Zoological Illustrations Volume I Part 14

[Ill.u.s.tration]

PHIBALURA cristata.

_Crested Shortbill._

GENERIC CHARACTER.

(_Phibalura_ Vieillot.)

_Rostrum brevissimum, trigonum, latius quam altum; mandibula superiore culmine subcurvata carinata; inferiore recta; utrisque marginatis.

Nares basales, simplices, subrotundae, plumulis densis inc.u.mbentibus in totum obtectae. Rictus ampli, infra oculos aperientes. Alae attenuatae, remigibus spuriis nullis. Cauda elongata, furcata, rectricibus duodecim. Pedes insidentes, digitis anticis aequaliter fissis, ad basin subconnexis._

Bill very short, triangular, broader than high; upper mandible above slightly curved and carinated; lower mandible straight, both notched.

Nostrils simple, basal, roundish, entirely concealed by thick-set inc.u.mbent feathers. Mouth large, opening beneath the eye. Wings pointed; spurious quills none. Tail elongated, forked, of twelve feathers. Feet formed for sitting; the fore-toes equally cleft and slightly connected at their base.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

_P. corpore supra nigro flavo variegato; subtus albo, fasciis nigris transversis; mento flavo, capitis crista rufa nigro variegata, alis caudaque elongata furcata chalybeis, immaculatis._

Above black varied with yellow; beneath white, with transverse black bands; chin yellow. Head crested, the feathers rufous, varied with black. Wings, and elongated forked tail raven-black, immaculate.

For this beautiful and extraordinary bird I am indebted to Miss E. Yeates, of the Dingle near Liverpool, who received it from South America. Its general habit clearly points it out as belonging to the _Baccavorae_ or Berryeaters, apparently connecting the genera _Procnias_ and _Pipra_, where Temminck with much judgement has also placed it, in the new edition of his _Manuel d'Ornithologie_ just received, and before reading which I had considered the genus as unpublished.

The total length is nine inches, of which the tail occupies four and a half. The bill is whitish, and is remarkably short, measuring only three lines from the nostrils to the tip, but three quarters of an inch from the angle of the mouth, which opens just under the eye: the plumage is singularly variegated: the crown of the head is furnished with a crest, which, when not elevated, is scarcely seen, and appears a deep glossy black mixed with grey and rufous; but when erected it is very conspicuous, and all the feathers are bright rufous tipt more or less with black; the upper sides of the head grey, the lower part and ears deep-black; the neck above is greyish-white, with blackish transverse lines: the back, scapulars, rump and tail-covers are varied transversely with olive, shining black, and bright yellow, each feather being olive at the base, black in the middle, and yellow at the tip. Beneath the feathers of the chin and part of the throat are somewhat lengthened, semi-setaceous, and of a bright yellow; the neck and breast are white, with two transverse lines of deep black on each feather; these lines diminish, and are broken into spots on the body, and nearly disappear on the vent: the edges of the breast-feathers are tipt with yellow, which colour increases downwards on the vent and tail-covers, which latter are entirely yellow. The wings are four inches long, uniform deep black with a blue gloss, much pointed, and calculated for rapid flight. Tail the same colour, the exterior basal margins olive: all the feathers are narrow, pointed, and gradually lengthening, the middle pair being two inches three quarters longer than the outer pair, which exceed those next them by an inch. The feet are very pale yellow, and three-quarters of an inch from the knee to the claws, the three foremost of which are equally connected together (though slightly) nearly as far as the first joint; the outer and inner toes equal, and rather shorter than the hind-toe: claws slender and much compressed.

Whether this species is the same as the one mentioned by Temminck as existing in the French Museum under the name of _P. flavirostris_, it is quite impossible to say, as the description of that bird has never been published. This leads me to notice a custom several naturalists of the present day have lately adopted, of publishing names, and names only, of new or undescribed animals, which they then wish to be considered as permanently fixed, and as having thus secured to themselves all the merit of first describing. Now this at best is but a surrept.i.tious path to fame, and in many instances bears the appearance of originating in a petty vanity, quite beneath the dignity of true science: it is easily fixing a name to an object which we have not before seen, or suspect may be new, without the trouble of investigating authors and comparing synonyms: the name may remain, but if it should afterwards be discovered as hasty and erroneous, its author is in no way amenable to the opinions and criticisms of others, for they cannot discover such mistakes when no clue is given them beyond a name, which may frequently be applicable to half a dozen species. If, on the other hand, the object is really new, the scientific world is still in the dark, for without a description the name conveys nothing. Besides this, it has a tendency to deprive those writers of their well-earned merit, who undergo the laborious but necessary investigation of books, the examining and comparing of specimens, and the construction of sound characters previous to their publishing a new addition to the great volume of Nature. Against this _scientific monopoly_ a stand should be made, and all names either of families, genera, or species should be totally rejected, unless their meaning is clearly defined. Let those who run the race, receive the wreath; and not let it be s.n.a.t.c.hed from the winning-post by another, who jumps from behind and claims it as his own.

