lC)i REVIEW OF AMERICAN BIRDS. [PART I. 



Ill further illustration of the character of the tongue in the Sylvi- 

 colidse, I here present the result of an examination of alcoholic 

 specimens of other families, some of these, unfortunately, in poor 

 condition. 



TuRDiD^ : Tardus migratorius and sivainsoni have the tongue 

 rather acute, and fleshy, with horny edges and tip, Avhich is almost 

 entire or very slightly bifid, and its sides very little, if at all, lacerated. 



Saxicolid^ : Sialia sialic. Tongue similar to last, perhaps still 

 less lacerated. 



Sylviid^ : Begulus safrapa. Tongue rather broad ; very slightly 

 lacerated around the ends of the horny part, but apparently not bifid. 



These three families seem to agree pretty well in having the tongue 

 either entire at the end, or very slightly' bifid or notched, with the 

 edges nearly entire. The appearance of laceration may, to a con- 

 siderable extent, be due to the softening of the membranes of the 

 horny portion of the tongue, which allows the apparently fibrous 

 basis to be liberated around the edges. 



In the Motacillidse and SylvicoUdas the tongue differs in being 

 more horny, more deeply bifid at tip, and the outer edges and tip 

 of the two portions lacerated or coarsely divided into a fringe, usu- 

 ally in the ends, to a less degree on the sides, and in a direction 

 nearly parallel with the axis of the tongue, or radiating from the 

 bottom of the notch. The horny part of the tongue is quite con- 

 siderable, and the notch involves generally about one-third or one- 

 fourth of it (less of the entire tongue). In making this generaliza- 

 tion I have examined the following species : — 



]MoTACiLLiD.a: : Anthus ludovicianus. 



Sylvicolid^: MniotiUa varia ; Panda americana ; Profo- 

 notaria cib^ea ; Geothlypis irichas ; Icteria virens ; Teretrisiis 

 fornsii ; Seiurus aurocapillus and novehoracensis ; Dendroica 

 virens, canadensis, coronata, hlackhurnia, castanea, pennsylvanica, 

 striata, sestiva, macidosa, ^^tigrina,'''' 2^cih^'icirum, discolor ; Helmintho- 

 phaga celata and ruficapiUa ; Myiodioctes mitratus, j)'^(siUus, cana- 

 densis ; SetojjJiaga ruticilla — twenty-six species in all. I have not 

 had the opportunity of examining any species of Helmitherus or 

 Oporornis ; nor of Dendroica superciliosa, which I much regret.* 



' I am indebted to Prof. Agassiz for the opportunity of examining Helmin- 

 thophaga riificapilla. 



