38 DENDEOCOLAPTID.E, 



to attain its greatest development, as many as fourteen species 

 occurring in Colombia, and ten or more in Peru. In Guiana, Ama- 

 zonia, Brazil, and eastern South America generally they are more 

 thinly scattered, each district only showing about half that number 

 of endemic species. 



This numerous genus I propose to divide into seven sections for 

 easier manipulation, as follows : — 



Sect. I. Cap, wings externally, and tail rufous, p. 38. 



II. Cap and wings externally rufous ; tail brown, p. 42. 

 III. Cap brown ; wings externally and tail rufous, p. 46. 

 IV. Above nearl}- uniform rufous or chestnut, p. 50. 



V. With a well-defined pectoral band, p. 56. 

 VI. Tail much lengthened ; back striated ; throat yellow, 

 p. 57. 

 VII. Tail short, blackish ; bill thickened, p. 57. 



The species of Si/ncdlaxis are distributed over the Neotropical 

 Region from Mexico to Northern Argentina, but are most abundant 

 in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. 



Sect. I. Cap, wings externally, and tail rufous. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Tail longer, light rufous. 



a. Front rufous like the cap 1. ruJicajnUa, p. 38. 



h. Front brown, distinct from cap. 



a'. Belly cinereous 2. poliophrys, p. 39. 



h'. Belly white. 



] Superciliaries indistinct .... 3. frontalis, p. 39. 

 I Superciliaries distinct 4. superciliosa, p. 41. 



B. Tail shorter, dark rufous. 



) Front brown, distinct from cap 5. mcesta, p. 41. 



I Front uniform with cap 6. bruntieicauda, p. 41. 



1. Synallaxis ruflcapilla. 



Synallaxis ruficapilla,T7e<7/. A^oz^j;. Diet, xxxii. p. 310 (1819) ; id. Unc. 



3Ieth. p. 622 : id. Gal. Ois. i. p. 284, pi. 174; Schiter, P. Z. S. 1856, 



p. 97 (Brazil), 1859, p. 192, et 1874, p. 7; id. Cat. A. B. p. 150; 



Burm. Si/st. Ueb. iii. p. 38; Pelzeln, Sitz. Ahad. Wien, xxxiv. 



p. 116; id. Orn. Bras. p. 35; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 63; Berl. 



J.f. O. 1873, p. 252 (S. Brazil). 

 Sphenura ruficeps, Licht. Doid)l. p. 42. 

 Synallaxis cinereus, Max. Beitr. iii. p. 685. 

 Synallaxis olivascens, Eyton, Contr. Orii. 1851, p. 159. 



Above brown ; front, cap, wings, and tail bright rufous ; slight 

 stripe behind the eye yellowish : beneath cinereous, flanks and 

 crissum brownish ; under wing-coverts pale fulvous : whole length 

 6 inches, wing 2-2, tail 3. 



Eab. S.E. Brazil. 



