148 



N(Jirni AMEUICAN BIRDS.. 



SiiiiFAMiLv AGELAIN.SS. 



Char. Bill stout, conical, aii<l acutely pointed, not longer tlwui the head; the outlines 

 nearly straiijfht, the tip not decurveil. Legs adapted lor walkini]^, lonjrer than the hea«l. 

 Claws not much curved. Tail moderate, shorter than the wings; nearly even. 



The A(j(hnn(r, through Mulothrm ami JJuUrhoni/x, present a close relation 

 to the FrinfjiUida' in the comparative shortness and conical shape of tlie 

 bill, and, in fact, it is very difficult to express in brief words the distinc- 

 tions which evidently exist. Dolklwnyx may be set aside as readily deter- 

 minable by the character of the feet and tail. Tiie peculiar subfamily 

 characteristics of Molothrus will be found under the generic remarks respect- 

 ing it. 



The following diagnosis will serve to define the genera : — 



A* liiil sliorter tiian the head. Feathers of head and nostrils as in B. 



Dollchonyz. Tail-leathers with rigid stiflened acuminate points. 



Middle toe very long, exceeding the head. 



Molothrus. Tail with the feathers simple ; middle toe shorter than 



the tarsus or head. 

 B* Bill as long as the head. Feathers of crown soft. Nostrils covered by 

 a scale which is <lirccted more or less downwards. 



Agelaius. First quill shorter than the second and third. Outer lateral 



flaws scarcely reaching to the base of middle ; claws moderate. 



Zanthocephalus. First quill longest. Outer lateral claw reaching 



nearly to the tip of the middle. Toes and claws all much elongated. 

 C. Bill as long as, or longer than, the head. F«'athers of crown with the 

 shafts prolonged into stiffened bristles. Nostrils covered b}' a scale which 

 stands out more or less horizontally. 



Sturnella. Tail-fcatlu^rs acute. Middle toe equal to the tarsus. 



Trupialis. Tail-feathers n)unded. Middle toe shorter than the tarsus. 



Genus DOLICHONTZ, Swainson. 



Dolichonifx, SwAixsox, Zoul. Jouni. Ill, 1827, 351. (Typf, Eniberiza oryzivora, L.) 



Gex. Char. Bill short, stout, conical, little more than half the head ; the commissure 



sliarhtlv sinuated ; the culmen 

 nearly straight. Middle toe 

 considerably longer than the 

 tarsus (which is about as long 

 as the head) ; the inner lateral 

 toe longest, but not reaching 

 the base of the middle claw. 

 Wings long, first quill long- 

 est. Tail-feathers acuminately 

 pointed at the tip, with the 

 shaft stiffened and rigid, as in 



Dolirhonyx oryziv<m,s. the Woodpcckcrs. 



The peculiar characteristic of this genus is found in the rigid scansorial 



