BIRDS OP NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 171 



tii)ped rectrices, and inner webs of remiges crossed by a broad oblique 

 band of light tawny or ochraceoiis-buff. 



Bill decidedly shorter than head, stout, wedge-shaped, compressed, 

 its width at loral antite much less than its de})th at same ])oint and 

 equal to a little less than half to one-third the distance from 

 nostril to tip of maxilla; culmen scarcely ridged, straight to extreme 

 tip; maxillary tomium slightly convex, without trace of notch; 

 mandibular tomium distinctly concave for terminal half, without 

 trace of notch; gonys distinctly convex, strongly ascending ter- 

 minally, the mandil^le strongly recurved terminally (falcate) with 

 tip acute. Nostril exposed, posteriorly in contact with loral feath- 

 ering, very small, longitudinally ovate or elliptical, slightly oper- 

 culate. Rictal bristles absent. Wing moderate, rather pointed, the 

 longest primaries exceeding secondaries by length of culmen, or more; 

 seventh and eighth jirimaries longest, the tenth (outermost) about 

 four-fifths as long as longest and decidedly longer than secondaries. 

 Tail a little more than two-thirds to four-fifths as long as wing, 

 strongly rounded or moderately graduated (graduation not greater 

 than length of tarsus), the rectrices (12) soft and rounded terminally. 

 Tarsus as long as or slightly longer than culmen, one-fourth as long 

 as wing or slightly less, distinctly scutellate; middle toe, with claw, 

 about as long as tarsus; outer toe, without claw, reaching to middle 

 of subterminal phalanx of middle toe, the inner toe slightly but 

 decidedly shorter; hallux as long as outer toe, decidedly stouter; 

 middle toe united to outer toe by all of its first and half or more of 

 its second phalanx, to inner toe by whole of its first phalanx; claws 

 large, strongly curved, acute, that of the hallux much shorter than 

 the digit. 



Coloration. — Plain brown or rufescent above, the head darker, 

 sometimes streaked; tail cinnamon-rufous with much black on third 

 and fourth, or second, third, and fourth rectrices; primaries blacldsh 

 and dull cinnamon-rufous; inner webs of remiges crossed obliquely 

 by a broad band of pale tawny or ochraceous; under parts light olive, 

 whitish on throat, the chest, etc., sometimes streaked with whitish. 

 Sexes alike. 



Range. — Southern Mexico to Cayenne, Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. 

 (About five species.) '^ 



« The following I have not seen: X. littoralis Sclater; X. tenuiroslris Pelzeln. 



