404 NORTH AMERICAN UIRDS. 



composed of the ends of twigs, course sterns of vejfetables, and grasses. 

 Within this they Imild a compact, well-made fabric of grasses, grapevine 

 bark, and other finer snbstances, lining the whole with leaves and fine root- 

 fibres. The cavity is large and deep for the bird. The parents are fourteen 

 days in incubating before the young are hatched out, and all this while are 

 remarkably silent, hardly uttering a sound, even their faintest lisping note, 

 when the nest is nreddled witii, though they evince great anxiety by their 

 fearless indifference to their own danger. 



The eggs, usually five, sometimes .si.\, in number, have a marked resem- 

 blance to those of the Waxwing, but are smaller. Their ground-color varies 

 from a light slate-color to a deep shade of stone-color, tinged with olive. 

 These are marked with blotches of a dark purplish-brown, almost black, 

 lighter shades of a dark purple, and penumbrie of faint purple, sometimes 

 by themselves or surrounding and continuing the darker spots. They vary 

 in length from .80 to .88 of an inch, and average about .85. In breadth they 

 are from .00 to .70 of an inch, and in shape they diH'er also from an oblong- 

 oval to one of a ciuite rounded form. 



Nests of these birds fnnn the Arctic regions are more elaborately built and 

 more warndy lined, being often largely made up of the line dark-colored 

 lichens that cover the forest trees of those regions. 



SuRFAMii.Y PTILOGONATIN^. 



CiiAK. Le^s modt'rate. Nostrils oval, with wide naked inenibrunL' above and to some 

 e.xtent behind them ; the frontal feathers not reaching to their border, and rather soil. 

 Wings graduated, shorter than the somewhat broad, fan-shaped tail ; the first quill nearly 

 half the second. Adults plain. 



Althougli we find it conveinent for the ])resent to retain the genera Ptilo- 

 tjoHjis and Mijunlcatfa in the same sul)family, there seems little doubt that 

 they belong to very different fiiinilies, the'latter being more properly placed 

 in Tnnliiln', as shown in Ifev. Am. Fiirds. It is not necessary that the sub- 

 ject be discussed here, howevtn', and we merely give the diagnosis of the two 

 groups of which these genera are the types re.s])ectively : — 



Ptilogonateae. Tarsi scutellate anteriorly ; not longer than middle toe and claw. 

 MyiadeatesB. Tarsi with a continuous plate anteriorly ; longer than middle toe and 

 claw. 



SErxioN PI ILOGONATE/E. 



Char. Tarsus stout, shorter, or not longer than the miildl'" toe and claw ; conspicuously 

 scutellatc anteriorly, and CiTMiucnlly on one or other or on both sides; sometimes with a 

 row of small plates beliiml. Wings much gra(luat(>d ; the .second quill not longer than 

 secondaries. Outline of lateral tail-feathers parallel or widening from ba.se to near tip. 

 Tail unvaried, or else inornate at end. Quills without light patch at base. Head crested. 

 Young birds not spotted. Not conspicuous f(U' .song. 



