate brown with a light outer ring; bill black; cere black; feet 
 bright cadmium orange, claws black. Adult female, Capuchin, August 21, 
 1898, eye carmine; bill black plumbeous at base of mandible; cere black; 
 feet scarlet vermilion. Colors of the adult male exactly like those in the 
 adult female. 
 
 SPIZAETUS ORNATUS (Daudin). 
 Falco ornatus Daud., Traite d'Orn. II. 1800. p. 77. 
 Spizaetus ornatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 114. 
 
 Rare. One was seen on the upper river at Nericagua where it 
 was found in the dense forest bordering the river. The specimen 
 was not at all shy and was finally shot from a dead limb not over fifteen 
 feet from the ground. It proved to be an adult male. The colors 
 from the fresh bird were : eye chrome yellow ; bill black, slate grey at 
 base of mandible; lores bluish grey; cere canary yellow; feet bright 
 creamy yellow. 
 
 HERPETOTHERES CACHINNANS FULVESCENS Chapman. 
 Herpetotheres cachinnans fulvescens Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. 
 
 Hist. XXXIV: 1915: (Type ex Alto Bonito Antioquia, Colombia). 
 Herpetotheres cachinnans Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913: p. 195 
 
 (Pedernales) Orinoco delta. 
 
 Chapman records a specimen from the Orinoco delta. 
 
 ELANUS LEUCURUS (Vieillot). 
 
 Milvus leucurus Vieillot, N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. XX: 1818: p. 563 (Para- 
 guay). 
 
 Elanus leucurus Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil., 1913: p. 196 (La 
 Pedrita, Rio Uracoa). 
 Stone records specimens from the delta region. 
 
 LEPTODON UNCINATUS (Temminck). 
 Falco tmcinatus Temm., PI. Col., 103-105, 1824 (Rio Janeiro). 
 
 Rare. Not taken on my first expedition to the Orinoco, but in 
 1905 an' immature female was taken at Caicara June I5th. In 1907
 
 346 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE) MUSEUM. SCIENCE IULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 an adult male was taken at the same point in June and a female in 
 July, and a second female (immature) was taken at Las Barrancas 
 in August. In every case the crop was examined and found to be 
 full of the bodies of snails from which the shells had been removed. 
 Iris primrose yellow; maxilla black, mandible greenish sulphur 
 yellow with distal half of cutting edge slate color; cere parrot green; 
 feet deep chrome yellow. 
 
 LEPTODON CAYENNENSIS (Gmelin). 
 Falco cayennensis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 263. 
 Leptodon cayennensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 114. 
 
 Rare. A single female of this species was taken at Caicara, 
 February 23, 1898, on my first expedition to the Orinoco. 
 
 Eye gallstone yellow ; bill black ; cere deep chrome yellow ; feet deep 
 chrome yellow. 
 
 ROSTRHAMUS SOCIABILIS (Vieillot). 
 
 Herpetotheres sociabilis Vieillot, N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., XVIII: 1817: 
 
 318 (Corrientes and Rio de la Plata). 
 Rostrhamus sociabilis Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913: p. 195 
 
 (Cano Corosal). 
 
 The Everglade Kite was observed as far as Ciudad Bolivar. Stone 
 records it from the delta region. 
 
 GAMPSONYX SWAINSONI Vigors. 
 Gampsonyx swainsoni Vig., Zool. Journ. II. 1825. p. 69; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 114. 
 
 Native name Gavilan primito. Not uncommon. 
 
 This and the succeeding species live in the thinly wooded savanna 
 regions of the middle Orinoco and were not observed beyond the falls 
 of Atures. Specimens were collected at Agua de Salada, Ciudad 
 Bolivar, Altagracia, Caicara and Quiribana de Caicara. They feed 
 chiefly on insects, such as locusts, small lizards, etc., but parts of 
 small birds were found in the stomach of two of those examined. 
 
 Eye chestnut; bill black; cere (very inconspicuous) blackish; feet 
 chrome yellow, claws black. 
 
 A nest containing two downy young and one egg (pipped) 
 together with the female parent was collected at Agua Salada de
 
 CHERR1E : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 347 
 
 Ciudad Bolivar, April 7, 1907. The nest was about 4.57 m. from the 
 ground at the extreme tip of a horizontal branch. of a scrub oak 
 (Chaparo} in a thinly wooded savanna region. It was not concealed 
 by foliage either from above or from below. Aly first impression on 
 seeing the nest was that it was a -slightly overgrown nest of a mock- 
 ingbird (Mimus). It is composed entirely of small dry twigs loosely 
 laid together. Outside it measures 12 cm. deep by 20 cm. in diameter 
 across the top. The saucer-shaped nest cavity is 5 cm. deep in the 
 centre, being unusually deep for the nest of a hawk. The outer edges 
 of the nest and the ground beneath it were white with excrement 
 from the incubating birds. The mother bird sat very close and did 
 not leave the nest until I had rapped the tree vigorously. 
 
 The single egg which I succeeded in saving, is nearly elliptical, 
 being very slightly smaller at one end than at the other. It is a 
 glossless white, marked about the smaller end with large irregular 
 blotches of chestnut brown. It measures 29.5 x 24.25 mm. 
 
 The juvenal plumage (downy young) is white below; above pale 
 vinaceous cinnamon, the wings being darkest and the neck and head 
 palest; there is a small dusty spot above the eye and the loral region 
 is dusky blackish. 
 
 CERCHNEIS SPARVERIUS ISABELUNUS (Swainson). 
 Falco isabellinus Swains., Anim. in Menag. 1838. p. 281. 
 Cerchneis sparverius isabellinus Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884. p. 437 
 
 (Angostura). 
 Tinnunculus sparverius isabellinus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 114. 
 
 Not uncommon. Observed at all points visited from Las Bar- 
 rancas in the delta region up as far as the falls of Maipures. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill black at tip, plumbeous at base ; cere orange 
 yellow pfeet orange yellow, claws black. 
 
 FALCO FUSCO-CAERULESCENS Vieillot. 
 
 Falco fusco-caerulescens .Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XI. 1817. p. 90. 
 Hypotriorchis femoralis Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 437 (Angostura). 
 Hypotriorchis fuscocaerulescens Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 115. 
 
 Not common. Not observed beyond the mouth of the Apure 
 River. Pairs hunt together, apparently aiding one another in the 
 capture of smaller birds. I have seen this species feeding on Campy-
 
 348 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 lorhynchus, Gallinago and Thamnophilus, and have found the stom- 
 achs of other specimens full of beetles and other insects ; while one 
 examined contained parts of small fish, and another the hair and 
 bones of some small mammal. 
 
 A considerable variation was observed in the color of the soft 
 parts. A female taken a,t Caicara July 4, 1898, had the eye dark seal 
 brown ; skin about eye cinereous ; bill plumbeous at base, blackish at tip ; 
 cere pale pea green ; feet Naples yellow. Another female, taken on the 
 same date, had a light* seal brown eye ; bill blackish at tip changing 
 through slate color to greenish grey at base; cere and skin about eye 
 chrome yellow; feet deep chrome yellow. 
 
 FALCO RUFIGULARIS (Daudin). 
 
 Falco rufigularis Daud., Traite d'Orn. II. 1800. p. 131. 
 Hypotriorchis rufigularis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 115. 
 
 Rare. Four specimens, two pairs, were taken in the vicinity of 
 the falls of Atures on my first expedition, and an adult male was 
 taken at Caicara, July 4, 1907. In the stomach of the last were found 
 the remains of a Ground Dove, Chaemcpelia. Berlepsch and Hartert 
 record a specimen "from Suapure on the Caura River. Not seen else- 
 where. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill slate black, greenish plumbeous at base of 
 mandible; feet chrome yellow, claws black. 
 
 FALCO COLUMBARIUS Linnaeus. 
 Falco columbarius L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1758. p. 90. 
 Hypotriorchis columbarius Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 115. 
 
