:'i I!
, li
Hi | '=
' ' !u;
li ti ii ■
M*N Himha-rL imp
P late X X IX .
EYLACTE 8 CASTANEUS.
(CHESTNUT HYLACTES).
Pteroptochus castaneus
H yla cie s castaneus
P h il, e t Lau d b . Wiegm. Arch. 1865, p . 5 6 ; ib. 1S66, p. 121.
Sc la ter, P.Z.S. 1867, p. 325.
S u p ra olivaceo-cinerascens, alis e s tu s rufesceRti-olivaceis, te c tric um majorum e t secundariorum apicibus p a llid is ;
u ro p y g ii p lumis elongat®, castaneo tin c tis , fascia subapicali nig ra, ocbraceo te rm in a tis ; cauda n ig r a : fronte, snper-
ciliis e t c orpore su b tu s ad medium p e c tu s c a s ta u e is ; oculorum am b itu sordide a lb o : abdomine medio cinereo, castaneo
v a rieg ato : crisso n ig ro e t c astan eo tra n s fa s c ia to : ro s tro c t p e dibus n ig r is : long, t o t a 9 0 , al® 4 '2 , caud® 2 6, ta rs i
1 ‘9, dig iti p ostiei cum u n g u e 1'6, r o s tr i a r ic tu (lin. d ir.) I'O.
Hab. in Rep. ChUianS.
Messrs. Philippi and Landbeck, the Director and Sub-director o f the iEuseum o f Santiago
in Chili, have, during the last few years, contributed a series o f valuable papers on the Natural
History o f then* adopted country to “ W iegmann’s Archiv,” in the course o f which they have
made many valuable additions to oin* knowledge o f the Chilian Fauna. Amongst these there
is none o f greater mterest than the fine species now portrayed; forming, as it does, an additional
member o f a limited hut very cliaracteristic gi'oup o f Chilian birds.
The Pteroptochus castaneus, as its describers have called this new species, from the prevailing
chestnut colouring o f its plumage, is most nearly allied to the Hylactes tam ii o f King, and
belongs strictly to the same small group, which is easily distinguishable fi.'om typical Pteroptochus
b y the very strong feet, the remarkable size o f the hind-claw, and the possession o f fourteen
tail-feathers.
It was first met ivith by DIessrs. Philippi and Landbeck, in December, 1860, in the Hacienda
de la Puerta, in the Province o f Colchagua, at an elevation o f about 5000 feet above the
sea*level. Here it was observed in small companies, fi-equentlng the deep ravines traversed by
the sti-eams which descend fi'oin the neighbouring snow-fields. Its call is stated to have a great
resemblance to that o f II. tarnii, reminding one o f the distant hark o f a small dog. Subsequently,
additional specimens were obtained b y the same Naturalists in a more northern part o f the
Province o f Colchagua, in the month o f November. Two o f these were full grown young, so
that this bird may be supposed to breed early in the Antarctic Summer. Its favourite resort
hei-e appeared to be the bottoms o f the deepest and dampest ravines, which are densely
clothed with a coarse grass called “ quila” and thickets formed by a kind o f beech. Similar