SYMPHORIA SYNALLAXIS. 



water, it is properly a land bird, or rather a bush 

 bird on rich places. It is about the same length as 

 the two species which have been mentioned ; but it 

 is more stoutly made, and rather heavier. The co- 

 lours are also a little more distinctly marked. The 

 general tint of the upper part is brownish olive, with 

 the middle of each feather on the back darker, pro- 

 ducing 1 a pretty effect. The streak over the eye, 

 the chin, the throat, and the belly, are yellowish 

 white ; the brest, flanks, and tibiae, brownish; the two 

 last obscurely streaked with darker. The quills and 

 tail-feathers are dusky, with their external webs olive. 

 The tail is much wedge-shaped, the lateral feathers 

 being an inch shorter than the middle ones ; and each 

 individual feather is rounded or pointed at the tip. 

 The wings are very short and much rounded. The 

 legs are brown, and the claws horn colour ; that on 

 the hind toe being short and crooked, quite unlike 

 the hind claw of the lark, though the bird has some- 

 times been called a lark. 



It is a summer visitant, resorting to brakes, build- 

 ing its nest in close cover, and altogether living in 

 much concealment. The nest is but a rude structure, 

 and composed wholly of vegetable matter ; the eggs 

 are four or five in number, of a bluish white colour, 

 and without any spots. The only note which it has 

 been ascertained to utter, is the hissing one, something 

 like the sound of the grasshopper ; and it is highly 

 probable that the one voice may in some instances 

 have been taken for the other. The place of the 

 ntterer of these hissing sounds is not very easily as- 

 certained, as they strike the ear like echoes, and one 

 is apt to suppose that they come from the very op- 

 posite direction. This is a tender as w r ell as a hid- 

 ling bird, and is not found in upland places ; indeed, 

 it is rare as well as local. 



For the remaining genus of the family Motacilla, 

 which Linnaeus made the generic name of all the 

 species, we must refer the reader to the article WAG- 

 TAIL. 



SYMPHORIA (Pursh). A genus of hardy de- 

 ciduous shrubs from North America, belonging to 

 Caprifoliacece. Linneeus considered this a Lonicera 

 (honeysuckle), but it was subsequently made a sepa- 

 rate genus by Pursh. 



SYMPHYTUM (Linnaeus). A genus of Euro- 

 pean herbs, having shewy pentandrous flowers, and 

 belonging to Eoraginece. Two of the species are 

 natives of England, where they are called comfrey. 

 One of the Caucasian species, the S. asperrimum of 

 the Hortus Kewensis, has been lately recommended 

 to British farmers as a green forage plant, and has 

 been cultivated on a small scale in various places 

 with considerable success. 



SYMPLOCARPU8 (Nuttal). A North Ame- 

 rican aquatic, belonging to the Aroidece. The plant 

 was formerly called Dracontium by Linnaeus, and 

 Potlios by the author of the Botanical Magazine. It 

 is in our collections planted in a marshy situation, 

 and is increased bv division. 



SYMPLOCINE^E. A natural order containing 

 only one genus, viz., Symptoms, which gives the title, 

 and is the type. Of this there are four species bearing 

 polyadelphous flowers, and are shrubs with serrated 

 leaves, turning yellow in drying. The flowers are 

 small, white, and rather fragrant. The S. tinctoria 

 is used as a yellow dye, under the name of sweet- 

 leaf in America. 



SYNALLAXIS (no proper English name). A 



genus of rather handsome little birds, belonging to 

 Cuvier's tenuirostral family of Passeres, and bearing 

 no inconsiderable resemblance to the nuthatches of 

 Europe. They are all tree birds, and are known to 

 Europe and naturalists chiefly as Brazilian ; but it is 

 probable that they occur in the rich woods of other 

 parts of tropical America. The characters are : the 

 bill not very long, slender, pointed, very much com- 

 pressed, naked at the base, the mandibles slightly 

 curved inwards at their margins ; the upper one a 

 little curved at the tip, the under one straight. The 

 nostrils broad and lateral oblong, covered in part with 

 a small vaulted membrane and ornamented with fea- 

 thers. The feet of mean length, with three toes to 

 the front and one to the rear ; the two lateral front 

 toes of equal length, and united at their bases to the 

 middle one, which is of the same length as the hind 

 toe. The wings are very short and rounded ; the 

 first quill very short, the second and third gradually 

 longer, and the fourth the longest in the wing. The 

 tail very long and wedge-shaped, the feathers of it 

 broad in great part of their length, but tapering to 

 points. They correspond in America to certain little 

 birds, which are -found in the tropical forests of other 

 parts of the world, but not enough is known of them 

 for the establishing of a proper classification. 



S. albescens has the upper part olive ash ; the top 

 of the head and the hind neck bright red ; the front 

 eye-brows and cheeks olive grey ; the lesser wing 

 coverts russet ; and the tail feathers olive. The chin 

 and belly white ; the throat clouded with black ; and 

 the breast and flanks reddish grey. The bill black, 

 with the exception of the middle of the lower man- 

 dible which is white. The length about five inches 

 and three quarters. 



S. rutilans, has the upper part of the body olive 

 grey, clouded with deep grey ; the forehead, brows, 

 cheeks, sides of the neck, breast, and wing-coverts, 

 bright red. The tail-feathers blackish, with glosses 

 of chestnut red ; the quills, and also a spot on the 

 throat, black ; the rest of the under part greenish grey, 

 clouded with deep red ; the bill greyish in the chief 

 part of its length ; but black at the tip j the feet 

 black ; the length about six inches. 



S. tessettata. The top of the head bright red ; 

 the back mottled with regular darkish spots ; the 

 coverts of the wings brown, with spots of a different 

 shade; the tail feathers brown and much wedge- 

 shaped ; the region of the eye whitish, finely mottled 

 with minute brown spots ; the cheeks bluish or green- 

 ish white, with small mustachios of black ; the chin 

 yellow ; a large spot of black on the throat ; the breast, 

 fore part of the belly, and flanks, bright fawn-colour ; 

 the rest of the under part whitish ; the bill grey at 

 the base, black at the tip ; the feet brown ; the length 

 seven inches. 



5. setaria. Upper parts bright maroon red ; fore- 

 head ash grey ; top of the head clear grey ; nape and 

 upper part of the neck, brown, finely streaked with 

 white ; a patch of white on the bastard wing ; quills 

 blackish brown, bordered with maroon red ; tail-fea- 

 thers the same, much wedge-shaped, and with brighter 

 borders ; chin, throat, and breast, greyish white, 

 dotted with black, and the rest of the under parts 

 clear fawn ; bill ash-colour, and white at the base ; 

 feet black ; length seven inches. 



S. cinerescens. Olive ; brown above ; the quills 

 brown, bordered with maroon ; the tail-feathers russet, 

 the chin white, finely lined with lilac ; a large black 



