THE AUK: 



A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



Vol. xxxii. April, 1915. No. 2. 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE FAMILY DENDRO- 

 COLAPTID,E. 



BY DR. HERMAN V. IHERING. 



Plates XI-XIL 



In a paper just published in the 'Revista do Museu Paulista,' 

 Vol. IX, 1914, 1 was able to show that the life histories of the birds 

 composing the several subfamilies of Dendrocolaptidse exhibit 

 important differences well calculated to aid in the proper syste- 

 matic arrangement of the various genera. More recently I have 

 studied the craniological characters of the different genera and it is 

 the purpose of the present paper to set forth the results of these 

 studies. 



I have already shown that biological conditions in the family 

 Tyrannidse furnished excellent indications of the proper syste- 

 matic arrangement of the genera, and lately I have been able to 

 complete my former work especially with regard to the genera 

 Onychorhynchus and Myiobius. My investigations inspire my 

 admiration for the accuracy of the systematic arrangement pro- 

 posed by R. Ridgway who on morphological characters has already 

 divided the genus Myiobius exactly in the same manner as my 

 observations on the nidification of the species demand. 



I am of the opinion that the family Dendrocolaptidse of Sclater 

 is also in need of further study and in this connection biological 



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