BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 195 



anterior end of nostrils about equal to its depth at same point; 

 culmen straight or very faintly convex, sharply ridged; gonys twice 

 as long as mandibular rami, or slightly more, more or less distinctly 

 ridged, straight or very nearly so; supranasal ridge and prenasal 

 groove very distmct, parallel with culmen, running out to (or toward) 

 edge of maxilla at a point less than one-third to a little more 

 than one-third the distance from tip to base of tomium. Nostril 

 small, longitudinally elliptical or linear (sometimes more pointed 

 anteriorly), situated nearer to tomium than to culmen, completely 

 covered by a conspicuous antrorse tuft of hair-like, bristly-tipped 

 prefrontal feathers. Feathers of malar apex and chin antrorse, 

 bristle-tipped, the latter covering base of gonys. Orbital region 

 partly naked, the margin of lower eyelid and posterior portion of 

 upper eyelid clothed with minute feathers. Wing rather long, the 

 longest primaries exceeding secondaries by more than one-fourth 

 (but less than one-third) the length of wing; sixth and seventh, 

 sixth, seventh and eighth, or seventh and eighth primaries longest, 

 the ninth much shorter than fifth (sometimes a little shorter than 

 fourth), the tenth (outermost) about one-third as long as ninth. 

 Tail nearly two-thirds as long as wing, the rectrices broad, the middle 

 ones more or less strongly decurved terminally and with tip gradually 

 short-acuminate. Tarsus longer than outer hind toe with claw 

 (except in D. scalaris, D. nuttallii, D. stricJclandi, and D. arizonse), 

 feathered in front for at least upper third; outer hind toe much 

 longer than outer front toe. 



Coloration. — (1) General color of upper parts black, the scapulars 

 or lower back, spots on primaries (sometimes secondaries and wing- 

 coverts also), auricular and orbital regions white; posterior under 

 parts red or tinged with red; adult males with pileum or a nuchal 

 band red. (D. major, D. medius, D. minor, D. leucotus, and other 

 Palsearctic species.) 



(2) Above black with a white stripe down back, the primaries 

 (sometimes also secondaries and wing-coverts) spotted with white; 

 auricular region black, with a white stripe above and below; posterior 

 under parts white or light brownish, like anterior portions; adult 

 males with a red nuchal band. (D. villosus and D. pubescens groups.) 



(3) Similar to section 2 but the black replaced by brown (one 

 species without white on back) and under parts spotted with black. 

 {D. stricklandi and D. arizonse.) 



(4) Similar to section 2 but back barred with white and black, 

 lateral and posterior under parts spotted with black, the adult males 

 with occiput as well as nape red, the crown streaked or speckled with 

 white. {D. scalaris and D. nuttallii groups.) 



