AETIFICIAL KEY TO THE FAMILIES. 



233 



Page 

 — exposed ; length — over 9 inches ; color brown or blue . Corvid^ 414 



— 7-8 inches; crested; 6 glossy black Ampelid^ 325 

 —42-65; inches; bill distinctly hooked; tail soft, 



without black Vieeonid^ 329 

 — 4^-5^ inches; bill slender, curved, tail stiff, acute 



CERTHIIDiE 272 



— Birds without these characters ; rictus — bristled 



TURIXDiE 240 

 — unbristled 

 Troglodvtid^ 273 



(k.) Tarsus — scntelliplantar ; hind claw straight (Larks) Alaudid^ 280 



— laminiplantar ; bill — metagnathous, both mandibles falcate, their points crossed 



Frikgillid^ 339 



— paragnathous, tomia of up. mand. toothed or lobed near middle 



(Tanagers) T^VJN'AGRiDiE 317 



— epignathous, notched and hooked at tip. Length 5^-6;^ Vireonid^ 329 



— various. Quills — tipped with red horny appendages; head 



crested Ampeltdje 325 

 — not appendaged ; bill — flssirostral (go to 1). 



— dentirostral or tenui- 

 rostral {go to m). 

 — conlrostral (go to n). 

 (1.) Bill triangular-depressed, about as wide at base as long, gape twice as long as culmen, reaching 



about opposite eyes, tarsus not longer than outer toe and claw (Swallows) . . HiRUNDiKiDiE 311) 

 (m.) Longest secondary nearly reaching end of primaries in closed wing; hind claw (usually) little 



curved, nearly twice as long as middle claw (Titlarks) Motacillid^ 283 



Longest secondary not nearly reaching end of primaries in closed wing; hind claw well curved, 

 not nearly twice as long as middle claw (Warblers, &c.) . CtEREBiDiK 317, or SvLVicoLiDiE 287 



(n.) Bill usually thick, stout, and with evident angulation of the commissure Ictertdje 390 



ori Fringillid^ 339 



' Note. — These two families cannot be concisely distinguished. Icterid,e contains the blackbirds, orioles, 

 meadow starlings, bobolinks, and cowbirds- FRiNGiLLiDJi, our largest family, includes all kinds of grosbeaks, 

 buntingg, linnets, finches, and sparrows. 





'I \mv0r 



i^f/'"' V^'"^' Y'^^"^ "^ ^"^ "™^^ "^ ™'"'' '"''' '""■^'^' ^"^ ^^'^^ Tlie lines 1-9 are isotmnes, cutting the limbs 

 into morpbologically equal parts, or isomsres. 



