BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 501 



of middle toe coherent to outer toe for most of its lenoth, to inner toe 

 for nearly as much. 



Coloration. — A In-oud superciliary^ stripe of white or piile l)utlv, 

 with a l)Iack or brown stripe below it on side of head; sides of head 

 below this bhu'k or l)rown stripe and under parts white or buff}', with 

 or witliout dusk}' spots or bars; upper parts brown, usually much 

 variegated; whole head sometimes white; tail usually more or less 

 banded. 



Nldijication {at least of some species). — Nest very bulky, placed in 

 thorny bushes (especially cacti), more or less flask shaped (the entrance 

 at one end), composed of dried g-rasses, twig-s, etc., lined with softer 

 materials; eggs, 4-7, whitish or buffy, more or less speckled with 

 reddish brown. 



^cmz/t^— Southwestern United States to Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF HELEODYTES. 



a. Pileuiii and hindneck white; rest of upper parts uniform sooty brown. (Isthmus 



of Panama.) ..Heleodytes albobrunneus (p. 503) 



aa. Pileum and hindneck not white; rent of upper parts more or less variegated, 

 especially the wings, which are conspicuously banded. 

 b. Under parts wholly immaculate white or buffy white, 

 c. Larger (wing 86, tail 76, tarsus 29); middle rectrices barred with l)lack and 

 chestnut. (State of Chiapas, southwestern Mexico.) 



Heleodytes chiapensis (p. 504) 



cc. Smaller (wing less than 80, tail less than 75, tarsus less than 28); middle 



rectrices i)lain black, or black barred or mottled with brownish gray. 



{Heleodijlcs capisfratus. ) 



d. Middle rectrices barred with brownish gray. ( Guatemala to Costa Rica. ) 



Heleodytes capistratus capistratus (p. 504) 

 dd. Middle rectrices plain black, except at tips. (State of Chiapas, south- 

 western Mexico. ) Heleodytes capistratus nigricaudatus (p. 506) 



hh. Under parts not immaculate white; if ininiaculatc* the color not white, but 

 (lull fulvous. 

 c. Hindneck plain rusty brown or cinnamon; under parts ]>lain whitish, only 

 the under tail-coverts conspicuously marked (spotteil or burred) with dusky, 

 the remaiinng portions innnaculate or inconspicuously speckled. 

 d. Pileum uniform black; postocular stripe black; under parts more or less 

 distinctly speckled. (Southeastern Mexico.) 



Heleodytes rufinucha, adults (p. 507) 



dd. Feathers of pileum margined with brown; postocular strii>e brown; under 



parts (except under tail-coverts usually innnaculate, never distinctly 



speckled). (Southwestern Mexico. ) . .Heleodytes humilis, adults (p. 508) 



(•<■. Hindneck not rusty brown or cinnamon, but more or less distinctly streakeil 



with dusky and whitish. 



(/. Pileum uniform dull ])lai'k. 



('. Under parts wholly innnaculate; a broatl postocular stripe of black; l)lack 

 bars on lateral rectrices much narmwcr than pale cinnamon or cinna- 

 mon-whitish interspaces Heleodytes gularis, young (p. 527) 



ce. Under j^arts not wholly immaculate; a narrow postocular streak of 

 blackish; black bars on lateral rectrices not nan-owcr than pale cinna- 

 mon or grayish buffy interspaces. 

 /. Breast, etc., conspicuously spotted witli dusky. 



Heleodytes jocosus, youug (p. 525) 



