KEY TO THE GENERA. 



65 



(y) Nostrils at edge o/ the cere; eyes anterior, snrrouncled by radiating feathers, the anterior of which are 



bristly and hide the base of the bill; outer anterior toe shorter than inner anterior toe. (yi) 

 y) Nostrils ill the cere; eyes lateral, not surrounded by a disc; outer anterior toe (generally) not shorter 

 than inner anterior toe. (y^) 



(yi) Trs. naked or scant-feathered. Facial disc perfect; ocl. somewhat pectinate, Stktx 139 



— imperfect; 3cl. simple; trs.>-;Jtcl., .... Speotyto 150 



— <3tcl., . . . MiCKAXnENE 149 



— fuU-feathcrcd; head tufted; tail about ? the Tving. Over 18 inches long, Bubo 140 



— \ the wing. Under 12 inches long, ScoPS 141 



— Over 12, under 18 ; tufts — of 8 to 12 fthrs., . Otus 142 



— of 3 to fthrs., BUACHYOTUS U3 



— not'tufted; tail about h the wing. Length under 12 inches, . . . Xyctale 147 



^Ithe^vg. Lgth. IS or more. Pure wht., spotted, Nyctea 145 



— Not pure white, Syrnium 144 



— ijthewg. Length over 12, under 18 inches, . Surnta 146 



Length much under 12, . . . Glaucidium 148 



(y') Tre. feathered to the toes — all around; tail a foot or more long, Aquila 163 



— except a narrow strip behind : tail not a foot long, . . . Auciiibuteo 160 



— reticulate — upper mandible tootlied, under mandible notched, nostrils circular, . . Faeco 158 



— Claws all of same leugtlt, rounded underneath; tibial feathers close, . . Faxdiox 162 



— Tail cmarginate, rmf? outer feathers not longer than middle, Elan us 154 



— forked, outer feather about twice as long as middle, Nauclekus 155 



— scutellate in front; no web at base of toes ; tail a foot or more long, Haei-etus 1G4 



— a web; nostrils circular; tail not I as long as wing, Ictinia 153 



— oval; bill not ^ as deep at base as long, . . Eostrhamus 152 



— oval; tarsus feathered about \ way down in front, Astur 157 



— hardly \ way down, . . AcciriTER 156 

 — and behind — Tibial feathers not reaching below the joiut, Onychotes 161 



— Bill yellowish ; nost. linear, oblique, near up. edge of cere, Poltborus 1G5 



— Face with a ruff; trs. twice 3t.; up. tail-coverts white, . . . Circus 151 



— Hawks without these characters, Buteo 15D 



(z) Primaries, — 10 ; the 1st (never spurious) always more than | as long as the longest, (a) 

 (z) Primaries, — 10; the 1st (spurious or) at most not | as long as the longest, (b) 

 (z) Primaries, — 9 ; the 1st (never sjnirious) of variable length, (e) 



(a) Feet s7/?i(/ac^?/;ows; bill serrate: middle tail feathers long-exsertcd, Momotus 112 



— not serrate, middle tail feathers not exserted, Ceryle 113 



(a) Feet normal ; tail of 10 feathers ; more than 6 secondaries ; trs. feathered ; 4t. 3-jointed, . Paxyptila 116 



— naked; tail not spiny, . Nephgecetes 117 

 — spiny, . . Chjetura 118 



— only 6 secondaries ; bill subulate, =or:> head, (a^) 



(a') Trs. feathered. Grass-green, head striped with black and white, Heliop-Edica 119 



— naked; b. serrate, twice = head. Black below, throat not scalj^ Lampornis 120 



— not serrate; 1st primary rigid; tail truncate. Green, Stellula 123 



— not rigid; attenuate; or—rufous on sides; or crown scaly, Selasphori^S 122 



— not attenuate; no rufous; throat green, . Argyrtria 124 



— not green, . . Tp.ociiilus 121 



(a) Feet 7iormrtZ,- tail of 12 feathers : 1st primaiy— attenuate; tailr> wings, forlicate, .... Mil\"Ulus 104 



— not:> wings: forked or not, Tyranni:s 105 

 — not attenuate; crown plain, or full-crested, (a") 

 (a^) Tail = or little < wing, not forked, edged loith chestnut ; trs. = or;>3tcl., . Myiaeci-ius 106 



— slightly or not forked; not edged: tr8.:=-3tcl., . . . Sayornis 107 



— m7icft<wing., a little forked; trs. <3tcl. Length 6^ or more. . . . Contofus 108 



— <or nearly = wg., barely or not forked: tr6.^or>3tcl. Length 6J in. or less, (a^) 



(a^) Colors greenish, olive, etc.; no buff, red ov pure brown, . . E]vipidonax 109 

 — brownish olive, etc.; buffy below. Subcrested, . Mitrephorus 110 

 -fiery (orrosy) red. and deep brown; ^f full-crested, Pyrocephlvlus 111 



(b) 7>/.rs?i.s ''■ftooief?,-" wings < tail, both much rounded; plumage remarkably lax, Cham.ea 11 



wmg6:?*tail; nostrils linear; no rictai bristles; plumage close. Aquatic, Cinclus 7 



— not linear : tail double-rounded, oVIyiadestes 52 



— not double-rounded. Under 5 in. long, Regulus 9 

 Over 5 in. long, (b^) 



(b^) Tarsus not :> mid. toe and claw. 7^Z^fc the chief color Sialia 6 



— ::> mid. toe and claw. No blue. Tail only | the wing, . Saxicola 5 



— more than ^ thewing, Turdus l 

 (b) Tarsus scutellate; nostrils covered with tufts of antrorse bristly feathers, (c) 



— nostrils exposed; base of bill with few such feathers, or none, (d) 



KEY TO N. A. BIRDS. 9 



