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Show 514 MESSRS. SCLATER AND SALVIN ON THE CRACIDiE. [June 9, upon Crax peruvianus of Brisson (I. c. p. 305), is, there can be little doubt, intended for the female of the present bird. The first author who appears to have correctly identified these birds as male and female is Tschudi, who, in his ' Fauna Peruana,' accurately describes both sexes under the name Crax temminckii, from specimens obtained by Deppe in Western Mexico; but he is no doubt in error in supposing that this was the species that he himself saw in the wood-region of Eastern Peru. In our first paper on the Ornithology of Guatemala we erroneously called this bird Crax alector. This mistake was subsequently rectified, and the Central-American bird was referred to Crax globicera, which name has generally been adopted by more recent writers for the Central-American bird. In Mr. G. R. Gray's 'List of Gallinee' this Curassow is called Crax blumenbachii, following Spix's figure (Av. Bras. ii. t. 64). It is possible Mr. Gray may be correct in this reference, as we have seen Central-American specimens nearly as dark as represented in Spix's figure; but if this be so, it can hardly be true, as Spix states, that his specimen was obtained from Rio. This Curassow is the only species of the genus and subfamily met with in America, north of Panama. We have examined a large number of specimens from different localities between the isthmus and Southern Mexico. The male is quite constant in colour, except that in one Panama specimen the tail shows a very narrow margin of white. The female, on the contrary, is very variable, as we have already pointed out in our diagnosis. In some specimens the wings are wholly red, in others much banded with black and cinnamo-meous; in some specimens also the tail-bands are very slight, and almost evanescent; in others they are broad and conspicuous. The upper portion of the back varies from black to chestnut. 2. CRAX ALECTOR. Crax alector, Linn. S. N. i. p. 269; Temm. Pig. et Gall. iii. p. 27 et p. 689 ; Vieill. Gall. Ois. ii. p. 6, t. 199 ; Cab. in. Schomb. Guiau. iii. p. 746; Reichenb. Tauben, p. 130; Bennett, Gardens & Men. ii. p. 9 ; Pelzeln, Orn. Bras. p. 286. Purpurascenti-nigra : ventre imo crissoque albis: cristce brevis plumis nigris, versus apicem recurvis.- loris nudis: cera et rostro ad basin flavis, hujus apice ceerulescente: pedibus cornels: long, tota 35, alee 14*5, caudee 13*5, tarsi 4*5. Fern. Mari similis, sed crista intus albo parce transfasciata. Hab. British Guiana (Schomb.); Rio Negro, Rio Vaupe, and Rio Brancho (Natt.). Mus. Brit., Vindob., S.-G. The species most liable to be confounded with the present Curassow are Crax globicera and Crax sclateri. From both of these it is distinguishable by the purple tinge of its plumage, which is very noticeable in living specimens, but is also plainly shown in skins. From C. globicera it is likewise distinguishable by the naked lores and by the want of the protuberance on the cere ; from C. sclateri by tbe absence of the white tips to the tail-feathers and the black |