 Two Pigeon Hawks were seen and collected in 1898, an immature 
 female at Altagracia in January, and an adult male at Caicara in 
 March. The stomach of the latter contained parts of a swallow, 
 Diplochelidon melanoleuca. 
 
 PANDION HALIAETUS CAROLINENSIS, (Gmelin). 
 Falco carolinensis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 263. 
 Pandion haliactus carolinensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 115. 
 
 The American Osprey is occasionally seen along the Orinoco as 
 far up the river as I explored. A fine adult male was taken at Caicara, 
 March 10, 1808.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 349 
 
 STRIGIDAE THE BARN OWLS. 
 
 TYTO PERLATA Lichtenstein. 
 
 Striv pcrlata Licht., Verz. Doubl. p. 59, 1823. 
 
 Strix flammea pratincola Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884. P- 435 ( RJ o Apure). 
 
 In 1884 Berlepsch recorded a specimen from "Rio Apure." Not ob- 
 served by the writer. 
 
 BUBONIDAE THE HORNED OWLS AND THEIR ALLIES. 
 
 Only three species are included in the Berlepsch and Hartert 
 paper. Two additional species are added in the present list 1 . 
 
 SPEOTYTO CUNICULARIA BRACHYPTERA Richmond. 
 
 Speotyto brachyptera Richm., Proc. U. S. N. M. XVIII. 1896. p. 663. 
 Speotyto cunicularia brachyptera Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 116. 
 
 Not common, but found everywhere throughout the savanna 
 region. 
 
 Eye lemon yellow ; bill olive yellow ; feet dusky olive. 
 
 OTUS CHOLIBUS (Vieillot). 
 
 Strix choliba Vieill., Nouv. Diet. VII. 1819. p. 39. 
 Pisorhina choliba (Psubsp.) Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 116. 
 
 Not common, but noted at all points visited along the Orinoco. 
 
 Eye lemon yellow; bill greyish horn color; feet dusky brownish. 
 
 A nest of this species containing a single fresh egg was found 
 at Quiribana de Caicara, April 6, 1898. The nest was a natural hollow 
 in a limb of a scrub oak, about one metre and a half from the ground. 
 No nesting material had been taken into the nest cavity. A second 
 nest similarly placed was found at Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar, 
 April 1 8, 1907. This nest contained a single egg which was taken 
 together with the female parent bird. The egg is white, short ovate 
 in form and measures 35 x 29.5 mm. 
 
 RHINOPTYNX CLAMATOR (Vieillot). 
 Bubo clamator Vieillot, Ois. de 1'America Sept. p. 52. PI. 20. 1807. 
 
 This species was noted at various points along the middle Ori- 
 
 'While no specimens were obtained. I feel that a third additional species should be added. Several 
 times at Las Barrancas an owl was observed that I identified as Pulsalrix perspicillata.
 
 35O BROOKLYN INSTITUTE) MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 noco, but only one specimen was collected, an adult male taken at 
 Agua Salada de Ciudad Bolivar, April 10, 1907. 
 
 Eye vandyke brown; bill black; feet dusky slate color, claws black. 
 
 BUBO VIRGINIANUS scoTiNus Oberholser. 
 Bubo virginianus scotinus Oberholser, Sci. Bull. Mus. Bklyn. Inst. I. 
 
 1908. p. 371 (Type, ex Caicara, Orinoco River). 
 
 Only one specimen. The species was observed at Ciudad Bolivar, 
 Caicara and at Perico. 
 
 GLAUCIDIUM BRASILIANUM PHALAENOIDES (Daudin). 
 Strix phalaenoides Daud., Traite d'Orrt. II. 1800. p. 206. 
 Glaucidium brasilianum phalaenoides Berlepsch & Hartert, p.. 116. 
 
 Native name Mochuelo. Rare. A single specimen of this species 
 was taken at Perico, near the falls of Atures, September 21, 1898. 
 
 GLAUCIDIUM JARDINEI (Bonaparte). 
 Phalaenopsis jardinii Bonap., Compt. Rend., XLI, 1855. p. 654 (Andes 
 
 of Quito). 
 Glaucidium jardinii Berlepsch, Ibis 1884. p. 436 (Angostura). 
 
 Berlepsch (/. c.) has recorded a specimen "in the brown phase'' 
 from Angostura (Ciudad Bolivar), Orinoco River. 
 
 COLUMBIDAE THE PIGEONS. 
 
 Eleven species were observed on the Orinoco. The majority, at 
 least, are resident wherever found, although the number of individuals 
 of a given species may vary greatly with the season. This is especially 
 true of those forms which feed largely on fruits. 
 
 The larger specie.8 are much sought after as game birds and 
 while they may be very abundant, they are so exceedingly wary that 
 only the most skillful of hunters succeed in getting a good bag in a day's 
 hunting. 
 
 As far as my observations went, none of the species nest in 
 colonies. 
 
 Contrary to the rule that pigeons lay two eggs, Columba ruHna 
 was ascertained to deposit a single egg as a normal clutch. 
 
 COLUMBA SPECIOSA Gmelin. 
 
 Columba speciosa Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 78; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 p. 116. 
 Observed at Maipures, only, during December and January,
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 351 
 
 where it was not uncommon. The presence of this species in any 
 locality seems to be governed largely, if not entirely, by the ripening 
 of the fruits on which they feed. 
 
 Fresh birds have the eye Indian purple, eye-lids burnt carmine; 
 bill poppy-red with the distal one-fourth pearl white; feet heliotrope 
 purple. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record a specimen collected by Klages at 
 Suapure on the Caura River. 
 
 COLUMBA PURPUREOTINCTA Ridgway. 
 
 Columba pur pure otincta Ridgw., Proc. U. S. N. M., X., p. 594 note, 1887; 
 
 Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 117. 
 
 Common in the savanna regions about Maipures, on the upper 
 river during December. Not observed below the falls of Attires. 
 
 Eye heliotrope purple, eye-lids burnt carmine; bill black; feet dark 
 rose-purple. 
 
 COLUMBA RUFINA Temminck & Knip. 
 Columba rufina Temm. & Knip, Pig. I. 1808-11. p. 59. PI. 24; Berlepsch 
 
 & Hartert, p. 117. 
 
 Native name Turca. Common on the upper Orinoco as well as 
 along the middle stretches of the river. This species feeds almost 
 exclusively on fruits ; it is chiefly arboreal, frequenting the less 
 heavily wooded regions and borders of the dense forest, and is, except- 
 ing during the nesting season, gregarious. 
 
 Eye rose red; bill black; feet rose red, claws dusky. 
 
 Nests of this species were found in Moriche palms and the 
 tangled thickets that grow in and about marshy places, also in the 
 scrub-oaks scattered over the savannas. The nest is a very slight 
 platform of dead twigs located at from two to five metres from the 
 ground. Only one egg is laid. An egg with incubation well ad- 
 vanced, taken at Caicara, June 5th, is white, elliptical ovate in form 
 and measures 39.3 x 26 mm. 
 
 ZENAIDA RUFICAUDA ROBINSONI Ridgway. 
 
 Zenaida vinaceorufa Ridgw., Proc. U. S. N. M. VII. 1884. p. 176. 
 Zcnaida ruficauda vinaceorufa BerlepjCh & Hartert, p. 118. 
 Zenaida ruficauda robinsoni Ridgway, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XXVIII 
 1915: p. 107 (Honda. Colombia).
 
 352 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Common in the savanna regions on the lower Orinoco, but not 
 seen above the first falls. This species feeds both on fruits and seeds, 
 occasionally being seen in flocks with C. rufina feeding on fruits in 
 high trees, but usually feeding on the ground in the open savanna. 
 
 There are two specimens in the American Museum collection, one 
 from Maripa, Caura River and the other Ciudad Bolivar. 
 
 Eye dusky brown ; bill black ; feet dusky carmine. 
 
 A nest found at Caicara June 18, 1907, contained a single fresh 
 egg. The nest was in a low Moriche palm about a metre and a half 
 from the ground. 
 
