SYLVICOLin.K — THK WAUHLKUS. 177 



Family SYLVICOLIDiE. — Tmk WA^nLKits. 



The Si/Iri'oh'<h' are essentially eliaraeterized among tin Oscines with nine 

 ]niniaiies, by their siuall size, the usually sleniler antl eonieal inse- tivorous 

 hill, shorter than the head, without angle in the gape near the hase ; the toes 

 deeply cleft so as to leave the inner one tree almost to its very hase (exee}>t 

 in Mniutiltia), etc. Tlie shalh)w notch at the end of the tongue, instead of 

 a deeply fissured tip, distinguishes the family from the Vcrrchida , to sonu* of 

 which there is otherwise so great a resemblance. The absence of abrupt 

 hook and notch in both mandibles sei»arates it from such of the ViironiiUv 

 as have nine ])rimaries. 



The American Mof<nilU(he are distinguished from the S/fh'icoh'ffrr by 

 the emargination of the outer and the great elongation of the inner sec- 

 ondaries, as well as by other features referred to under that family. 

 Anfhus, in particular, differs in the lengthened and sligiitly curved hind 

 claw. There is little dithcultv in distinguishing the tS///riivlfihr, however, 

 from any families excepting the slender-billed f«>rms of the T((nuijrida\ as 

 ChlorosiriiKjus, Nemosia, Chlorochrf/HU, etc., and the conirostral Carchida\ 

 In fact, some ornithohjgists are inclined to include all three of the families 

 thus mentioned in one, from the ditliculty of marking their boundaries 

 respectively. 



In fact, we are of the opinion that no violence would be done by adopt- 

 ing this view, and would even include with the above-mentioned families 

 the Frinijillida- also. The order of their relation to cii^^ another would be 

 thus : Frinrji'llida', Tano(jrida\ JS//1 viral Ida', Ca'nhida ; there being scarcely 

 any break in the transition l)etween the two extremes, unless there are 

 many genera refened to the wrong family, as seems very likely U) be the case 

 with many included in the Tinuujrida. The friuf/Ulun' forms of the latter 

 family are such genem as Bnarremon and Arremon, they being so ch)selv 

 related to ^oxwefriiKjillliu' genera by so many features — as rounded concave 

 wing, lax plumage, and spizine cohmitiim — as to be scarcely .separable. 

 Either these two families are ccmnected so perfectly by intermediate forms 

 as to be inseparable, (»r the term Ttfinff/ridfr covers too great a diversity of 

 forms. With the same regularity that we proceed I'rom the FrinyilJidiv to 

 the typical forms of the TiriuHjrida' {Punonja, Tan^nfru, Cidli.^tc, etc.), we 

 pass down the scale from these to the Sj/lciwlida' ; while between many 

 genera of the latter family, and othei's referred to the Cmrhida', no diifer- 

 ence in external anatomy can be discovered, nmch less expressed in a 

 descri})tion. 



In the following synopsis we attempt to define the higher groups of the 

 Si/li'iro/ida', although in the large number of species and their close relation- 

 ships it is very ditticult to express clearly their distinctive features. 



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