: Descriptions of Three New Birds from the Belgian Congo Bulletin of the AMNH Vol. XXXIV Art. XVI pp. 509-513 Oct. 20th 1915 by Chapin James Paul - Chaetura melanopygia Classification; Apaloderma minus Classification; Ceriocleptes xenurus Classification; Bi

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BY JAMES P. CHAPIN.

BY JAMES P. CHAPIN.

The whole of the large collection of birds secured by the Congo Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History during the years 1909 to 1915, under the leadership of Mr. Herbert Lang, has now arrived safely at the Museum. It is composed of material gathered all across the Belgian Congo, from Boma on the west to Aba in the northeastern corner, but the greater part from the more remote territory between Stanley Falls and the Enclave of Lado, including the dense equatorial forests of the Ituri, Nepoko, and Bomokandi, and the high-grass and bush country of the Uele District to the north and northeast.

Of the relatively small number of zo?logical expeditions that have passed through and collected in these regions, none has ever before been able to make such a prolonged stay, and the varied zo?logical results of this Expedition are surely of the highest scientific interest. The ornithological collection contains in the neighborhood of six thousand skins, and represents some 600 different species, a number of them of course new to science. These it is our purpose to describe as promptly as possible in this Bulletin, before taking up the greater work of a general report on all the forms collected, with more extended notes on their distribution, habits, food, and nests.

Descriptions of the first three new forms follow:

Description of type, collector's No. 4986 Congo Exp. A. M. N. H., ad. Avakubi, Ituri District, Belgian Congo, Aug. 15, 1913.

Upper parts brownish-black becoming black on wings and tail, with faint violet and green reflections . Ear coverts drab, bordered with fuscous-black; feathers of throat pale smoke-gray, margined with fuscous, those of upper breast similar, but heavily bordered with fuscous-black, consequently with a very pronounced "scaly" appearance; lower breast growing darker, so that the dark borders are less conspicuous, and the feathering of the belly completely fuscous-black with slight oily gloss. Under wing coverts mouse-gray with darker edges, flanks and under tail-coverts black with slight greenish gloss. Tail slightly rounded.

Iris dark brown, bill black, feet bluish, shading to dusky brown on tips of toes and claws. Sexual organs enlarged.

Length 145 mm.; wing 164; tail 49.5; bill , 7.5; metatarsus 13.

In juvenal plumage both species are entirely buff below, the feathers more or less tipped with dusky.

Type: collector's No. 4983. Congo Exp. A. M. N. H. ad. Avakubi Ituri District, Belgian Congo, August 13, 1913.

Iris red-brown; distal portion of bill light greenish gray, base of bill and two naked patches beneath eye light cadmium-yellow, naked skin above eye lemon-yellow; bare skin of foreneck light blue; feet pale pink.

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