 LEPTOTILA VERREAUXI (Bonaparte). 
 Leptoptila vereauxi Bp., Consp. Av. II, 1864. p. 73. 
 Leptotila verreauxi Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 118. 
 
 Native name Palonia pipa; Paloma rabo bianco. 
 
 Common in the thickly wooded districts, more especially where 
 there is much undergrowth, along the middle stretches of the river; 
 not seen above the falls of Atures. 
 
 Eye orange buff, bare skin about eye china blue ; bill black ; feet lake 
 red. 
 
 A nest was found at Quiribana de Caicara April n, 1898 (No. 
 10704 Coll. Geo. K. and Stella M. Cherrie). The nest was a slight 
 platform of twigs placed in a thicket about 1.75 m. from the ground. 
 It contained one young bird, nearly ready to fly and an addled egg. 
 The egg was a dirty yellowish white color, ovate in form and meas- 
 ured 28 x 20.8 mm. 
 
 This species, I believe, feeds exclusively on the ground. 
 
 LEPTOTILA RUFAXILLA RUFAXILLA (Richard & Bernard). 
 Columba ruf axilla Rich. & Bern., Act. Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris, I. 1792. 
 
 p. 118. 
 Leptotila ruf axilla Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 118. 
 
 Native name Palonia pica. 
 
 Found on the upper and lower stretches of the river, but most 
 abundant at and beyond the falls of Atures. It frequents the tim- 
 bered areas, and feeds chiefly, if not exclusively, on the ground. 
 
 Eye olive yellow ; bill black ; bare skin of lores maroon purple ; feet 
 burnt carmine.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 353 
 
 LEPTOTILA RUFAXILLA DUBUSI (Bonap.). 
 
 Leptoptila dubusi Bp., Consp. Av. Ill: 1854: 74 (Rio Napo, Ecuador). 
 Leptotila ruf axilla dubusi Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. XXXIV : 
 
 I 9 I 5 : P- 37 (Foot of Mt. Duida, upper Orinoco). 
 
 I have examined the single specimen (in the Am. Mus. collection), 
 from the foot of Mt. Duida, that has been identified as above by Chap- 
 man. It is probable that this race of ruf axilla is not found below the 
 great rapids of Atures in the Orinoco. 
 
 CHAEMEPELIA PASSERINA GRANATINA Bonaparte. 
 Chamaepclia granatina Bp., Consp. Av. II. 1854. p. 77. 
 Columbigallina passerina granatina Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 48. 
 
 Native name Poloquita; "Carralera." 
 
 Common throughout the savanna regions. Associates in small 
 flocks, but does not breed in colonies. 
 
 Eye rose pink; bill black at tip, Naples yellow at base; feet flesh 
 white. 
 
 Nests usually on the ground but occasionally in low trees. A 
 nest was found at Caicara May 29, 1905. It contained two fresh eggs. 
 The nest, a. slight affair of slender twigs and grass stems, was on 
 the ground between the rocks on a steep hillside. The eggs are 
 elliptical ovate in form and measure 21.5 x 16 and 23.2 x 15.7 mm. 
 
 This and the two succeeding species frequent the open savannas 
 and are exclusively ground feeders. 
 
 CHAEMEPELIA RUFIPENNIS RUFIPENNIS (Bonaparte). 
 Talpacotia rufipennis Bp., Consp. Av. II. 1854. p. 79. 
 Columbigallina rufipennis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 1 19. 
 
 Native name Potoquita Colorado. 
 
 Common in the savanna regions. 
 
 Adult male, eye orange yellow; bill dusky; feet pale reddish (pink). 
 An adult female had the eye yellowish flesh color, eye-lids lemon yellow ; 
 bill black at tip, dusky orange at base ; feet pale flesh white. 
 
 The nest is on or near the ground and neither the nest nor the 
 eggs of this species are distinguishable from those of C. p. granatina. 
 
 A nest containing one fresh egg was found at Caicara June 14, 
 1905. The nest, a slight platform of dead twigs and grass stems, was 
 placed between the stumps of dead leaf stems on the side of a -small
 
 354 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Moriche Palm about one metre from the ground. The egg is a 
 short elliptical ovate in form and measures 22.8 x 16.8 mm. The 
 parent bird was shot. 
 
 CHAEMEPELJA MINUTA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Columba minuta L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 285. 
 Columbigallina minuta Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 119. 
 
 Specimens of this species taken at Ciudad Bolivar by H. Klages in 
 April, 1898, were recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert. Not seen by the 
 writer. 
 
 CLARAVIS PRETIOSA (Ferrari-Perez). 
 
 Peristera pretiosa Ferrari-Perez, Proc. U. S. N. M. IX. 1886. p. 175. 
 Claravis pretiosa Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 119. 
 
 Not noted on my first expedition. One specimen, a female, was 
 taken at Caicara, June 14, 1905, and in 1907, it was not uncommon 
 at Caicara. 
 
 Specimens taken on the Caura River in December, 1900, by M. 
 Andre, were recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert. 
 
 Birds of this species frequent the borders of thickly wooded 
 areas. They feed, I believe, entirely on the ground. 
 
 SCARDAFELLA SQUAMATA RiDGWAYi Robinson & Richmond. 
 
 Scardafella ridgwayi Robins. & Richm., Proc. U. S. N. M. XVIII. 1896. 
 
 p. 660; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 119. 
 
 Native name Mariquita. Abundant at Bolivar and Altagracia, much 
 less common at Caicara, and not observed on the upper Orinoco. 
 
 Eye clay color ; bill blackish ; feet flesh color. 
 
 This species usually nests on the ground but occasionally nests 
 are found in low trees and bushes, from i to 1.5 m. above the ground. 
 I noted nests with fresh eggs from October to June. 
 
 A nest containing two eggs taken at Caicara, October 28, 1898. 
 
 was placed in a thorny palm about 1.5 metres from the ground. It 
 
 was more substantial and rather more cup-shaped than is usual with 
 
 the pigeons. The eggs were fresh, pure white, nearly oval in form 
 
 and measured 21.5 x 16.5 and 21.0 x 17.0 mm.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY Of THE ORINOCO REGION. 355 
 
 i CURASSOWS, GUANS, CHACHALACAS. 
 
 MlTUA TOMENTOSA (Spix). 
 
 Crax tomentosa Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825. p. 49, PI. 43. 
 Mitua tomentosa Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 120. 
 
 Native name Pauji cnlo Colorado. Common along the middle 
 stretches of the river and up as far as the falls of Atures, but replaced 
 on the upper river by Crax alector. 
 
 Eye bay brown ; bill pale horn color at tip, bright vinaceotis basally 
 on mandible and at centre of maxilla where the color deepens and 
 darkens rapidly up to the base; ridge of culmen blackish; feet orange 
 rufous. 
 
 The Paujis are much esteemed as game birds throughout Vene- 
 zuela or perhaps I should say as table birds, for some of the qualities 
 esteemed by the sportsman in the game bird are lacking. It is a bird 
 of the thick forest regions, especially of localities where there is -a 
 dense undergrowth, and when pursued seeks safety by running, rather 
 than by flight. 
 
 A nest, containing two eggs with incubation far advanced, was 
 found at Las Gaucas on the San Feliz River (a tributary of the 
 Cuchivero River), June 2, 1897. The nest was about two metres 
 from the ground, against the stem of a Corobo palm at a point where 
 several of the great leaf-stems had been partially broken down and 
 formed a sort of hollowed platform into which leaves from adjoining 
 trees had either fallen, or been carried, and then lined with the 
 narrow green leaflets from the palm itself. 
 
 The eggs, which are normally a lusterless, parchment-like white, 
 are much stained (with brown varying in shade from wood brown 
 to cinnamon) from the wet, decaying leaves on which they lay. They 
 are ovate in form and measure 84 x 59 and 84 x 59 mm. The entire 
 egg is thickly covered with small rounded granules, producing an 
 almost sandpaper-like surface. 
 
