BIRDS — PRIONITIDAE — MOMOTUS CAERULICEPS. 161 



Family PRIONITIDAE- The Sawbills. 



The sawbills or motmots bave by most authors been placed as a sub-family with the Cora- 

 cianae of the Coraciadae, but latterly each has been raised to independent family rank. With 

 somewhat similar characters, the serration, or rather dentation, of the cutting edges of the bill 

 and the extent of fusion of the outer and middle toes at once distinguish the Prionitidae. 



The bill is as long as the head ; gently decurved near the tip, but not hooked. The nostrils 

 are small, circular, and close to the frontal feathers. The wings are rather short ; the inner 

 secondaries in the closed wing reaching the tip of the primaries. Of the ten primaries, the 

 exposed portion of the first is scarcely more than half that of the fourth or longest. The 

 secondaries are ten or twelve in number. The tail consists either of ten or twelve feathers ; the 

 middle feathers are frequently spatulate, or with a portion of the lateral web wanting. The 

 feet are large ; the middle aad outer toes connate for more than half their length, the tip of the 

 inner claw reaching to the base of the outer. The toes have the normal number of joints, 

 (2, 3, 4, 5.) The tarsi are clothed anteriorly with short half rings ; the sides with a series of 

 plates, more or less broken up into smaller ones. The middle claw has its inner face extended 

 into a sharp but not pectinated edge. 



Of the three genera — Crypticus, Momotus, and Hylomanes — constituting this family, only one, 

 Momotus, has any representative near or within the borders of the United States. 



MOMOTUS, Latham. 



Momotus, Latham, Ind. Orn. I, 1790, 110. 

 Prionites, Illiger, Prodroraus, 1811, 224. 



Bill as long as the head, a little higher than broad ; only moderately broad at the base, and tapering gently to a somewhat 

 rounded tip. Both mandibles with the cutting edges dentated, except at the tip and base. Tail very long. 



The preceding diagnosis sufficiently expresses the characters of the genus, although som 

 others might be added. The connate toes and toothed or dentate bill are characters which 

 belong to the family. 



MOMOTUS CAERULICEPS, Gould. 



Sawbill. 



Momotus caeruliceps, Goold, Pr. Zool. Soc. 1836, 18. — Sclater, Pr. Zool. Soc. 1857, 253. 



Prionites caeruHceps, Bp. Consp. 1850, 165. — Ib. Consp. Vol. Anisod. 1854, 8. 



Prionites caeruleocephalus, Jard. & Selbt, 111. Orn. ; pi. 42. 



" Momotus subhutu, Less. Desc. Mammif. et Ois. 1847, 265," (fide Sclater.) 



Sp. Ch. — General color yellowish green. Top of the head and occipital crest bright blue, encircled with black , of which 

 color are also the lores, whiskers, and several elongated narrow feathers on the throat. Length, 15 inches ; wing, 5|. 

 Hob. — Mexico. 



The bill of this species is conical, slightly decurved, the upper edge angular. The cutting 

 edges of the mandibles are provided with rounded notches, except near the tip, which is 

 without any notch. The tarsi are rather long ; considerably longer than the middle toe and 

 claw. The anterior three toes are connate at the base ; the outer and middle united as far as 

 the penultimate articulation of the latter. 



The wings are short, broad, and much rounded when closed ; the secondaries as long as the 

 21 b 



