180 



DEXTIKOSTRES. 



SUB-FAMILY II. 



PiPKIX.E. 



The Manakins. 



Gen. Chaeac. — Bill moderate, or short, and rather depressed, with the base 

 very broad ; the culmeu curved, and the sides compressed to the tip, which 

 is emarginated ; the nostrils lateral, and more or less hidden by the pro- 

 jecting plumes; the wings moderate and pointed; tail very short and even ; 

 tarsi more or loss long and rather slender, with the outer toe united to 

 l)(\V()n(l lhi> second joint of the middle toe, and the inner slightly uuili'd. 



Fig. 74.— tue streaked manakin. 

 (Pipm xfrioldfd.) 



Most of these birds are found in tlie tropical 

 regions of America^ or the forests of Sumatra and 

 Singapore. They inhabit hot humid woods, in the 

 skirts of which they live in flocks, searching for 

 insects and small fruits. They are very lively and 

 restless, and are frequently seen on the ground or 

 sometimes perched on trees. The note of one 

 species has been compared to the cracking of a nut. 



