218 INSESSORES. MELIZOPHILUS. 



sidered its typical representatives. In it also appear to be 

 included the various small species of Warblers known by the 

 name of Willow- Wrens ; all nearly allied to each other in 

 colour and form (of which the Common Yellow Willow-Wren, 

 Sylvia Trochilus, and Lesser Pettychaps, Sylvia Hippolais, 

 may be cited as examples), and connected apparently with 

 the smaller species of the genus Curruca of the preceding 

 Subfamily, as well as with the slender-billed birds of the 

 succeeding Subfamily Pariana. The genera Melizophilus 

 (Leach), represented by the Dartford Warbler ; Mahirus 

 (ViEiLL.), containing the beautiful soft-tailed V/arblers from 

 Australia (all formerly included in Latham's genus Sylvia) ; 

 Prinea (Horsf.) and Culicivora (Swainson) are also refer- 

 able to it, and, by the various modifications of character they 

 exhibit, support the necessary chain of affinities with the 

 other groups and larger divisions of the Insessorial order. 



Genus MELIZOPHILUS, Leach. 



GENERIC CHARACTERS. 



Head large ; bill rather short, gently arched from the 

 base, compressed, with the tip finely emarginated; tomia of 

 both mandibles inflected towards the middle ; gape slightly 

 bearded ; nostrils basal, lateral, longitudinally cleft. Wings 

 short ; the first quill very small, the second shorter than the 

 third, fourth, and fifth, which are equal to each other, and 

 the longest in the wing. Tail long and soft. Legs having 

 the tarsi strong, and longer than the middle toe. Feet of 

 three toes before, and one behind ; the front toes divided. 

 Claws sharp, and tolerably long; the middle claw nearly 

 equal in length to that of the hind toe. 



This genus was formed by Dr Leach for the reception of 

 the Dartford Warbler, a bird differing essentially in charac- 

 ter from the other species, with which it had been previously 