On a careful examination of my specimen, I find the nostrils are not covered by a membrane, as observed by Temminck, but are open, obliquely and ovately round, and a narrow rim round the margin. That excellent ornithologist likewise remarks that the first and second quill-feathers are the longest; but my bird (which, however, is in full plumage) has the first and third of equal length and shorter than the second, which is longest.

These nice distinctions lead me to suppose the species from which his generic character was taken, is distinct from this.

Pl. 32

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PSARIS Cuvierii.

_Cuvier's Psaris._

GENERIC CHARACTER.

_Rostrum validum, cra.s.sum, conic.u.m, basi rotundatum, versus apicem leviter compressum, culmine convexo non carinato; mandibulis emarginatis, superiore apice adunco. Nares basales, simplices, rotundae, juxta marginem sitae, basi paucis plumulis setaceis inc.u.mbentibus. Pedes simplices, tribus digitis anticis aequaliter fissis. Remiges spuriae nullae. Cauda brevis: rectricibus duodecim aequalibus._

Typus Genericus _Lanius caya.n.u.s_. Linn., Lath., &c.

Bill strong, thick, conic, the base rounded, towards the top slightly compressed, the top convex, not carinated; both mandibles notched, the tip of the upper hooked. Nostrils basal, simple, round, situated near the margin, the base with a few short inc.u.mbent setaceous feathers.

Feet simple, the three fore-toes equally cleft. Spurious quills none.

Tail short, of twelve equal feathers.

Generic Type _Lanius caya.n.u.s_. Linn., Lath., &c.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

_P. olivaceus, subtus albidus; capite supra nigro; occipite temporibus et colli lateribus cinereis; pectore lateribus tegminibusque infernis flavis._

Olive, beneath whitish; crown black; nape, sides of the head and neck pale cinereous; breast, sides, and under wing-covers yellow.

The genus _Psaris_ was first inst.i.tuted with great propriety by Cuvier; and before the discovery of the species now made known, was supposed to consist of only one, the Cayenne Shrike of Latham, which with the present bird (named in honour of the first zoologist of the age) is found in Brazil. The figure is nearly of the natural size.

Total length five inches and a half. Bill blueish, three quarters of an inch from the angle of the mouth, and four-tenths from the nostrils, which are ovately round, rather large, and simple, being entirely devoid of an external membrane, but the base is partially covered with small thick-set, short, setaceous feathers; between the eye and base of the bill are a few weak and short hairs; the upper part of the head, as far as the nape, is capped by deep-black, having a blueish gloss: between the nostrils and the eye, as well as on the chin and throat, the colour is white, which changes to a pale cinereous grey on the sides of the head and round the neck; the ears at their base and margin of the eye tinged with yellow; the rest of the upper plumage yellowish-olive. The under plumage on the lower part of the neck and breast, the sides, and the inner wing-covers are clear yellow, and from that to the vent white. Wings two inches long, the quills brown, margined externally with olive and internally with yellow; the first and second quill progressively shorter than the third and fourth, which are of equal length. Tail short, slightly divaricated; olive, with whitish marginal tips. Legs blueish-black; the three fore-toes are equally cleft, but a membrane will be found connecting them equally at the base nearly as far as the first joint.

Temminck must be mistaken in giving as a generic character to this genus, that the external toe is connected to the middle one as far as the first joint, and the inner toe cleft to the base; at least such is not the case either in my specimens of this bird or in those of the Cayenne Shrike: and they have been carefully relaxed in warm water, the best method of ascertaining such peculiarities.

Pl. 33

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TAMYRIS Zeleucus.

GENERIC CHARACTER.

_Antennae arcuatae, clava terminali, cra.s.sata, lineari, obtusa, in foeminis graciliore attenuata. Palpi in fronte convexe-compressi, supra linguam obvenientes, articulo ultimo minutissimo, cra.s.sato obtuso, approximate, proclivi. Alae breves, sedentes horizontaliter divaricatae._

Antennae arcuated; the club terminal, thick, linear, obtuse; more slender and attenuated in the female. Palpi compressed convexly on the front of the head, meeting above the tongue; the last joint very minute, thick, obtuse, approximating and bent forward. Wings short, when at rest horizontally divaricated.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER, ETC.

_T. Alis chalybeis concoloribus, margine albo; capite apiceque corporis sanguineis._