A REVIEW OF THE GENUS DENDROCINCLA GRAY. 

 Br ROBERT RIDO^VAV. 



Probably no group of birds presents greater difficulties to the student 

 than the great Neotropical family Dendrocolaptid(v, embracing nearly 

 300 plainly colored species, among which an essentially similar style of 

 coloration is often repeated in widely different genera, while the vari- 

 ous species, sometimes numerous, within one genus are usually distin- 

 guished by characters which are obvious only on actual comparison of 

 specimens. The vague descriptions of many authors renders it almost 

 a hopeless task to attempt to identify their species from the descriptions 

 alone ; and type specimens, when they are in existence, are scattered 

 through the museums In various countries, many of tliem being thus 

 practically inaccessible. Perhaps the greater number of type specimens 

 belonging to this family are in the celebrated Lafresnaye collection, for 

 some years the property of the Boston Society of Natural History, an 

 institution which is second to none in its readiness to aid the cause of 

 science by placing its treasures in the hands of those who undertake the 

 task of unweaving such intricate webs of obscurity and confusion as 

 that which constitutes the subject of the present paper, which indeed 

 could not have been done without the valuable aid thus received. 



The present paper is the result of the author's efforts to determine 

 two species of the genus DendrocincJa Gray in a small collection of 

 birds from the Lower Amazon, an attempt which proved a literal " grop- 

 ing in the dark " until the necessary light was furnished by the La- 

 fresnaye types, so courteously supplied by the officers of the above-men- 

 tioned establishment, to whom acknowledgments are due. 



The want of sufficient time has prevented the author from going much 

 into detail, and the material examined has not been altogether such as 

 was desirable; but it is hoped that the following synoptical table and 

 revision of the synonymy may throw some further light upon the sub- 

 ject and prove useful to those who wish to pursue it further. 



Genus DENDROCINCLA Gray. 



''Dryocopus Max., Beitr., iii, 1831, lU-i" {nee Bon-:, 1826!). Type, Dendrocolaptea tur- 



diniis LiCHT. ? 

 Dendrocinda Gray, List Gen. B. 1840, 23. Type, DendroGolapies tnrdinus Light. 

 Dendrocops Lafuksn., Rev. et Mag. Zool., 1851, 320-3-29, 465-468 (nee Swains.); Mon. 



Dendroc, 1851, 72-84. 

 Dendromanes Scl., P. Z. S., 1859, 382. Type, Dendrocinda anabatina ScL. 



Gen. Char. — Bill about as long as head, or somewhat shorter, the 

 culmjen straight to the tip, where more or less abruptly decurved, form- 

 ing a more or less distinct terminal hook, this not preceded by a dis- 



488 



