BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 459 



Genus MIONECTES Cabanis. 



Mioneclcs Oabanis, Wiegmann's Archiv. fiir Naturg., 1844, pt. i, 275. (Type, 

 Muscicapa striaticollis D'Orliigny and liafresnaye.) 



Similar to Plpi-ontorplia Bonaparte, hut ninth ])riniarv aljiior- 

 nially rechiced and attenuated, not lono;er than tenth, snl)falcate or 

 spatuhite terminally; tail relatively shorter, never much more 

 (sometimes less) than tln-ee-fourths as long as wing; under i)arts 

 sulphur yellow, streaked anteriorly with olive. 



Bill ahout half to two-thirds as long as head, narrow, tapering 

 slightly in lateral but conspicuously in vertical jorofile, its width at 

 anterior end of nostrils equal to not more than half the distance from 

 nostril to tip of maxilla and not conspicuously greater than its depth 

 at same point ; exposed culmen a little longer than middle toe without 

 claw, sharply ridged, straight for most of its length, rather abru]>tly 

 and strongly decurved terminally, the tip of maxilla moderately and 

 rather finely uncinate; gonys longer than mandibular rami, faintl}^ 

 convex, ascending terminally; maxillary tomium straight, distinctly 

 notched subterminally. Nostril exposed, rather large, longitudinally 

 broadly oval or broadly elliptical, margined above by narrow mem- 

 brane and inclosing a large and very distinct oblique shelf or flange 

 (cartilaginous?)- Rictal bristles obvious but very small and weak, 

 the feathers of chin and frontal antige with distinct though small 

 bristle-like points. Wing rather long and pointed, the longest pri- 

 maries exceeding secondaries b^- more than length of middle toe with- 

 out claw; sixth or sixth and seventh primaries longest, tenth (outer- 

 most) equal to third or fourth, ninth not longer (sometimes decidedly 

 shorter) than tenth, very narrow, the terminal half abruptly atten- 

 uated, somewhat expanded and recurved terminally (If. olivaceus) 

 or slender-attenuate and recurved terminally (M. striaticollis). Tail 

 very slightly more than tliree-fourths as long as wing (M. olivaceus) or 

 decidedly less than tlu-ee-fourths as long"(^- striaticollis), even or very 

 faintly doul)le-rounded, the rectrices firm and rather broad. Tarsus 

 about one-fourth as long as wing, moderately slender or rather stout, 

 its scutellation typically exaspidean, with acrotarsial divisions some- 

 times distinct, sometimes obsolete; middle toe, without claw, much 

 more than half as long as tarsus, its basal phalanx united to outer toe 

 for whole, or nearly all, of its length, to inner toe for about half its 

 length ; outer toe, without claw, reaching to or slightly beyond middle 

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

 shorter; hallux as long as inner toe, decidedly stouter, its claw shorter 

 than the digit, strongly arched, sharj), the anterior claws also strongly 

 arched and sharp. 



