19. MUSCISAXICOLA. 53 



Hab. Pampas of S.E. Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, La 

 Plata, and Venezuela. 



a-c. Ad.sk. Bahia, Brazil (Wucherer). Salvin-Godinan Coll. 



d. Jr. sk. Babia, Brazil. Sclater Coll. 



e. O ad. sk. Couchitas, Buenos Ayres {Hud- Salvin-Goduian Coll. 



son). 



f. S ad. sk. Paraguay. Sclater Coll. 



g. Ad. sk. Salta, rep. Arg. H. Durnford [C.]. 



h. Ad. sk. Bolivia. T. Bridges [C.]. 



i,j. Ad. sk. S. America. Zool. Soc. Coll. 



k. Ad. sk. S. America. E. Wilson, Esq. [P.]. 



19. MUSCISAXICOLA* 



Type. 

 Muscisaxicola, d'Orb. et Lafr. Syn. Av.i. p. 65 (1837). M. rutivertex. 

 " Ptionura, Gould," G. R. Gray, List of Gen. ed. i. 

 p. 24 (1840) M. rutivertex. 



The Muscisaxicolce constitute a well-marked group of abnormal 

 Tyrannidee, peculiar to the Patagonian Region and to the higher 

 Andes of the more northern parts of South America, and simulating 

 the Motacilhe of the Old World in their habits and somewhat also 

 in their structure. Their tarsi are long and strong, their wings 

 long, their beak compressed, and the rictal bristles almost altogether 

 obsolete, so that at first sight they would hardly be taken for 

 Tyrannidce at all. The plumage in this genus is generally cinere- 

 ous with but slight markings ; the tail-coverts and tail are blackish 

 or black iu all the known species, with a white outer margin to the 

 outer rectrix. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Inner webs of wing-feathers grey, edged 

 with whitish. 

 a. Bdl uniform black. 



a'. Without a nuchal spot. 



a". Lores and superciliaries white ; no 

 mental spot. 

 a'". Forehead brownish cinereous: 



J larger; wing (3 in 1. albifrons, p. 54. 



\ smaller ; wing 5 - 3 in 2. alpina, p. 54. 



b'". Forehead cinereous 3. grisea, p. 55. 



e' 1 '. Forehead black 4. nigrifrons, p. 55, 



b". Lores and superciliaries cinereous 5. cinerea, p. 55. 

 c". Lores blackish ; mental spot brown 6. maelociana,y>.b6. 

 b'. With a distinct nuchal spot. 



d". Nuchal spot yellowish 7. jlavinucha, p. 57. 



e". Nuchal spot reddish. 



d'" . Body above brownish cinereous: 



I nuchal spot brighter 8. rubricapiUa, p. 57. 



j nuchal spot duller 9. juninensis, p. 58. 



* Species not known to me are : — Ptyonura capistrata, Burin. La-Plata Reiso, 

 ii. p. 41)1 ; Muscisaxicola brunnca. Gould, Voy. 'Beagle,' Zool. iii. p. 84; and 

 M. striaticeps, d'Orb. et Lafr. ; d'Orb. Voy. p. 35fi, t. xli. fig. 1. 



