AMPEL1D.E — THE CHATTERERS. 395 



Family AMFEILIDiEi. — The Chatterers. 



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The characteristics of the A/n/nlu/it: have already heen presented in the 

 synopsis of allied families ; chief among them, the short, broad, depressed, 

 and trianguLir l)ill with short gonys, the deeply cleft mouth, the short tarsus, 

 and the tendency to subdivison of its lateral plates. 



The South American genus, DkIhs, probably forms the type of a subfamily 

 Dulincr, characterized by the much arched gape of mouth, the metatarsal 

 scutellic in two series, and the body streaked beneath, as in young Ampdis. 

 The two other subfamilies may be defined as follows : — 



• , ■ * 



Subfamilies. 



Common Characters. Gape of mouth nearly straight. Metatarsal scutellae in 

 three series. Body plain beneath. 



AmpelinaB* Wings very long and much pointed, longer than the short, 

 I'VL'U tail. First primary excessively rudimentary ; the outermost about the 

 longest. Gape without bristles. Frontal feathers extending forward beyond 

 the nostrils. 



Ptilogonatiiise. Horny appendages like red sealing-wax at end of shaft of 

 secondaries. Wings rounded, shorter than the graduated tail. First primary 

 nearly half the second. Gape well bristled. Frontal feathers falling short of 

 the nostrils. No red horny appendage to wing-feathers. 



Subfamily AMPELIN.S:. 



Char. Legs moderate. Nostrils elongated, linear, with the frontal feathers extending 

 close to the edge and to anterior extremity, concealing them ; these feathers short, vel- 

 vety, and erect, Avith few bristles. Wings very long and a^ute : outer or first primary .so 

 much reduced as to be almost inappreciable; the second nearly the longest. Wing nea»-ly 

 twice the length of the short, narrow, even tail. Under coverts of tail reaching almost to 

 its tip. Secondary quills with flat horny appendages at end of shaft like red sealing-wax. 

 Young birds streaked beneath as in Duhis. Adults plain. 



Of this family as restricted, we have but a single genus in America. 



Genus AMPELIS, Linn. 



Ampeh's, Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. I, 1766, 297. (Tj-pe, Laniiis gamdus, L. Named 

 Linnaeus in 1735.) 



Gen. Char. Tail even. Tertials and secondaries with homy appendages like red seal- 

 ing-wax. A w^ell-developed soft crest, 



A more elaborate diagnosis of this genus could be readily given (see Rev, 

 Am, Birds, 404), but the above characters, as entirely peculiar, will serve to 

 establish it 