 This set of eggs was collected on the 2nd of June. They were 
 immediately packed and jolted about on the back of a pack-mule for 
 a distance of about seventy-five miles, yet on the 8th of July two young 
 curassows emerged from these eggs and seemed little the worse for 
 
 'In addition to the species observed by the writer and recorded by Berlepsch & Hartert. the following 
 have also been recorded from the Orinoco Region: 
 
 Pauxi pauxi (Linnaeus), is recorded from the river Cassiqucari and from the Orinoco by Pelzeln. 
 Orn. Bras. (1870). p. 289. 
 
 Or/alis ruficauda Jard. is recorded from the Rio Apure and the Rio Orinoco by Berlepsch. Ibii. 
 1884 p. 440.
 
 356 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE) MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 the rough handling- they had had. The two halves of each of the eggs 
 were carefully put together. 
 
 Another set of two eggs found near Caicara June i6th, 1907, 
 was incubated by a common hen for a period of twenty days, when 
 they hatched. These eggs, the parts of which were carefully put 
 together, measure 18 x 57 and 77 x 55 mm. 
 
 The first pair of chicks lived only eleven days. The second pair 
 were nineteen days old and growing rapidly when, through an acci- 
 dent, they were killed. From the very day when they were born, 
 they evinced a, desire for a high perch at night, not seeming to have 
 any fancy for being brooded by their foster mother. 
 
 CRAX ALECTOR Linnaeus. 
 Crax alector L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 269; Berlepsch & Hartert. 
 
 . p. 120. 
 
 Native name Pauji culo bianco. Not common. Seen only at Mai- 
 pures and beyond. 
 
 PENELOPE JACUPEBA Spix. 
 Penelope jacupeba Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1823. p. 54, PI. 71 ; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 120. 
 
 Birds probably of this species were seen several times about 
 Caicara, but none were taken. The species, however, was taken in 
 February, 1901, on the Caura River by Andre and recorded by Ber- 
 lepsch and Hartert. 
 
 ORTALIS RUFICAUDA Jardine. 
 
 Ortdida ruficauda Jard., Ann. Mag. N. H., XX, p. 374. (1847). 
 Ortalis ruficauda Berlepsch, Ibis 1884. p. 440 (Rio Apure). 
 
 Recorded from Orinoco Region (Rio Apure) by Berlepsch (/. c.}. 
 
 ORTALIS MOTMOT (Linnaeus). 
 
 Phasianus motmot L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 271. 
 Ortalis motmot Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 120. 
 
 Native names Guacharaca, Gnacharaca cerro. Xot uncommon on 
 the upper Orinoco and on the San Feliz River, but not observed below 
 the falls of Atures. Berlepsch and Hartert record a specimen from La 
 Pricion on the Caura River.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 357 
 
 CUMANENSIS (Jacquin). 
 Crax cumanensis Jacq., Beytr. 1784. p. 25. 
 Pipile cumanensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 121. 
 
 Native name Guacharaca. Common on the upper river from alx>ve 
 the falls of Maiptires onward. 
 
 Female (No. 11876 Cherrie Coll.) 
 
 Eye chestnut brown; bill slate black at tip and pearl blue from 
 anterior point of nostrils and gonys to base, where the color blends 
 with the pale, pearl grey of the bare skin on side of the face; feet 
 bright brick red. Chin and upper throat azure blue, the color darkening 
 to slate black on lower part of bare neck and on the wattles. 
 
 The nesting season probably begins in February as a female shot 
 February 17, 1899, was laying, as indicated by the active condition 
 of the ovaries. 
 
 The Guacharacas like the Paujis are much sought after by hunters. 
 
 TETRAONIDAE PARTRIDGE, QUAIL, ETC. 
 
 ODONTOPHORUS GUJANENSIS (Gmelin). 
 Tetrao gujanensis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 767. 
 Odontophorus gujanensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 121. 
 
 Not observed by the writer, but recorded by Berlepsch and Har- 
 tert from Suapure on the Caura Riven 
 
 EUPSYCHORTYX soNNiNi (Temminck). 
 
 Perdix sonnini Temm., Hist. Nat. Gen. Pig. III. 1815. p. 451. 
 Eupsychortyx sonnini Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 121. 
 
 Native name Perdiz. Common everywhere throughout the savanna 
 regions of the lower and middle Orinoco, but not observed above the 
 falls. 
 
 OPISTHOCOMIDAE THE HOATZIN. 
 
 OPISTHOCOMUS HOAZIN (Muller). 
 
 Phasianus hoasin Mull., Syst. Nat. Supplement, 1776. p. 125. 
 Opisthocomus cristatus Berlepsch, Ibis 1884. p. 440 (Angostura). 
 Opisthocomus hoazin Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 122. 
 
 Native names Guacharaca de Agua, Chinchena. Common 
 along the thickly wooded banks of the Orinoco and its tributaries
 
 358 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 from the mouth up almost to the first falls above Perico. It keeps 
 to the tops of the low trees' which overhang the water and on the 
 buds and leaves of which it feeds. Colonies occupy the same general 
 area during the entire year, but at the approach of the breeding 
 season, which varies considerably in different localities along the 
 river, the flocks break up into pairs, each pair keeping to a restricted 
 area of the general breeding ground's. 
 
 The breeding season about Caicara lasts from early in June until 
 mid September. In 1905 I took the first set of eggs June nth. 
 Freshly completed nests had been noted as early as May 25th, when 
 I went scouting for them, but at that time they must have been from 
 five to seven metres above the water. The nest found June nth was 
 between three and four metres above the water at nearly what would 
 be high water mark. On June i8th, seven sets of eggs were collected. 
 With the exception of one set of two, all were fresh. 
 
 In my field record for- that date I made the following entry: 
 Although Hoatzin are never hunted and very rarely disturbed in 
 their haunts they are nevertheless decidedly shy. Sitting birds would 
 always leave the nest when, or even before, we came in sight of the 
 same. The parent birds never remained near the nests and by actions 
 manifested but little concern in what was going on. Nests are 
 apparently never placed very close together as in a heronry. I have 
 rarely found them nearer than from twenty-five to fifty metres from 
 one another. 
 
 Of the seven nests containing eggs found on this date, none were 
 over 1.2 m. above the level of the water. The average was about 
 one meter, although one was only about 45 cm. up. At the rate the 
 river is rising the lowest of these nests would be under water before 
 the week is over. 
 
 On June 22nd seven additional sets of eggs were collected. The 
 nests were on an average between i to 1.25 m. above the water at that 
 time, which means that they would be at the water level, or below, by 
 the time the eggs would be hatched. 
 
 My observations indicate that the nesting season on the Orinoco 
 is controlled to a large degree by the water level in the river. The 
 ovaries of nearly all the Hoatzin collected near Bolivar about the 
 middle of April indicated the approach of the breeding season. Speci- 
 mens collected at Caicara early in May did not show a more active 
 condition of the ovaries, but as I have stated above, completed nests
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 359 
 
 were found there May 25th and eggs June nth. From the I5th to 
 the 25th of June the laying season at Caicara was at its height and 
 the river was rapidly nearing high water mark. 
 
 Basing my conclusions on the condition of the ovaries in the 
 birds taken at Bolivar, early in April, I returned to that locality the 
 first week in July, expecting to find young Hoatzin. \Yhat was my 
 surprise to find the Bolivar birds nest building no young; and only 
 one set of eggs taken July 4th. The colony that I had been observing 
 at Bolivar made their home in the thick tangle of tree tops bordering 
 a small lake which occupies a natural basin in an extensive area of 
 low land separated from the river by high rocky embankments. The 
 rapidly rising waters of the Orinoco did not break over this embank- 
 ment until June 2Oth. The Hoatzin apparently had not commenced 
 serious nesting until after that date ! Did they deliberately await the 
 rising of the water? 
 
