Bulletin - United States National Museum - si-pddr - Smithsonian ...

Bulletin - United States National Museum - si-pddr - Smithsonian ... Bulletin - United States National Museum - si-pddr - Smithsonian ...

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226 BULLETIN 133, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 227 fallax Boiircier, as not applicable to T, chionogaster Tschudi, which he says should probably be placed in Talophoriis ]Mulsant. The two or three individuals of this species seen were observed at the flowers of a common red-flowered epiphyte {Psittacanthns cuneifolius) that was attractive to other hummers in the region. They hovered with humming wings in order to probe the long tubed blossoms, and at short intervals paused to rest on some convenient perch. Their call note was a low chit chit suggestive of that of SappJiO. One of the birds when taken had the base of the mandible deep Corinthian red, and the remainder of the bill and the feet black. In the other the base of the mandible was vinaceous fawn ; maxilla and tip of mandible black ; tarsus and toes aniline black. The plate in Tschudi's work on which the species is depicted was made previous to the writing of the text as it is lettered Trochilus leucogaster^ a name proposed for another hummer, so that in the text change was made to chio nogaster. No definite type locality is given by Tschudi so that Peru is assumed. HYLOCHARIS CHRYSURA (Shaw) Trochilus clirysxirus Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. S, pt. 1, 1812, p. 335. (Para- guay.) Four specimens of this interesting hummer were taken as follows A female at the Kiacho Pilaga on August 14, 1920, a female at Kilo- meter 25, a male at Kilometer 80, and a second male on the Rio Paraguay near Puerto Pinasco, Paragiia} , on Sej)tfmber 1. 1."), and 30. These four specimens present a puzzling combination of differ- ences that with available material may not be treated satisfactorily. The two females from Formosa and Paraguay, with a culmen measurement of 20 and 21.5 mm., respectively, and a wing 52.5 mm. long, agree fairly well with birds from Buenos Aires and offer noth- ing M orthy of comment. A male taken on the Cerro Lorito on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River opposite Puerto Pinasco has the culmen 20.2 mm. and the wing 50 mm. It differs from any others in the small series examined in having the entire maxilla dull black, as well as the distal half of the mandible. In skinning this bird I marked it as sexually fully adult, but it may be that the black bill is still an indication of an immature condition. The last specimen, a fully adult male, from the Chaco at Kilometer 80, with the culmeji 18.6 mm. and the wing 51.4 mm., in its small bill suggests the form named mcLxiuelli by Hartert ^^ from the plains near Reyes on the Rio Beni in northern Bolivia. Hartert records that specimens from Matto Grosso seem intermediate between his form and the typical ^ Hylocharis ruficolUs maxwelli Hartert, Nov. Zool., vol. 5, December, 1898, p. 519. :

BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 227<br />

fallax Boiircier, as not applicable to T, chionogaster Tschudi, which<br />

he says should probably be placed in Talophoriis ]Mulsant.<br />

The two or three individuals of this species seen were observed at<br />

the flowers of a common red-flowered epiphyte {P<strong>si</strong>ttacanthns cuneifolius)<br />

that was attractive to other hummers in the region. They<br />

hovered with humming wings in order to probe the long tubed<br />

blossoms, and at short intervals paused to rest on some convenient<br />

perch. Their call note was a low chit chit suggestive of that of<br />

SappJiO.<br />

One of the birds when taken had the base of the mandible deep<br />

Corinthian red, and the remainder of the bill and the feet black. In<br />

the other the base of the mandible was vinaceous fawn ; maxilla and<br />

tip of mandible black ; tarsus and toes aniline black.<br />

The plate in Tschudi's work on which the species is depicted was<br />

made previous to the writing of the text as it is lettered Trochilus<br />

leucogaster^ a name proposed for another hummer, so that in the text<br />

change was made to chio nogaster. No definite type locality is given<br />

by Tschudi so that Peru is assumed.<br />

HYLOCHARIS CHRYSURA (Shaw)<br />

Trochilus clirysxirus Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. S, pt. 1, 1812, p. 335. (Para-<br />

guay.)<br />

Four specimens of this interesting hummer were taken as follows<br />

A female at the Kiacho Pilaga on August 14, 1920, a female at Kilo-<br />

meter 25, a male at Kilometer 80, and a second male on the Rio<br />

Paraguay near Puerto Pinasco, Paragiia} , on Sej)tfmber 1. 1."), and<br />

30. These four specimens present a puzzling combination of differ-<br />

ences that with available material may not be treated satisfactorily.<br />

The two females from Formosa and Paraguay, with a culmen<br />

measurement of 20 and 21.5 mm., respectively, and a wing 52.5 mm.<br />

long, agree fairly well with birds from Buenos Aires and offer noth-<br />

ing M orthy of comment. A male taken on the Cerro Lorito on the<br />

eastern bank of the Paraguay River oppo<strong>si</strong>te Puerto Pinasco has<br />

the culmen 20.2 mm. and the wing 50 mm. It differs from any others<br />

in the small series examined in having the entire maxilla dull black,<br />

as well as the distal half of the mandible. In skinning this bird<br />

I marked it as sexually fully adult, but it may be that the black bill<br />

is still an indication of an immature condition. The last specimen,<br />

a fully adult male, from the Chaco at Kilometer 80, with the culmeji<br />

18.6 mm. and the wing 51.4 mm., in its small bill suggests the form<br />

named mcLxiuelli by Hartert ^^ from the plains near Reyes on the Rio<br />

Beni in northern Bolivia. Hartert records that specimens from<br />

Matto Grosso seem intermediate between his form and the typical<br />

^ Hylocharis ruficolUs maxwelli Hartert, Nov. Zool., vol. 5, December, 1898, p. 519.<br />

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