BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 119 



Small, short-legged, long-winged somewhat falconlike hawks (wing 

 about 267-312 mm.), with maxillary tomium conspicuously toothed 

 or angularly lobed, third primary longest and exceeding distal second- 

 ary by more than length of tail, the latter less than two-thirds as long 

 as wing, its tip truncate or emarginate, and tarsus less than one-seventh 

 as long as wing. 



Bill relatively short and thick, its depth at base nearly equal to 

 chord of culmen and decidedly greater than its width at same point; 

 culmen (chord) about as long as distance from anterior margin of 

 cere to anterior angle of eye, equal to or slightly greater than length 

 (chord) of claw of hallux, strongly and regularly decurved from base, 

 the tip of maxilla forming a moderately elongated unguis; gonys 

 about four-sevenths as long as culmen, rather strongly convex, ascend- 

 ing terminally and rather prominent basally; maxillary tomium 

 with a prominent "tooth" or lobe a little posterior to base of unguis, 

 then (basally) more or less concave, then faintly to rather strongly 

 convex; rictus on vertical line with about middle of loral region; 

 anterior outline of cere extending straight across base of culmen, then 

 forming a straight or faintly convex line obliquely downward and 

 backward to posterior portion of tomium; nostril relatively very small, 

 nearly circular to longitudinally oval or elliptical. VV^ing long and 

 pointed, the longest primary exceeding distal secondary by more than 

 half the length of wing and more than length of tail; third primary 

 longest, the first shorter than sixth; inner web of two outer primaries 

 emarginated, the third more or less sinuated. Tail more than two- 

 fifths to more than half as long as wing, its tip truncate to distinctly 

 emarginate. Tarsus less than one-seventh as long as wing, less than 

 one-third as long as tail, the upper portion feathered in front for two- 

 fifths to nearly half its length, the acrotarsium with broad transverse 

 scutella, those on lower portion more irregular in form and arrange- 

 ment, the planta tarsi with rather small, sometimes longitudinal, 

 hexagonal scales, the sides of tarsus with similar but larger scales; 

 middle toe a little more than three-fifths to two-thirds as long as 

 tarsus; inner toe extending to distal end of second phalanx of middle 

 toe, the outer toe much longer, reaching to about middle of third 

 phalanx of middle toe; hallux about as long as inner toe, extremely 

 broad, through unusual lateral development of the pads (tylari) ; 

 claws moderate in size and curvature, acute, grooved beneath, dis- 

 tinctly graduated in size, that of the hallux about one-third longer 

 than that of inner toe. 



Plumage and coloration. — Plumage compact, that of head and neck 

 blended, elsewhere with feathers rather distinctly outlined; primaries 

 and rectrices firm and moderately rigid; lores densely feathered, the 

 feathers with rather short bristlelike tips; orbits feathered. Adults 