 The nest of the Hoatzin is a slight platform of dead twigs, 
 loosely put together, out towards the tips of long slender branches, 
 and frequently with but very frail support. Sometimes the nests are 
 almost concealed by surrounding leaves, again they are placed in dead 
 or leafless trees where surrounding foliage does not offer any con- 
 cealment. If the nest is high enough the eggs usually can be seen 
 from below through the nest walls. 
 
 The young Hoatzin is almost naked at birth and a shiny jet 
 black, with olive wash, in color. Within a day or two their eyes 
 are wide open and if a nest be approached without extreme caution 
 it will be found empty. But a little quiet patience will probably 
 reward the collector at the end of a few minutes the young will be 
 seen making their way from out of the water, into which they had 
 deliberately dropped; along and over the limbs back to the nest. 
 Their locomotion at this time is effected by the aid of the bill, the feet, 
 and the claws that in the young are found on the end of the thumbs 
 and index fingers. 
 
 In a series of thirteen sets of eggs, a considerable variation in 
 size, shape, and markings is noticeable. The general shape is ovate, 
 varying from a rather long ovate to short ovate, and occasionally 
 there is an approach toward the oval. (The two eggs of set No. 
 13898 Cherrie Collection are almost perfectly oval). The general 
 color is a pinkish cream color, varying considerably in shade in the 
 various sets, the markings consist of dots, spots and splashes, scat-
 
 360 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 tered all over the surface of the eggs (but more thickly at the larger 
 end) in two series, the outer of a reddish brown color which overlies 
 the inner series which are of a pale lavender color. The average 
 size of a series of 24 eggs was 32.9 x 46.2 mm. 
 
 I have found four and five eggs in a set but normally either two 
 or three would seem to constitute a full set, and when more than 
 three are found I suspect it is the result of two females laying in the 
 same nest 1 . 
 
 TINAMIDAE THE TINAMOUS. 
 
 CRYPTURUS CINEREUS (Gnielin). 
 Tetrao cinereus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 768. 
 Crypturus cinereus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 122. 
 
 Observed and collected only at Maipures, where, while not un- 
 common, it was rarely seen, because of its exceeding wariness. 
 
 CRYPTURUS soui soui (Hermann). 
 
 Tinamus Soui Hermann, Tab. Affin. Anim. (1783) : p. 165 (Cayenne). 
 Tetrao pileatus Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 51. 
 Crypturus pileatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 122. 
 
 Native name P<oncha. This, like the preceding species, is very 
 wary and not often seen. I secured specimens at Xericagua only. 
 The natives assured me that neither species of Poncho, was found below 
 the falls of Atures. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record this species from La Pricion on 
 the Caura River. 
 
 CRYPTURUS VARIEGATUS (Gmelin). 
 Tetrao variegatus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 768. 
 Crypturus variegatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 122. 
 
 Recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert from La Pricion on the 
 Caura River. Not observed by the writer. 
 
 PLATALEIDAE THE SPOONBILLS. 
 
 AJAIA AJAJA (Linnaeus). 
 Platalea Ajaja Linnaeus,. Syst. Nat. Ed. XII: 1766: 237. 
 
 Common in the delta region and noted as far as the mouth of the 
 Rio Apure. 
 
 "In the MUSEUM NEWS (Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences), IV. 1909. pp. 5O-53, I have pub- 
 ished a more general and extended account of the Hoatzin.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 361 
 
 IBIDIDAE THE IBISES. 
 
 THERISTICUS CAUDATUS (Boddaert). 
 Scolopax caudatus Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 57. 
 Theristicus caudatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 122. 
 
 Native name Tautaco. Found throughout the savanna region on 
 the lower and middle stretches of the river, but nowhere common. 
 Feeds along the borders of ponds and marshes and in the open 
 savannas. An adult male taken at Caicara May 4, 1905, had the 
 colors of fleshy parts as follows : eye scarlet ; bill black ; bare skin about 
 the base of the bill around the eye and on the throat black ; feet geranium 
 pink. 
 
 HARPIPRION CAYENNENSIS (Gmelin). 
 Tantalus cayennensis Cm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 652. 
 Harpiprion cayennensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 1123. 
 
 Not common. Specimens were secured at Altagracia, Caicara, 
 and Quiribana de Caicara, all on the middle Orinoco. 
 
 Colors in fresh birds are : eye dark Indian purple ; bill pea green at 
 tip, darkening to a bottle green at base ; bare skin about eye and on chin 
 and throat indigo blue; feet malachite green. 
 
 Berlepsch and Hartert record a specimen from Cangrejo on the 
 Caura River. 
 
 PHIMOSUS BERLEPSCHI Hellmayr. 
 Phimosus berlepschi Hellmayr, Verh. Zool. bot. Ges. Wien. LJII. 1903. p. 
 
 247, ex Orinoco River, Altagracia, Caicara). 
 Phimosus nudifrons Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 123. 
 
 Native name Coro-coro. The name is also applied to Harpiprion 
 cayennensis. Common along the middle stretches of the Orinoco (not 
 noted above the falls), frequenting the banks of streams and ponds. 
 
 Eye carmine; bill, in immature, wood brown, blackish at tip; in 
 adults, reddish liver brown ; feet dark sepia brown. 
 
 CERCIBIS OXYCERCA (Spix). 
 
 Ibis oxycercus Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825. p. 69, PI. 87. 
 Cercibis oxycerca Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 124. 
 
 Native name Taro-taro. Common; frequenting marshy places on 
 the open savanna and the banks of ponds and streams.
 
 362 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Adult male, eye vandyke brown; bare skin about eye lake red; 
 bill hazel brown; bare skin on throat Chinese orange, feet burnt carmine. 
 
 GUARA RUBRA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Tantalus ruber L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 241. 
 Eudocimus ruber Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 124. 
 
 Native name Coro-coro Colorado. Abundant in the delta region, 
 but comparatively rare along the middle Orinoco, and not observed 
 beyond the falls. 
 
 ARDEIDAE THE HERONS. 
 
 The Orinoco, first in the delta region, with its enormous areas of 
 swamp and woodland, and then in the vast thinly wooded savannas 
 that border the middle stretches of the river and its tributaries (espe- 
 cially the Apure) with their numberless shallow ponds and marshes 
 heavily bordered with tangled forest growth, furnishes ideal conditions 
 for herons and other species of similar habits, and is indeed- the home of 
 myriads of these birds. 
 
 While the number of species of herons found is not large only 
 thirteen the number of individuals is probably as great or greater than 
 that of any other group. 
 
 ARDEA cocoi Linnaeus. 
 Ardea cocoi L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 237; Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. 
 
 p. 438 (Angostura) ; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 124. 
 
 Native name Garza morena. Common along the lower and middle 
 stretches of the Orinoco and its tributaries. It is one of the character- 
 istic birds of the Orinoco where its habit of perching high up on the 
 branches of the tall trees on the river bank, where it is afforded an 
 unobstructed view in all directions, makes it a conspicuous object in the 
 landscape. Exceedingly wary, it takes flight at the approach of a 
 canoe long* ere the hunter is within range. The natives hunt them for 
 food but for my own part I do not consider the meat a delicacy. 
 
 Adult male, eye bright straw yellow; bill rather bright Gladstone 
 yellow, blackish slate at base of maxilla (from middle of nostrils pos- 
 teriorly) and a narrow dusky streak along the basal cutting edge of the 
 mandible ; extreme base of mandible and bare skin about eye bottle green ; 
 feet black. The blackish slate and Gladstone yellow on the maxilla 
 blend into one another very gradually.
 
 CHERKIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 363 
 
 EGRETTA CANDIDISSIMA (Gmelin). 
 Ardea candidissima Gm., .Syst. Nat., I, 1789, p. 633. 
 Ardea candidissima Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 438 (Angostura). 
 
 Native names Garza bianco pcquina; Egret; Osprey; Garza de 
 pluma. Abundant, and like its larger relative H. egretta, more widely 
 distributed during the rainy season than during the dry season. 
 
 HERODIAS EGRETTA (Gmelin). 
 Ardea egretta Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 629. 
 Herodias egretta Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 124. 
 
