BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 135 



phalanges of middle toe as long as tarsus), the halhix (without claw) 

 half as long as tarsus; and with a white supraloral stripe and black 

 loral stripe. 



Bill nearly as long as head (culmen about three-fourths as long 

 as tarsus, more than one-fourth as long as wing), of nearly uniform 

 depth as far as angle of gonys; culmen not elevated basally, nearly 

 straight as far as anterior end of nostril, thence gradually and 

 slightly decurved to tip; gonys as long as mandibular rami, nearly 

 straight, slightly ascending terminally, its basal angle distinct but 

 not prominent; mandibular rami with a narrow and rather indis- 

 tinct lateral groove; nasal fossa long but rather narrow, extending 

 nearly halfway from loral antia to tip of maxilla, well-defined; nos- 

 tril narrowly elliptical, entirely pervious, its anterior end much 

 nearer to loral antia than to tip of maxilla; loral antia forming a 

 distinct obtuse angle at middle of base of nasal fossa, the somewhat 

 widened base of culmen separating those of opposite sides and form- 

 ing a U-shaped or obtusely V-shaped opening in the frontal feather- 

 ing; malar antia slightly posterior to loral antia, the mental antia 

 slightly posterior to posterior end of nostril. Wing relatively small, 

 very concave beneath, much rounded; longest primaries exceeding 

 distal secondaries by a little more than one-fourth the length of "wing, 

 projecting decidedly beyond tips of elongated proximal secondaries ; 

 second, third, and fourth primaries (from outside) longest, the first 

 (outermost) intermediate between eighth and ninth. Tail nearly 

 half a3 long as wing, much rounded, the rectrices soft, narrow, and 

 tapering, mostly concealed by coverts. Tarsus more than one-third 

 as long as wing, about as long as two first phalanges of middle toe, 

 the acrotarsiimi with a single series of broad transverse scutella on 

 upper part, the lower half or more with several ill-defined series ; outer 

 toe with claw reaching to or slightly beyond base of middle claw, the 

 mner toe, without claw, reaching to slightly beyond subterminal artic- 

 ulation of middle toe ; hallux, without claw, about as long as basal pha- 

 lanx of outer toe, very nearly half as long as tarsus ; claws moderate 

 in size, much compressed, moderately curved, acute. 



Plumage and coloration. — Plumage of head, neck, and underparts 

 dense and blended; primaries moderately broad, the outermost 

 strongly bowed; elongated proximal secondaries moderately broad, 

 their tips rounded. Upper parts brown (duskj^ or blackish on 

 pileum) the back, etc., mixed with black and streaked with white; 

 a black loral stripe and above it a white supraloral stripe; under- 

 parts mostly white or pale buffy, the sides, flanks, and under tail 

 coverts barred with black. 



Range (entire genus). — Cosmopolitan (12 species). 



272607—41 10 



