AMPELID^ — THE CHATTERERS. 405 



There are two genera of this section having in brief the following char- 

 acters : — 



Crest narrow, pointed, its leathers stiff, their webs eompact ; outer primaries 

 liroad. Tail rounded Phcenopepla. 



Crest broad, decumbent, soft, the feathers loose ; ontei- primaries atteimated. 

 Tail even or cuneate Ptilogonys. 



The genus Pti/oguiii/s has two species, one Mexican, the other Costa- 

 liican, neither coming within the limits of the United States. The type is 

 P. cinereus, SwAiNSON (Baird, Rev. Am. Birds, 412), a species of the table- 

 lands of Mexico, which may yet be found within the southern borders of tlie 

 United States in New Mexico or Arizona. 



Genus PH-SINOPEPLA, Sclater. 



Phcenopepla, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1858, 54.3. (Type, I'tilmjonys nitens, Swains.) 



Gen. Char. Crest narrow, pointed behind. Outer primaries broad, not attenuated nor 

 pointed at end ; the first half the second. Tail rounded, fan-shaped ; feathers very broad, 

 Avider towards end. Bill feeble, rather narrow, well bristled ; nostrils somewhat overhung 

 hy frontal feathers. Sex^s dissimilar ; male black ; quills with median white patch on 

 inner webs ; tail not varied. 



The single known species is glossy black in the male ; the female brown- 

 ish-asli. 



Phsenopepla nitens, Sclater. 



SHINING-CBESTED FLYCATCHEB. 



Ptiliogomjs nitens, Sw. An. m Menag. 1838, 285. — Bon. Consp. 1850, 335. — Heermann, 

 Jour. A. N. Sc. Phila. II, 1853, 263. — Cassin, III. Birds Texas, etc. 1854, 169, pi. 

 xxix. Cichlopsis nitens, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 320, 923. Phmnopepla nitens, 

 Sclater, P. Z. S. 1858, 543 ; 1864, 173 (City of Mexico). — Baird, Rev. Am. B. 1864, 

 416. — Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 131. " Lepturus gulcatus, Less." 



Sp. Char. (No. 8,275 (J.) Tail broad, almost fan-shaped; graduated slightly; not at 

 all emarginate, and longer than wing. First quill broad, slightly falcate, scarcely attenu- 

 ated ; more than half the second, which about equals the tenth ; sixth longest ; third 

 equal to seventh. Feathers on nape rather full, with a lengthened, pointed, narrow, 

 occipital crest. 



Male (No. 8,275) entirely glossy greenish-black ; the inner webs of all the primary quills 

 with a large, lengthened patcih of white, which does not reach the inner margin ; their outer 

 webs very narrowly edged with ashy, as are also lateral tail-feathers externally. 



Female (No. 8,274) brownish-ash, paler below ; the white of inner webs of quills 

 obsolete ; the greater coverts and quills edged externally with whitish, the anal and crissal 

 feathers edged and tipped with the same ; the outer tail-feather with narrow edge of white 

 externally towards end. 



Immature birds show every gradation of color between the two extremes described 

 above. 



