528 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



secondaries, nostril narrower than the ver}" broad opercLihmi, and runi}) 

 without concealed white spots. 



Bill shorter than head, stout, usually more or less subcuneate; 

 exposed culmen longer than middle toe without claw, straight for at 

 least the basal half, rather al)ruptlv decurved terminall}"; gon^^s 

 decidedly shorter than distance from nostril to tip of maxilla, straight; 

 maxillary tomium slightly concave, strongly })ut graduall}^ deflexed 

 basally, usually with a slight, sometimes distinct, indication of a sub- 

 terminal notch; mandibular rami strongly bent. Nostril longitudinal, 

 linear or slenderh' fusiform, overhung by a broad, membraneous decum- 

 bent operculum, its posterior end in contact with (sometimes partly 

 covered by) feathers of the latero-f rontal antia?. Rictal bristles obvi- 

 ous, but very short and inconspicuous, very rarely one or two of them 

 well developed. Wing short and rounded; seventh to third, or sixth 

 to fourth, primaries longest and nearly equal, the eighth not longer 

 than third, sometimes shorter than second, the ninth shorter than 

 secondaries (usually very much so) and less (usually much less) than 

 twice as long as tenth. Tail about four-fifths as long to nearly as long 

 as wing, graduated for one-third its length, or more, the rectrices 

 broadly rounded at tip. Tarsus much longer than exposed culmen, a 

 little more than one-third to two-fifths as long as wing, the acrotarsiura 

 distinctly scutellate, the planta tarsi booted; middle toe, without claw, 

 shorter than exposed culmen (sometimes nearly as long); outer toe 

 slightly but distinctly longer than inner, reaching (without claw) 

 nearly, sometimes quite, to middle of subterminal phalanx of middle 

 toe, its claw reaching to base of middle claw; inner toe (vvithout claw) 

 reaching to ver}^ slightly beyond middle (subterminal) joint of middle 

 toe; hallux (without claw) about as long as outer toe (without claw), 

 its claw decidedl}' shorter than the digit; basal phalanx of middle toe 

 adherent to outer toe for nearly its entire length, to inner toe for 

 nearly as far. 



Coloration. — Above plain ])rown, varying from grayish brown or 

 hair brown to chestnut-brown, the pileura sometimes ditferent in color 

 from back, etc.; remiges usually narrowly and indistinctly barred 

 with dusky; tail ))roadly barred with l)lack and light brownish, some- 

 times mostly black; under parts extremely variable in color, but 

 never entirelv black nor wholly white. 



RaiKje. — Southern Mexico to southern Brazil and Bolivia. (Numer- 

 ous species.) 



KKY TO TIIR 8PECIES AND SUBSPECIES OP PHEUGOPEDIUS. 



a. Throat and tail uiiiforni black (the last rarely with indications of brown bars). 



(Costa Rica and Nicaragna. ) Pheugopedius atrogularis (p. 580) 



aa. Throat at least partly white; tail barred with brown and black, or dusky. 



}). Under parts of body black, duskj^, or brown, with or without whitish or pale 

 brownish bars. {PJieugopediusfasciato-ventris.) 

 c. Under parts of l)ody black or dark grayish, more or less barred. (Adults.) 



