DENDROCOLAPTID.E. 165 



Suborder III. TEACHEOPHON^E. 

 Fam. XVII. DENDROCOLAPTID^, OR WOOD-HEWERS. 



The Dendrocolaptidce are an important family in American Ornith- 

 ology, numbering some 220 species, and distributed in greater or less 

 abundance over every part of the Neotropical Region from Mexico to 

 Patagonia. Within Argentine limits 46 species occur. 



While green is the characteristic colour of the Tyrannida, brown is 

 the favoured hue of the Dendrocolaptida, both the forest-loving and 

 campos-frequenting members of the group being nearly without excep- 

 tion arrayed in various shades of that sombre colour, to which a ferru- 

 ginous tail is a very frequent appendage. 



The Dendrocolaptidte fall into four subfamilies, all of which have 

 representatives in Argentina. These are (1) the Furnariina, or Oven- 

 birds, which are terrestrial in habits and have their feet adapted for 

 this mode of life ; (2) the Sclerurinae, or Leaf-scrapers, known by their 

 spiny tail, which keep to the ground inside the forests ; (3) the Synal- 

 laxin(R, or Sharp- tails, mostly bush- frequenting birds; and (4) the 

 Dendrocolaptince, or Wood-hewers, which have the habits of our Creepers 

 (Certhid), and use their tail as a climbing-organ. All the members of 

 this great family feed exclusively on insects. 



Subfam. I. FURNARIIN^. 



176. GEOSITTA CUNICULABIA (VieilU 



(COMMON MINER.) 



Geositta cunicularia, Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 465 (Mendoza, Parana) ; 

 Scl.et Salv. Nomencl p. 61 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 178 (Buenos Ayres), et 

 1878,p.395(Chupat); Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Om. Cl.viii. p. 203 (Entrerios). 

 Geositta tenuirostris, White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 609 (Salta). 



Description. Above nearly uniform earthy brown ; wing-feathers pale cinna- 

 mon-red ; greater part of the outer webs, excepting the inner secondaries and a 

 transverse bar across the secondaries, blackish ; tail pale cinnamon-red, with a 

 broad blackish band across the terminal half ; beneath pale fulvous white, breast 

 more or less variegated with blackish ; under wing-coverts pale cmnamomeous ; 

 bill horn-colour, pale at the base ; feet horn-colour : whole length 5-5 inches, 

 wing 3-5, tail 2-0. Female similar. 



Hab. Chili, Patagonia and Argentina. 



