The Red-headed Tanager has never, we believe, been found in Brazil; although it occurs in Cayenne, Surinam, and some of the West India Islands. Buffon was its first describer; he informs us that in French Guyana it appears in small flocks, two or three times in a year; arriving when the fruit of a particular tree is ripe, and departing when it begins to fail. Some specimens are more brilliant than others, originating probably from age or locality: those from Cayenne are known by a delicate blue tinge on the breast. A further variety has been described (Ency. Meth.), in which the upper part of the neck is also red, and the back marked by a large spot of dull rufous (brun-marron). We suspect this will prove a distinct species. The rank of this group, whether as generic or subgeneric, can only be determined by analyzing the whole family.
Pl. 29.
Melania Pl. 1.
1, setosa. 2, amarula.
MELANIA amarula.
Order Phytophaga. (Gasteropoda, Cuv. Pars.)
Molluscæ destitute of a syphon, but furnished with jaws, and generally enclosed in a univale shell, with an entire aperture.
Generic Character.