FL'EVARIINJS. O 



terrestrial and ambulatorial in their habits and inhabit open spaces. 

 Some of the Si/nallaxince, ageiia (Phkrocri/ptes), maintain their exist- 

 ence in reed-beds, whilst others keep to the densest jungles of the 

 tropical forests. Nor do these birds confine themselves, by any 

 means, to one altitude above the sea-level. Some of the genera 

 (^UpucirtMa) are mostly met with at the highest limits of bird-life 

 among the Andes, whilst others (Cinclodcs and Henicornis) pass 

 their lives principally among the seaweed on the barren shores of 

 Patagonia. 



The Dcndi-ocolaptidiP may be roughly defined as Tracheophonine 

 Passeres with an endaspidean tarsus. The form of the bill is 

 generally of the deutirostral type. 



The area over which they are spread in the New T^'orld occupies 

 the whole Neotropical Region except the Autillean Subregion. Ac- 

 cording to the arrangement adopted in this volume, about 273 species 

 of this family are recognizable, divisible into 49 genera. 



Key to the Suhfamilies. 



A. Stems of the rectrices soft or not 



strongly spiny ; outer toe free. 



a. Tarsi more or less lengthened, 



gressorial I. FURXARIINJE, p. 3. 



b. Tarsi shorter, insessorial. 



a'. Beak short, sylviine ; tall long . 11. SYNALLAXIN^, p. 29. 

 b'. Beak longer, lauiine; tail short III. PHILYDORINJi,^. 74, 



B. Stems of the rectrices spiny ; outer 



toe more or less connected with 

 middle toe. 



c. Tarsi long; feet gressorial IV. SCLERURINAl, p. 113. 



d. Tarsi short ; feet scausorial .... V. DEXDROCOLAPTIN^, 



fp. 117. 



Subfamily I. FURNARIIN^. 



In this Subfamily are included the more terrestrial genera of the 

 soft-tailed Deadrocolaptidce, which are readily known bj- their long 

 tarsi and strong feet adapted to ambulatorial action. The " Oven- 

 birds," as they may be called from the appropriate name of the 

 typical genus, are mostly builders of elaborate nests. 



The Furnarlince are restricted to South America south of Panama, 

 and are specially characteristic of the Patagonian Subregion. 



Key to the Genera. 



A. Tail shelter. 



a. Bill short, straight 1. Geob.a.tes, p. 4. 



b. Bill longer, more or less incurved 2. (iEOSitta, p. 6. 



B. Tail lunger. 



c. Rectrices quite soft. 



a'. Tarsal scutes obsolete 3. Fubnarius, p. 10. 



B 2 