 Native name Garza bianco grande. Abundant. During the rainy 
 season this species has the entire vast savanna region as a feeding 
 ground and at that time is widely distributed over the open savannas; 
 but, as the savannas become dry and parched with the advance of the 
 dry season, the flocks of egrets are driven closer and closer together 
 near the banks of streams and ponds in their search for suitable feeding 
 grounds. 
 
 Eye straw yellow ; bill dark chrome yellow ; bare skin about base of 
 bill and eye citron yellow ; feet black. 
 
 FLORIDA CAERULEA CAERULEA (Linnaeus). 
 Ardea caerulea L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I. 1758. p. 143. 
 Florida caerulea Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 124. 
 
 Not common. Specimens collected only at Caicara, but noted 
 also at Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia and Quiribana de Caicara. Klages 
 took a specimen at Mato River which is recorded by Berlepsch and 
 Hartert. 
 
 AGAMIA AGAMI (Gmelin). 
 Ardea agami Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 629. 
 Agamia agami Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 125. 
 
 tRare. An immature male (recorded by Berlepsch and Hartert) 
 was taken at Quiribana de Caicara, in the belt of.heavy timber border- 
 ing Quiribana Creek, April 4, 1898; and an adult male, near the same 
 point May I, 1907. The colors on the latter bird were: 
 
 Eye ochraceous rufus ; bill black above, dusky grey with greenish 
 wash below ; feet slate black anteriorly, dusky pea green posteriorly. 
 
 The colors of the immature male taken at Quiribana de Caicara
 
 364 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 were : eye, orange ochraceous with the posterior quarter section of the 
 iris seal brown ; maxilla black, mandible dusky olive brown ; feet and legs 
 blackish slate for the anterior half and dusky sage green behind. 
 
 NYCTICORAX NYCTICORAX NAEVIUS (Boddaert). 
 Ardea naevia Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 56. 
 Nycticorax gardeni Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 439 (Angostura). 
 Nycticorax nycticorax naevius Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 125. 
 
 Common, frequenting the timbered belts bordering the Orinoco and 
 the small streams tributary thereto. 
 
 NYCTANASSA VIOLACEA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Ardea violacea Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. X: 1758: p. 143 (Carolina). 
 Nyctanassa violacea Stone, Proc. Phil. Ac. Nat. Sci. 1913 : p. 193 
 
 (Corosal). 
 
 Stone has recorded a specimen from the delta region. 
 
 COCHLEARIUS COCHLEARIUS Linnaeus. 
 Cancroma cochlearia L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 237; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 125. 
 
 Common about Ciudad Bolivar and up at least as far as Caicara 
 and Quiribana de Caicara, frequenting the wooded banks of the small 
 creeks flowing into the Orinoco. 
 
 Fresh birds have the eye dusky; maxilla black, mandible dusky 
 sulphur yellow, blackish at tip; bare skin of chin and throat sulphur 
 yellow; feet oil green. 
 
 PILHERODIUS PILEATUS (Boddaert). 
 
 Ardea pileata Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 54. 
 Pilherodius pileatus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 125. 
 
 Not common. Observed at Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia, Caicara 
 and Quiribana de Caicara. 
 
 The colors taken from a freshly killed adult male were : eye, olive 
 brown; bill, horny pearl grey at tip, changing gradually into plumbeous 
 which blends gradually into the cobalt blue of the basal two-thirds of the 
 maxilla, and abruptly into the lilac colored central part of the mandible; 
 basal part of mandible and bare skin about face cobalt blue; feet cin- 
 ereous.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 365 
 
 SYRIGMA SIBILATRIX (Temminck). 
 
 Ardea sibilatrix Temm., PI. Col. V. 1824. p. 271 ; Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884 
 
 p. 438 (Rio Apure). 
 Syrigma sibilatrix Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 126. 
 
 Native name Garza Carricia. Not common. Adult male and 
 female; eye pearl grey; bill rose pink, blackish at the tip; feet black. 
 At the point of union between the blackish tip and rose pink body of 
 the bill there is a short space of whitish fading into the two adjoining 
 colors abruptly, while between the rose pink and azure blue of the max- 
 illa there is a narrow band of cobalt blue into which the two adjoining 
 colors merge abruptly. 
 
 This, the Snowy Egret, and other species of herons, are often seen 
 about the native houses, sometimes tied with a string about one leg, but 
 more frequently they are at liberty within the patios, the wing having 
 been amputated at the wrist to prevent their flying away. 
 
 BUTORIDES STRIATA (Linnaeus). 
 Ardea striata L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10 I. 1758. p. 144. 
 Butorides cyanurus Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884.. p. 439 (Angostura; Rio 
 
 Apure). 
 Butorides striata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 126. 
 
 Native name Chicuaco. Not common, or at least rarely seen. I 
 noted it at Bolivar, and at other points on the river as far up as the 
 falls of Atures. 
 
 Colors taken from a freshly killed adult female were : eye lemon 
 yellow, bare skin about eye sulphur yellow ; bill black above, pale dusky 
 greenish below ; lores black; feet olive green. 
 
 Two nests were found in the tree tops on a submerged island in 
 the Orinoco near Caicara July 18, 1907. One contained two, the other 
 three eggs. In the two eggs incubation was far advanced; in the set 
 of three it had just begun. The nests were each slight platforms 
 of dry sticks. The nest containing the three eggs was only about 15 
 cm. above the water, and, as the river was rising rapidly, would have 
 been under water before the next morning! The other nest was about 
 one metre above the water. 
 
 The eggs are ovate approaching elliptical in form, and pale green- 
 ish greyish Nile blue in color. The set of three measure 28 x 38; 28.25 
 x 38 and 28.25 x 37 mm.
 
 366 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 TIGRISOMA LINEATUM (Boddaert). 
 Ardea lineata Bodd., Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783. p. 52. 
 Tigrisoma brasiliensc Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 439 (Rio Apure). 
 Tigrisoma lineatum Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 126. 
 
 Native name Pajaro Boca. Common, frequenting the thickly 
 wooded banks of small streams flowing- into the Orinoco. In life adults 
 have the iris bicolored, the inner part being chrome yellow which blends 
 rather abruptly into a walnut brown on the outer half; bill clove brown 
 along the ridge of the culmen, merging into a mummy brown along the 
 sides, bare skin on chin, throat and around eye sulphur yellow ; bare skin 
 at base of mandible citron yellow ; gonys horny straw yellow ; feet olive 
 in front and olive green on the posterior half. 
 
 ZEBRILUS PUMILUS (Boddaert). 
 Ardea pumila Boddaert, Tabl. PI. Enl. 1783: p. 54. 
 
 Rare. Not taken or seen on my first expedition to the Orinoco. 
 The fresh colors of an adult male taken at Agua Salada de Ciudad Boli- 
 var, April n, 1905, were: Eye straw yellow; bill dusky above, pale 
 yellowish horn color below ; feet anteriorly olive greenish, brighter lemon 
 yellowish posteriorly. A single specimen was seen in the thickets form- 
 ing the breeding ground of the Hoatzin at Caicarita, Caicara, July 18, 
 1907. 
 
 PALAMEDEIDAE THE SCREAMERS. 
 
 Only one of the species of Screamers has been noted on the 
 Orinoco. 
 
 PALAMEDEA CORNUTA Linnaeus. 
 Palamedea cornuta Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., Ed. XII: 1766: p. 232 (Brazil, 
 
 Guiana). 
 Anhima cornuta Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil., 1913: p. 194 (Manimo 
 
 Riv.). 
 
 I found the Horned Screamer abundant at Las Barancas, and Stone 
 reported it very common on the Manimo River. 
 
 PHALACROCORACIDAE ANHINGAS, CORMORANTS, ETC. 
 
 ANHINGA ANHINGA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Plotus anhinga L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 218; Berlepsch & Hartert, 
 p. 127.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 367 
 
 Native name Cotua and Agujita; also sometimes applied to the 
 Cormorant, P. vigua. Common on the lower and middle stretches of the 
 river but not observed ab/>ve the falls. 
 
