Grypus spixi

I obtained a single specimen of this bird from M. Parzudaki of Paris, but was unable to learn whence it had been received, a fact which would be of much interest both to myself and to every scientific ornithologist; I have but little doubt, however, that the bird is a native of Brazil.

Not being able to find any published description of a species according with the present bird, whose thick and powerful bill, together with other characters, at once indicate its proper place in the family of Trochilidae, I have no alternative but to characterize it as new. When I first describe it, I accompanied my description with a remark, which I may as well repeat here: --

This bird is considerably smaller than G. naevius, and has less cuneate tail. It is possible that this may be one of the sexes of Glaucis Dohrni; many of its colours would induce such a belief; and if this should prove to be the case, that bird must be removed from the genus Glaucis to that of Grypus. I have named this species in honour of the celebrated traveller Spix, in whose work there occurs a figure of a bird (G. ruficollis) which somewhat resembles my specimen; not so, however, the accompanying description, which appears to be that of the species so frequently sent from Rio de Janeiro, and which is generally known as Grypus naevius.

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