BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 19 
Bill shorter than head, moderately stout to very stout, its depth at 
anterior end of nostril equal to ora little less than one-fourth (Z. 
edicnemus) to more than one-fourth (Z. bistriatus and C. domin- 
icensis) the length of exposed culmen, the latter about as long as 
noiddle toe with claw, straight and inclined downward anteriorly as 
far as anterior end of nostril, then slight convex; gonys shorter than 
mandibular rami, much shorter than distance from tip of maxilla to 
anterior end of nostril, faintly convex, ascending terminally; nasal 
fosse broad, occupied by membraneous integument, the nostrils 
in lower anterior portion, longitudinal and narrow, or slit-like Gn 
@. adicnemus), or slightly oblique and rather broadly oval (in 
G. bistriatus and G@. dominicensis); malar and frontal antie on 
same vertical line, but mental antia much anterior to them, about on 
line with posterior end of nostril. Wing moderate, rather pointed, 
the longest primaries exceeding distal secondaries by much less 
than half the length of wing (Z. bistriatus and @. dominicensis) 
to nearly half its length @&. edicnemus); three outer primaries 
longest. and subequal (Z. bistriatus and @. dominicensis) or the 
outermost longest (Zi. wdicnemus). Tail about half as long as 
wing, graduated for more than one-fifth its length (@. distriatus 
and CZ. dominicensis) or less than one-fifth (EZ. @dicnemus). Tarsus 
more than one-third (@. bistriatus and 4’. dominicensis) to less than 
one-third (Z. edicnemus) as long as wing, two and a half (EZ. edic- 
nemus) to nearly three times (Z. bistriatus and G. dominicensis) as 
long as middle toe without claw, covered all round with hexagonal 
scales, these having a regular transverse arrangement on lower part 
of the acrotarsium; bare portion of tibia shorter than middle toe 
with .claw (4. edicnemus) to decidedly longer (2. bistriatus and 
G&. dominicensis), scaled in same manner as tarsus; outer and inner 
toes, successively, decidedly shorter than middle toe; hallux absent; 
space between outer and middle toes webbed as far as first articulation 
of the latter, that between inner and middle toes with a very small 
web at base. 
Coloration.—Upper parts streaked with brownish buff or buffy 
brown, grayish brown and dusky; under parts of body mostly plain 
dull white or buffy white; tail with a blackish terminal band and one 
or more white subterminal bands. 
Range.—Temperate and tropical portions of Europe, Asia, and 
Africa; tropical America, from southern Mexico to Amazonia and 
western Peru; island of Haiti, Greater Antilles. (About ten species, 
of which only three are American.) 
. It is probable that the American species require generic separation 
from Gdicnemus proper, since there are several marked differences 
in external structure, as indicated in the above description. 