 PHALACROCORAX VICUA (Vieillot). 
 
 Hydrocorax vigua Vieill., Nouv. Diet. VIII. 1817. p. 90. 
 Phalacrocorax vigua Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 127. 
 
 Native names Cotua, Cotua Zamura, Cotua Nigro. 
 
 Abundant all along the river, at least as far as the falls of Atures. 
 
 RALLIDAE THE RAILS. 
 
 PORZANA ALBICOLUS (Vieillot). 
 
 Rallus albicollis Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XXVIII. 1819. p. 561. 
 For sana albicollis Berlepsch & Hartert. p. 127. 
 
 Rare. A single specimen was taken in the marsh bordering the 
 brook at Quiribana de Caicara in April, 1898. 
 
 Colors taken from the freshly killed bird were : eye bright vandyke 
 brown; upper half of maxilla olive green, lower half of maxilla and 
 entire mandible apple green ; feet dusky brown. 
 
 ARAMIDES CAJANEA (Miiller). 
 
 Fulica cajanea Mull., Syst. Nat. Supplement. 1776. p. 119. 
 Aramides cayennensis Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884. p. 440 (Angostura). 
 Aramides cajanea Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 128. 
 
 This species was abundant in the thick tangles of vines and bushes 
 bordering small streams and ponds, and was noted at all points visited 
 along the Orinoco. In the early morning their loud strange call notes 
 could be heard on every side. They are extremely wary and the gun- 
 ner must .be alert if he catches one as it darts across some narrow path 
 before him. The meat is delicious. 
 
 In an adult female the eye was ochraceous rufous, eyelids scarlet; 
 bill apple green ; feet burnt carmine. 
 
 ARAMIDAE THE LIMPKINS OR COURLANS. 
 
 ARAM us SCOLOPACEUS (Gmelin). 
 Ardea scolopacea Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 647.
 
 368 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Aramus scolopaceus Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 440. (Angostura). Ber- 
 
 lepsch & Hartert, p. 128. 
 
 Native name Carrao. Not common and only observed at Altagracia 
 and Caicara, where it seemed to keep to the thickly wooded borders of 
 the ponds adjacent to the main river. 
 
 EURYPYGIDAE THE SUX BITTERNS. 
 
 EURYPYGA HELIAS (Pallas). 
 
 Ardea helias Pall., Neue Nord. Beytr. II. 1781. p. 48, PI. 3. 
 
 Eurypyga helias Berlepsch, Ibis. 1884. p. 440 (Angostura) ; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 128. 
 
 Native name Tigana. Not uncommon along the thickly wooded 
 banks of ponds and streams where it keeps on or near the ground. The 
 Tigana is often seen in a semi-domesticated state in the native houses 
 where they are esteemed for the number of spiders and insects they 
 destroy. 
 
 PSOPHIIDAE THE TRUMPETERS. 
 
 PSOPHIA CREPITANS Linnaeus.. 
 Psophia crepitans L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. I. 1758. p. 154; Berlepsch & 
 
 Hartert, p. 128. 
 
 Abundant in the delta region. Noted repeatedly at Las Barran- 
 cas, and Beebe secured specimens at Guanoco. Berlepsch and Hartert 
 record specimens collected by Klages at Suapure on the Caura River. 
 
 OEDICNEMIDAE THE STONE PLOVERS OR THICK- 
 KNEES. 
 
 OEDICNEMUS BISTRIATUS (Wagler). 
 Charadrius bistriatus Wagl., Isis, 1829. p. 648. 
 
 Oedicnemus bistriatus Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 44 (Angostura) ; Ber- 
 lepsch & Hartert, p. 128. 
 Native name Alcaravan Negro. 
 
 Not uncommon. Found on the open savannas only. Usually 
 seen in pairs. 
 
 Eye lemon yellow ; bill black, yellowish olive buff at base of man- 
 dible; feet olive yellow.
 
 CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OP THE ORINOCO REGION. 369 
 
 CICONIIDAE JABIRU ; STORKS; WOOD IBIS. 
 
 EUXENURA MAGUARI (Gmelin). 
 Ardea maguari Gmel., Syst. Nat., I, 1789, p. 623 (Brazil). 
 
 Although no specimens were collected this species was seen 
 sufficiently near to make identification certain. It was noted at Las Bar- 
 rancas, Altagracia., San Mateo de Caicara and at Las Guacas and La 
 Cascabel on the San Feliz River. 
 
 JABIRU MYCTERIA (Lichtenstein). 
 Ciconia mycteria Licht, Abh. K. Akad. Wiss. Berlin (Phys. Kl.), for 
 
 1816-17, 1819, 163 (Brazil). 
 
 Native name Garzon Soldado. 
 
 Widely distributed throughout the Orinoco Region from the 
 delta up as far, at least, as the mouth of the Meta River. Speci- 
 mens were collected at Las Guacas and La Cascabel on the San 
 Feliz River (near its union with the Cuchivero River), and it was 
 observed at Las Barrancas, Altagracia, San Mateo de Caicara, Quin- 
 bana de Caicara and near the mouth of the Meta River. 
 
 MYCTERIA AMERICANA Linnaeus. 
 
 Mycteria americana Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. 10, I, 1758, 140. 
 Tantalus loculator Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 437 (Angostura). 
 
 Noted all along the Orinoco up as far as the falls of Atures. 
 
 JACANIDAE THE JACANAS. 
 
 JACANA JACANA Linnaeus. 
 
 Parra jacana L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 259, part; Berlepsch, Ibis, 
 1884. p. 440 (Angostura) ; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 129. 
 Native name Gallineto de Laguna. 
 
 Common. Frequents the banks of ponds and streams and open 
 marshes.' 
 
 Adult female: eyes slate grey; bill ochre yellow; shield maroon 
 purple; feet dusky olive grey. 
 
 CHARADRIIDAE PLOVERS, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 
 Eight species were collected on my first expedition and recorded 
 by Berlepsch and Bartert. Twelve are included in the present li-st, 
 and there is little doubt that at least as many more will be discovered 
 when the delta region will have been carefully worked over.
 
 370 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 HOPLOXYPTERUS CAYANUS (Latham). 
 Charadrius cayanus Lath., Ind. Orn. II. 1790. p. 749. 
 Hoploxypterus cayanus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 129. 
 
 Native name Alcaravancito. Common along the shores of 
 streams and ponds. This species does not associate in flocks and 
 rarely more than two or three are -seen together. It was noted at 
 all points visited. 
 
 Eye seal brown, eye-lids scarlet; bill black; feet scarlet. 
 
 BELONOPTERUS CAYENNENSIS (Gmelin). 
 Parra cayennensis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 706. 
 Vanellus cayennensis Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 441 (Angostura). 
 Belonopterus cayennensis Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 129. 
 
 Native name Alcaravana de corbata; Alcaravan. 
 
 Common on the open savannas. Usually seen in pairs. On the 
 middle Orinoco the nesting season begins in April. 
 
 This lapwing is thoroughly detested by the native deer hunters 
 from the habit it has of following, often for long distances, any one it 
 may see walking about among the little clumps of trees and bushes 
 that here and there dot the savannas, and screaming its displeasure. 
 The deer seem to understand that cry and are instantly on the alert. 
 
 Eye red lake, eye-lids and chin lilac; bill black at tip, lilac at base; 
 feet Indian purple. 
 
 AEGIALITIS SEMIPALMATA (Bonaparte). 
 
 Charadrius semipalmatus Bonap., Journ. Acad. N. S. Phila., V, 1825, p. 
 98 (Coast of New Jersey). 
 Found in the delta region from October to April. 
 
 /EGIALITIS COLLARIS (Vieillot). 
 
 Charadrius collaris Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XXVII. 1818. p. 136. 
 Aegialitis collaris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 129. 
 
