BIRDS OF NOETH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 91 



but sometimes relatively broad and rounded at the tip;" ninth 

 primary sometimes shorter than third (P. fulviventris) , sometimes 

 longer than fifth; eighth, seventh, and sixth, eighth and seventh, 

 seventh and sixth, or sixth primaries longest; four primaries (eighth 

 to fifth, inclusive) with outer web sinuated. Tail shorter than wing 

 but usually longer than distance from bend of wing to end of second- 

 aries (very slightly shorter than the latter only in P. jamaicensis, 

 P. fhsRopygus, and P. fumigatus), even, or slightly rounded, the 

 rectrices rather broad. Tarsus slightly more than one-fifth to more 

 than one-third as long as w4ng (the variation depending more, how- 

 ever, on relative length of the wing, which differs much more than that 

 of the tarsus), the acrotarsium completely fused on both sides; middle 

 toe (without claw) usually about two-thirds as long as tarsus or 

 slightly more (distinctly less than two-thirds only in P. jamaicensis, 

 nearly three-fourths as long in P. merula) ; lateral toes unequal, the 

 inner (without claw) reaching to subterminal articulation of middle 

 toe, the outer slightly beyond; hallux slightly shorter than inner toe; 

 basal phalanx of middle toe united for more than basal half to outer 

 toe (for its entire length, or very nearly so in P. fumigatus!), for less 

 than half to inner toe; claws variable in relative length and curvature, 

 more slender and less strongly curved, that of hallux relatively longer 

 (but shorter than its digit) in P. merula and P. migratorius, shorter 

 and more strongly curved in other species. 



Coloration. — Coloration extremely variable, the various American 

 species (together with several Old World congeners) being classifiable 

 according to this character into the following groups: •♦ 



A. — Sexes very different, the female conspicuously duller in color than the male. 



a. Adult males entirely black, females grayish brown. 



P. merula and allies (Palsearctic). 



P. infuscatus (Mexico and Guatemala). 



P. atrosericeus and M. serranus (northern and western South America). 

 6. Adult male black with broad rufous collar round neck and chest. 



M. rufitoTques (Guatemala). 



B. — Sexes alike, or essentially so. in color. 



c. Throat more or less distinctly streaked, or else head black in contrast with gray of 

 back; abdomen rufous. 



1. Throat uniform dusky. 



P. euryzonus (Colombia). • 



shape of the tenth primary. It is true that all of the American forms, at least, except 

 those named above (also P. merula and the African P. olivacea) come within the gap 

 between P. migratorius on the one hand and P. jamaicensis on the other; but neverthe- 

 less P. gigas and P. gigantodes are so evidently nearly related to P. nigrescens and other 

 species with "normal " tenth primary that I do not feel justified in recognizing a genus 

 (Semimerula) Ijased on this character alone. 



o A pointed tip is not, however, always correlated with the narrower form, a rela- 

 tively broad one sometimes having a pointed tip, and vice versa. 



