250 birds of illinois. 



Genub AMMODRAMTJS Swaissox. 

 Subgenus Animodramus. 



^mniodranitiK SWAresoN.Zool. Jour. ill. 1827, 348. Type. Oriolus caudaculu$ QilKl^ 

 "Gen. Cbab. Bill vory long, slender, ami nttonuuled. uonslileriilily eurved lowiirds 

 the tip iibove. The Konys BtriilKlit. A dei'lded lobe In middle of i-ultInK edce of upper 

 bill. The legs (ind toes are very loiiK and reu4'h eonsiUernbly beyond the tip of the short 

 tall. The tarsus Is about equal to the idonuated middle too; the lateral toes eiiunl. their 

 claws rulUuK eonslderably short of the base of the middle one; the hind I'law eiiual to 

 the lateral one. WlnRS short. reaeliUiB only to the base of tin- tall; mueh rounded; tin- 

 secondaries and tiTtiuls etiual.and not much shorter than the primaries. The tall Is 

 rather shorter than the wlnus.and graduated laterally; eaeh feather stiffened, hmeeohite, 

 and acute. 



"Color. Streaked above and across the breast; very faintly on the sides. 



"The essential clmracters consist hi the slender and elongated 

 liiil; the long legs reaching considerably beyond the tail, with the 

 lateral claws falling considerably short of the middle one ; and the 

 very short rounded wings, rather longer than the cuneate tail, with 

 its stiffened and lanceolate feathers." (Hist. X. Am. B.) 



Only one of the three known species of this genus has been taken 

 in Illinois. In view, however, of the possible occurrence of a second 

 (.1. marU'imux), its characters, together with those of the other, are 

 given in the following synopsis : 



Common Cbaractebs. Above ollvuceous or ashy, the crown washed with brown 

 laterally. the dorsal feathers darker centrally; beneath white, tinBCd across the jugulum 

 with oehraeeous or ashy; Jugulum streakcil; a dusky "bridle" on each side of the throat, 

 above it a iiialar stripe of oehraeeous or white. 



1. A. caudaoutus. Atlull: Above mixed olive. gray, and brown: the outer webs of 



back feathers edged with oUvish gray or whitish. and often with darker streaks: 

 crown usually with a brown suflusion.and streaked with black laterally. Supi'r- 

 eiliary striiie, maxillary striiie.and wiiule Jugulum, oehraeeous, the.latter more or 

 less streaked: abdomen unstreakcd white; edge of wing light yellow. Yoiina: 

 Above fulvous brown and oehraeeous, streaked with black; crown mostly black, 

 with a median stripe of fulvous streaks. Beneath entirely oehraeeous. the sides uf 

 the lugulum streaked. 

 a. caiidtuuliix. Wing, 2.20-2.40; tail, il5-i.4»: bill, .a«-.35. Atlantic seaconst, from 



Florida to Maine. 

 d, iiehoiiL Wing.2.10: tall.io!); bill, .:iii. Bill more slender; colors much deeper. 

 • and markings much better defined. Fresh water marshes of United States, 



eliielly in Mi8siSBipi)i Valley. 



2. A. maritimua. Above olivaceous gray, with ashy gloss on the back: beneath gray- 

 ish white, very indistinctly streaked on the jugulum and sides of breast with 

 grayish; edge of wing,and suprnloral stripe gamboge-yellow. Wing, 2.30-2.65: 

 tail.2.:i5-2.t». 