 A not uncommon resident species usually. Solitary or seen in 
 pairs on the sand beaches along the river during the dry season and 
 on the open savannas during the wet season. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill black ; feet flesh color.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 371 
 
 HIMANTOPUS MEXICANUS (Miillcr). 
 
 Charadriiis me.vicaniis Mull., Syst. Nat. Suppl., 1776, p. 117 (Mexico). 
 Abundant about the great marshes near Las Guatos on the San 
 Feliz River (Terrenos dell Tigre) during May, 1907. 
 
 NUMENIUS HUDSONICUS Latham. 
 
 Numenius hudsonicus Lath., Index Orn. II, 1790, p. 712 (Hudson Bay). 
 This species was noted at Altagracia in November, 1897, but no 
 specimens were secured. 
 
 HELODROMAS SOIJTARIUS (Wilson). 
 Tringa solitaria Wils., Am. Orn. VII. 1813. p. 58, PI. 58, fig. 3. 
 
 Helodromas solitarius Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 129. 
 
 Occasionally met with from early in August until the first of 
 February. Observed at Las Barrancas, Agua Salada de Ciudad Boli- 
 var, Ciudad Bolivar, Altagracia, Caicara. Berlepsch and Hartert record 
 a specimen also from Suapure on the Caura River. 
 
 TOTANUS FLAVIPES (Gmelin). 
 Scolopax flavipes Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 659. 
 Totanus flavipes Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 130. 
 
 Small flocks were seen about Altagracia from the last of Decem- 
 ber until February. 
 
 TOTANUS MELANOLEUCUS (Gmelin). 
 Scolopax melanoleucus Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 659. 
 Totanus melanoleucus Berlepsch, Ibis, 1884. p. 441 (Angostura) ; Ber- 
 lepsch & Hartert, p. 130. 
 
 Small flocks of Greater Yellow-legs were seen at Altagracia sev- 
 eral times during the month of November, 1897. 
 
 ACTITIS MACULARIA (Linnaeus). 
 
 Tringa macularia L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 249. 
 Tringoides macularia Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 130. 
 
 The Spotted Sandpiper is to be seen along the Orinoco from early 
 in September until the first of April. Berlepsch and Hartert record 
 it also from the Caura River.
 
 3/2 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 PISOBIA FUSCICOLLIS (Vieillot). 
 
 Tringa fuscicollis Vieill., Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. XXXIV, 1819, p. 461 
 (Paraguay). 
 Common at Las Guacos, San Feliz River during May, 1907. 
 
 GALLINAGO PARAGUAIAE (Vieillot). 
 
 Scolopax paraguaiae Vieill., Nouv. Diet. III. 1816. p. 356. 
 GaUinago paraguaiae Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 130. 
 
 Native name Cogelas todas. Not uncommon along the marshy 
 borders of small streams that cross the savannas, and widely dis- 
 tributed over the savannas themselves during the rainy season. The 
 species was noted at all points visited along the river. 
 
 GALLINAGO BRASILIENSIS (Swainson). 
 Scolopax Brasiliensis Swainson, Faun. Boreal. Am. 1831 : p. 400 
 
 (Brazil). 
 Gallinago brasiliensis Stone, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1913 : p. 192. 
 
 (Orinoco delta, Cano Corosal). 
 
 Stone records specimens from Cano ' Corosal (Orinoco delta 
 country). - 
 
 ANATIDAE DUCKS, GEESE, ETC. 
 
 CAIRINA MOSCHATA (L.). 
 
 Anas moschata L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1758. p. 124. 
 Cairina moschata Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 131. 
 
 Native names Pato real; Pato negro. Common. 
 
 Eye seal brown ; bill black ; bare skin about face black, the caruncles 
 at base of bill and about face black at their base, pale scarlet at their 
 free ends; feet black. 
 
 The Pato real when not feeding spends much of its time in the 
 large trees bordering streams. During the rainy season it feeds 
 almost entirely on the open savannas but as the dry season advances 
 it is driven more to the wooded banks of ponds and streams. It is 
 exceedingly wary -and the native hunter considers himself fortunate 
 to bag a pato negro. They may be often seen completely domesticated 
 and breeding about the native houses. , 
 
 Five ducklings, an entire brood, three or four days old, were 
 taken at Las Barrancas, San Feliz River, May 30, 1907.
 
 CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 373 
 
 DENDROCYGNA DISCOLOR Sclater & Salvin. 
 Dendrocygna discolor Scl. & Salv., Nomencl. Av. Neotr. 1873. pp. 129, 
 
 161 ; Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 131. 
 
 Native name Guiriri. Abundant. This and the following species, 
 Alopochen jubatus, are the most common ducks found on the Orinoco. 
 
 ALOPOCHEN JUBATUS (Spix). 
 
 Anser jubatus Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825. p. 84. PI. 108. 
 Alopochen jubatus Berlepsch & Hartert. p. 131. 
 
 Native name Carrctew. Abundant along the banks of the Orinoco 
 and its tributaries. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill black reddish at angle of commisure; feet 
 vermilion. 
 
 This is the most abundant species of "Duck" in the Orinoco region. 
 Like the Pato real, it is frequently seen in a state of semi-domestication 
 about the native houses, but I do not know of its breeding. 
 
 ^ The males at the beginning of the mating season December and 
 January fight some terrific battles, and where a large flock is assem- 
 bled, in some marshy spot near the river, the noise of battle may be 
 heard for a long distance. The blows of the wings against one another 
 and the constant loud guttural "honking" of the contending birds make a 
 deafening racket. The females feed quietly, apparently not taking 
 much interest in the fray. 
 
 This species like the Tree Duck (D. discolor) nests in hollow trees. 
 
 NETTION BRASILIENSE (Gmelin). 
 Anas brasiliensis Gm., Syst. Nat. I. 1788. p. 517. 
 Nettion brasilicnse Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 131. 
 
 Native name Pato Asulijo. Not common at points visited on the 
 Orinoco proper, but abundant about the marshes in the vicinity of Las 
 Guacas, San Feliz River, during May, 1907. 
 
 On the Orinoco this species was noted at Bolivar, Altagracia. Cai- 
 cara and Ouiribana de Caicara. 
 
 LARIDAE GULLS, TERNS, ETC. 
 PHAETHUSA CHLOROPODA (Vieillot). 
 
 Sterna chloropoda Vieillot, "N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. XXXII: 1818: 171 
 (Paraguay).
 
 374 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 
 
 Phaethusa magnirostris Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 132. 
 
 Native name Guanaguanare. 
 
 Eye seal brown; bill canary yellow, lightest at the base; feet sul- 
 phur yellow. 
 
 One of the most abundant and characteristic of birds along the 
 Orinoco. It is likely to be the first species one will see on entering the 
 mouth of the great river, and as he proceeds towards the head-waters 
 it will follow him, and even when he crosses through the Cassiquiare and 
 down the Rio Negro to the Amazon. 
 
 The nesting season begins in December and lasts, until February. 
 
 STERNA SUPERCILARIS Vieillot. 
 
 Sterna superciliaris Vieill., Nouv. Diet. XXXII. 1819. p. 126; Berlepsch 
 
 & Hartert, p. 132. 
 
 Native name Tenten. Not abundant but observed everywhere both 
 on the lower and upper stretches of the river. Fresh birds have the eye 
 seal brown; bill dark Naples yellow; feet dusky sulphur yellow. 
 
 RYNCHOPS NIGRA CINERASCENS (Spix). 
 
 Rhynchops cinerascens Spix, Av. Bras. II. 1825. p. 80, PI. 102. 
 Rhynchops nigra -cinerascens Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 132. 
 
 Native name Gaviota. Common all along the middle and lower 
 stretches of the river. 
 
 LARUS ATRICILLA (Linnaeus). 
 Larus atricilla Linn., Syst. Nat. I, 1758, p. 136 (Bahamas). 
 
 Often seen in company with the Large-billed Tern (Phaethusa 
 chloropoda) about the mouths of the Orinoco and common at almost 
 all points along the shore of the Bay of Paria. 
 
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