47 



The Ant-Shrikes, Ant-Wrens, and Ant-Thrushes form the large 

 family Formicariidce (Case G), numbering more than two hundred 

 species. It is strictly American, and has representatives from 

 Southern Mexico to Paraguay, excluding the West Indies. The 

 family falls into three general groups, as above indicated. The 

 Ant-Shrikes, through their general form and strong, hooked bill 

 superficially much resemble the true Shrikes. The Ant-Wrens 

 are smaller, weaker birds, with a slender bill. The Ant-Thrushes 

 have a Thrush-like bill, but a short, square tail and rather long 

 legs, thus in form more resembling the Pittas of the Old World 

 than the true Thrushes. They are all birds of the thickets, of 

 plain simple colors and secretive habits, and rather remarkable 

 ventriloquial powers. 



Another numerous and peculiar American group consists of the 

 so-called Woodhewers (family Dendrocolaptidce), which in external 

 form and habits curiously imitate the Tree-Creepers of the genus 

 Certhia. The tail is stiffened, to serve as a prop in climbing, just 

 as in the Woodpeckers and Tree-Creepers. The bill is slender, 

 often very long and much curved (see Case G) ; the plumage is 

 sombre, generally of some neutral shade of brown, the colors thus 

 harmonizing with the tints of the tree-trunks on which they spend 

 most of their lives. The popular name Woodhewers is a misnomer, 

 since the weakness and slenderness of their bills preclude any 

 wood-hewing, in the sense of the chiseling done by Woodpeckers. 



The family Fiirnariidcz has many characters in common with 

 the last, of which it is frequently treated as a subfamily, although 

 differing in the form of the palatal bones. It is a very numerous 

 group (embracing nearly two hundred species), presenting widely 

 diverse forms, some of the species having stiffened tails and 

 Creeper-like habits ; others have lengthened tails, with the quills 

 slightly stiffened at the point, and more the habits of Wrens. 

 Others still are Lark-like, both in form and habits. Many of the 

 species are remarkable for their nest-structures, which are often 

 of immense size for the small size of the birds, and heavily armed 

 with spiny twigs ; others, as the so-called Oven-birds, build a 

 large chambered nest of clay, placed on the limbs of trees ; still 

 others nest in burrows. The species are remarkably plain in 

 coloration, none of them displaying any bright tints. 



