BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 25 



strongly decurved, the tip of maxilla conspicuously uncinate; maxil- 

 lary tomium nearly straight, distinctly notched subterminally ; tip 

 of mandible slightly recurved or subfalcate, the tomium slightl}^ but 

 distinctly toothed and notched subterminally ; gonys strongly convex 

 and prominent basally, ascending and moderately convex terminally, 

 nearly twice as long as unfeathered portion of rami. Nostril small, 

 exposed, obliquely oval, without visible internal tubercle. Kictal 

 bristles obvious but small; feathers of chin and anterior portion of 

 malar region with small bristly tips, those of loral region with much- 

 thickened shafts, and those of frontal antia? semi-decomposed. Wing 

 moderate, the longest primaries decidedly longer than secondaries, 

 much rounded; fifth, sLxtli, and seventh primaries longest, the tenth 

 (outermost) about tlu'ee-fifths as long as the longest, the ninth about 

 as long as secondaries. Tail slightly but decidedly shorter than 

 wing, much rounded (graduation aljout equal to distance from nostril 

 to tip of maxilla), the rectrices (12) broad, rounded terminally. 

 Tarsus as long as exposed culmen or a little shorter (between one- 

 fourth and one-third as long as wing), distinctly scutellate, the planta 

 consistmg of two longitudinal series of scutella, the inner series of 

 which are larger, of c{uadrate form, and extend around the })osterior 

 margin, the outer series much smaller, longitudmal, and iiTegularly 

 hexagonal or elliptical; middle toe, with claw, much shorter than 

 tarsus; outer toe, without claw, reaching to beyond middle of sub- 

 terminal phalanx of middle toe, the mner toe decidedly but slightly 

 shorter; hallux about as long as inner toe but much stouter; middle 

 toe united to outer toe by whole of its basal phalanx, to inner toe by 

 more than half its basal phalanx; claws moderately curved, rather 

 blunt, much compressed. Plumage blended, rather lax, especially 

 on rump; feathers of pileum moderately developed, not forming a 

 distinct crest. 



Coloration. — Adult male black (more gray or slaty on under parts 

 of body), the wing-coverts with white terminal dots, the lateral 

 rectrices narrowly tipped with white; adult female gray or olive, 

 narrowly streaked with whitish. 



Range. — Costa Rica and western Panama. (Monotypic.) 



ABALIUS BRIDGESI (Sclater.) 



BRIDGES' ANTSHRIKE. 



Adult Tnale. — Head, neck, chest, and upper parts black, broken 

 on wing-coverts by a small spot of white at tip of most of these 

 feathers; outer pair of rectrices with a small terminal spot of white, 

 the next pair sometimes with a similar but smaller spot f under parts 

 of body, posterior to chest, plain slate color, the under tail-coverts 

 similar but darker ; under wing-coverts (except along margin of wing) 



« Very rarely there are a few very narrow streaks of white on the chest. 



