VII OXYRHAMPHIDAE PIPRIDAE 477 



ill bushes, forks, or outgrowths of trees. Copurus, TaenioiJtera, 

 Maclictornis, and Myiarclius coninionly use old holes of Wood- 

 peckers ; Todirostnuti and Fluvicola often make hanging purse-like 

 structures ; Cyanotis attaches its conical nest of papery reeds to 

 the stems of those plants ; Serpophaga frequently suspends its 

 domicile to twigs, roots, or grasses overhanging water ; Alectrurus, 

 Lu'lienops, Hcqxdocercv.s, and Ccntrites build in rush- or grass-tufts, 

 and Muscisaxicola under stones. Taenioptera and M((rhetornis, 

 moreover, will lay in the " ovens " of Furnarius, or in the nests of 

 Anumhius acattccvudus (pp. 48 6, 487). Iluscivora mexicana 

 makes a curious hanging spindle-shaped nest, surrounded by 

 loose materials. Tlie eggs are usually whitish, salmon- or cream- 

 coloured, and may be unspotted, or dotted and ringed with red, 

 purple, or brown ; those of Fyrocephalus ruhinens have black 

 and grey markings, those of Machetornis dense brown stripes or 

 spots, those of Myiarckus tangled purple or red-ljrown lines and 

 marblings, while those of Centrites niger are plain bluish-green. 



Fam. V. Oxyrhamphidae. — The members differ from the Tyran- 

 ■/ildae in the straight bill, and the serrated outer web of the tenth 

 primary of the male. The sole genus Oxyrhamphu^ has three 

 greenish forms, with red crests, and black-spotted yellow or white 

 lower parts. 



Fam. YI. Pipridae. — The Manakins, often considered a sub- 

 section of the Cotingidae, are for the most part small thick-set 

 l)irds, though Heteropchaa and some other genera have greater 

 dimensions. The seventy or more species may be divided into the 

 Sub-families, Piprinae, with brilliant males, and Ptilochlorinae, 

 where the sexes are usually dull -coloured and similar;-^ the 

 former ranging from South Mexico to North Argentina, the 

 latter to South-East Brazil. The curved bill is generally short 

 and wide at the base in the Piprinae, with an indistinct terminal 

 notch ; but is somewhat elongated, much compressed, decidedly 

 notched, and usually provided with rictal bristles in the Ptilo- 

 chlorinae. The metatarsus is exaspidean (p. 473) — though nearly 

 smocjth in Metopotltrix and Ifasius — and is comparatively slender 

 in most of the Piprinae,^ stronger in the Ptilochlorinae, Fiprites, 

 and Ceratopiprra ; the outer and mid-toes being partially united. 

 The exterior of the ten primaries is always short, while the wing- 

 is much elongated in Chloropipo ; the secondaries are nine or ten. 



1 Cf. Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. 3/us. xiv. 1S8S, p. 282. 



