SCHISTES PERSONATUS, Gouid.
Masked Wedge-bill.
Schistes geoffroyi, Sclat. in Proc. o f Zool. Soc., p a rt xxviii. p. 70.
personatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., p a rt xxviii. p. 311.
M y own collection contains three specimens of this fine bird, all of which are from Ecuador; one of them
was shot at Pallatanga by Mr. Fraser.
In point of affinity the Schistes personatus is nearly allied to the S. Geoffroyi; but as that species is from a
different country (New Granada), and never has any glittering colour on the forehead, the two birds cannot
be considered as identical. Besides the differences alluded to, the S. personatus has a longer bill and is of
larger size, which, together with the possession of a glittering forehead, renders it a much finer bird. The
only note that I can find respecting this species is the following brief one from the pen of Mr. Fraser in
the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London ’ for 1860.
“ I should have taken this to be the male of S. albogularts but for the colour of the feet and shape of the
tail. Bill and feet black. Stomach contained insects.”
Forehead, face, and throat glittering brilliant green, in the form of a mask, posterior to which is a patch
of black, below this spring two lengthened tufts of violet-blue feathers, succeeded by a crescentic mark
of white; crown of the head, back of the neck, back and shoulders golden-green; tail green, each feather
crossed near its apex by a broad band of steel or bluish black; abdomen green; wings purplish brown;
bill black.
The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Nematanthus ionema.