316 U. S. p. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT, 



Family BOMB YCILLID AE . 



Primaries ten; tlie first very short or moderate, always less than half the second. Bill short, broad, triangular, much 

 depressed ; gape opening nearly to the eyes; twice the length of the culmen. Both mandibles notched, the upper with a tooth 

 behind the notch. Tarsi scutel'ate anteriorly, with indications also of scales inferiorly on the sides, (except in Myiadestes?) ; 

 shorter than the middle toe. Outer lateral toe longest. Toes unequally cleft . Head generally crested. 



The waxwings and their natural allies, the Ptiliogonidinae, have been variously placed by 

 different authors, Cabanis constituting them a sub-family of 3Iuscicapidae. The differences 

 from the typical muscicapas are very great however, and as none of the latter are found in the 

 United States I have thought it best to raise them to the rank of a distinct family, for the present 

 at least. 



The relationships of the group to the Laniadae are very close, and if it be a sub-family merely 

 it would seem to go more appropriately there than in Mwscicapidae. Both have the notch at 

 the tip of the lower mandible very distinct. 



The two sub-families are known by the long pointed wings, much longer than the even tail ; 

 the very rudimentary first primary and the horny tip to the tertials of Bombi/cillinae, are 

 distinguished from the much longer forked or rounded tail and the shorter wings with longer 

 first primary and plain tertials of Ptiliogonidinae. 



Sub-Family BOMBYCILLINAE. 



Wings very long and pointed, reaching nearly to the tip of the short tail. First primary excessively rudimentary, scarcely 

 appreciable ; second about the longest. Rictus without bristles. The frontal feathers extending forward on the bill beyond 

 the nostrils. 



Of this sub-family there is but a single representative in the United States, with the 

 following characters : 



Ampelis. — Tail even. Tertials with horny appendages, like red sealing wax, 



AMPELIS, Linnaeus. 



Jlmpelis, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. 1735. Type A garrtdus. 

 Bomhycilla, Vieillot, Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807, 88. Type B. cedrorum. 



Ch. — Head with a broad depressed crest. Bill very broad, opening nearly to the eye ; a series of short velvety feathers at 

 the base of the bill, with bristles directed forwards and covering the nostrils, but none along the rictus. Commissure straight. 

 Culmen and gonys curved, convex ; both mandibles notched at tip. Legs stout ; tarsi shorter than the middle toe ; scutellate 

 anteriorly, and slightly on the lower half on the sides behind ; slightly feathered above. Hind toe shorter than the lateral, 

 which are equal. Wings very long, pointed, reaching almost to the tip of the nearly even tail. First primary so short as to be 

 vpith difficulty discernible ; the second quill longest. Tips of secondary quills with horny appendages, like sealing wax. 



The most essential characters of the genus are to be found in the short, even tail, and the red 

 horny appendages to the tips of the tertials. The two species found in North America* have 

 the body of a tint approaching to yellowish cinnamon, becoming plumbeous behind ; the tail 

 tipped with yellow ; the chin, forehead, and a band from this above and behind the eje, black. 

 There is also a white maxillary patch. The specific characters are as follows : 



Large ; chin and throat black ; crissum orange brown ; two white bands on the wing, and a 

 white line along the tips of the primaries garrulus. 



Small ; chin only black ; crissum whitish ; no white on the wing cedrorum. 



