PTEROGLOSSUS CASTANOTIS.
Chestnut-eared Ara^ari.
S p e c if ic C h a r a c t e r .
Pter. rostro depresso; mandibula superiore straminea, culmine late nisi ad apicern macidaque
triangulari utrinque nigris; tomiis profunde dentatis, interstitiis nigris; mandibula inferiore
nigra; fascia basali Jlava: supra olivaceo-viridis, subtus sulphureus; capite guttureque
nigris; regione parotica Jemoribusque saturate castaneis; uropygio, interscapulio, abdomi-
nisque fascia lata coccineis ; tectricibus caudce inferioribus sordide Jlavis; remigibus brunneis.
Beak depressed, of a deep straw yellow, with a broad triangular mark of black along its culmen
for two thirds of its length, and a nearly similar mark of black on each side; its edges
are strongly dentated, the intervals between the notches being black; the under mandible
is black throughout; an abrupt line of yellow surrounds the base of the beak; crown of
the head, sides of the neck, and throat black; ear-coverts rich dark chestnut; whole of the
upper surface, wings and tail dark olive green ; the whole of the under surface, with the
exception of a rich band of scarlet which crosses the breast, o f a rich lemon yellow, with a
few slight dashes of scarlet on the breast and under tail-coverts; upper tail-coverts scarlet;
thighs chestnut; tarsi dark lead colour.
Total length, 17t inches; bill, 5; wings, 6t ; tail, 7 i ; tarsi, 1£.
Pteroglossus castanotis. Gould, Proceedings of the Zool. Soc., P a rti, p. 119-
I t is not a little remarkable that in a group of birds so limited as the present, so many species, hitherto
undescribed, should reward the researches which the Monograph has called me to institute. I here introduce
another new species to the notice of the scientific, which approaches in its general form and colours to the
Pteroglossus Aragon. It is but recently that I became possessed of this fine species, a notice of which,
together with its specific characters, will be found in the “ Proceedings of the Zoological Society,” Part I. p. 119.
Its habitat is Brazil, and I would again remark, that if in a country like that, which has been well explored,
new species are continually discovered to reward the researches of science, how much more may we not expect
from a laborious scrutiny of those countries of the New World not yet visited by the scientific labourer!
Although I have designated this bird castanotis, a title which clearly indicated the bird in my possession, yet
on examining a specimen of the same species in the Royal Museum of Paris, I found the chestnut, which
covers the ears only in my specimen, extending round the throat; but whether this difference is the result of
age, sex, or season, the limited knowledge I have of the species does not enable me to determine. The Paris
specimen had the name of P. bitorquatus attached to the pedestal on which it was mounted; but the true
P. bitorquatus, for which this bird appeared to have been mistaken, was not in the collection.