^^l[ , NORTH AMKKK'AN BIRDS. 



Bill stout, ImiiicI, cdiivcx in lu'aiiy all its outliiics; toiiiia not 

 iinj,'ulatL'il, Init willi one or iiioro lobes or iiii.'lis in advaiK^o of 

 till- liasr. Nostrils [ilacc'il vrry hi^li. < )llic'i' characti'l's much 

 as in iSi/lrifulida. Colors chiclly rcil and yellow. Uno }j:unus of Tiinaf/rida;. 



Bill truly conic, much shoilcr than head, usually with the an- 

 gulation fvidciit; no lolic alonir middle of tomia, hut usually a 

 notch at cud. Nosti-ils placed very hi^di. Rictal liristles usually 



obvious Friii(jini(l(T. 



Bill coinc, but leiii,'thenud, little if any .shorter than head; tho 

 anjrulatiou of tho tomia evident ; no notch at end. Nostrils hij,di. 



No rictal bristles Icteridcc. 



hb. Prinuuies ten. 



Otherwise with characti'rs iimeh as in Icterkhc . . . Sliirnidw. 

 d. Nostrils concealed with antrorse bristly leathers (except in 

 Psiloy/iiniis ai.d (I'l/nndikilUt)} 



Base of bdl sheathed with antiorse bristly feather.'!, having 

 lateral branches to their very ends ; its tip mostly notched. 

 Basal joint of middle toe united oidy half-way to the lateral. 

 Sides, of tarsus occupied by a lateral groove, mostly Idled in 

 with small plates. First ])rimary more than half as long .as 



second. Large, — over seven inches Cnrvidce. 



Base of liill with two tufts of bristly feathers, ending in sim- 

 ple filameiils without lateral branches, its tip mostly nn- 

 notched. Ba.sal joint of middle toe united nearly all its length 

 with the laterid. Sides of tarsus ungrooved. First primary 

 lo.ss tli.in half as long as second. Small, — under .seven incho.'!. Paridce* 

 dd. Nostrils exposed. 



r. Tail seansorial, with rigid acute leathers. Whole bill 

 slender, compres.sed, acute, deeurvcd. unnotehed, unbristleJ 



Outer toe nnieh longv'r than inner Ccrthiidce. 



ce. Tail not scansoiiat, graduated. First primary not le.ss 

 (gener.ally more) than half as long .is the second, and inner 

 toe uniteil to the middle by at least one half (usually more) 

 of the length of its basal joint. 



Tarsus with few obsciu'c .scutella. Ilictal bristles present. 

 Bill stout, but not toothed nor hooked. Wing excessively 

 round d (fifth, sixth, and seventh priuun-ies longest), nnich 

 shorter thiui the long graduated tail. Size smaU. I'lumage 



brown, nnbaude.l Cliamceadw. 



Tarsus distinctly scntellate. Nostrils wholly expo.sed, 



nostrils aro iip.iror the .ulnicn than the tonna. The whole bill is more or less bent in its axis from 

 the axis of the erauial base, so that the palate curves down, or is excavab'd or, as it were, is lirokcu 

 into two plants meeting at an angle, - one plane the anterior hard imperforate roof of the mouth, 

 the other the back palate where the internal nares are situate (.Sundevall). The singde North 

 .\nieriean genus of T<nui<i,-i<hv {Piiroii.j.i) is here eonveutionally ranged on aeeount of its high 

 nostrils an.l conic bill, although it does not show angulati.in of the toiuia. The TcUrhhv, with 

 obviously angulated tomia, shade into th<' Fi-imjiindn- in shortness and thickness of hill, and into 

 other fannlies in its length and slenderness. 



1 These two genera, PsUoMiitis and Oniiiiwl-M', of the fannlv Cornda; have naked nostrils, 

 as under (/'/, but otherwise show the I'haraeters of ('iirn'ilii'. 



2 With the f'iiriJa- the authors of this work inehnh' the Nuthatches as a subfamily Sittina:, 

 whicli 1 prefer to dissociate and phiee as a group of eipial grade next to Cnihiidit. 



