c 244 piprida:. 



the under parts whitish-ash : the wings are slightly 

 tinged with brown : the tail is a little rounded, and 

 entirely black : the beak and legs are black. 



FAMILY V.— PIPRID^E. 



Rostrum breve aid clongatum, dilatatum, gracile vcl robuslum, 

 basi magis minusvc trigonum : rictus ciliatus, plcrunu/uc am- 

 plissimus : pedes shnplices, digitis tribus anticis, uno poslico. 



The Pipridac have the beak short or elongated, dilated, slender 

 or robust, base more or less trigonal: the gape ciliated, fre- 

 (juently very wide : the legs simple, with three toes before and 

 one behind. 



The birds contained in this family differ very con- 

 siderably from each other in habit ; those of the six 

 first genera more immediately approximating to the 

 Sylviadse, and the rest gradually receding from that 

 group, and resembling the Merulidae or Todidrc. 

 Those of the former group usually devour insects and 

 grains, are very lively, fly and creep incessantly among 

 the branches of trees, frequently attack other birds, 

 lay a great number of eggs, and mostly reside in the 

 temperate regions of the old world. The others live 

 more exclusively upon fruits and berries, and lay but 

 few eggs, in some instances only two ; and generally 

 reside in the warmer regions of the new world. 



'&* 



GENUS CXVII.— tEGITHALUS, Vigors. 



Rostrum subelongatum, te- 

 nue, rectum, acutum, coni- 

 cum, basi subtrigonum ; 

 culmine inter plumas ca- 

 pitis retrorsum extcndcntc. 



Beak rather elongated, slen- 

 der, straight, acute, conic, 

 subtrigonal at the base; 

 the beak extended among 

 the feathers of the head. 



