BIEDS OP NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 387 



Genus MALACOPTILA Gray. 



Malacoptila Ghat, List Gen. Birds, 1841, 13. (Type, Buccofuscus Gmelin.) 



Medium-sized or rather small Bucconidse (length about 150-210 

 mm.) with feathers of anterior portion of malar region elongated, 

 more or less pointed ; bristles around base of bill very strong ; plumage 

 of pileum long and full (forming a rounded, bushy crest when erected), 

 and plumage much variegated with streaks or spots (at least on 

 pileum or dorsal region). 

 Bill not longer (usually shorter) than head, tapering and decurved 



;; terminally, slightly deeper than wide at nostrils, where the depth is 

 equal to nearly (sometimes slightly more than) one-half the distance 

 from nostril to tip of maxilla; culmen straight for basal half or more, 

 gradually but rather strongly deciurred terminally, more or less 



I distinctly (but not sharply) ridged; gonys about twice as long as 

 mandibular rami, more or less convex and prominent basally, more 

 or less concave terminally (the tip of mandible slightly decurved), 

 broadly rounded basally, subcarinate terminally; tomia smooth, 

 not strongly if at aJl deflected basally. Nostril small, oval, obliquely 

 vertical, in anterior end of nasal fossa, concealed (more or less) by the 

 long and strong antrorse prefrontal bristles, which reach to or beyond 

 middle of bill; rictal bristles long and strong; malar apex with 

 smaller antrorse bristles, the chin with long recurved bristles. Wing 

 moderate, much rounded, the longest primaries exceeding secondaries 

 by very little to nearly as much as distance from nostril to tip. of 

 maxilla; fifth to seventh primaries longest, ninth shorter than second, 

 tenth (outermost) more than half as long as nioth. Tail less than 

 three-fourths to very nearly as long as wing, strongly rounded or 

 graduated, the lateral rectrices about two-thirds to three-fourths as 

 long as middle pair, the rectrices moderately broad, moderately firm, 

 with tip broadly rounded. Tarsus longer than middle toe with claw. 



Coloration and plumage. — ^Above brown, more or less streaked or 

 spotted with buflfy or whitish (in one species only the pileum streaked, 

 this with white on a dark gray ground) ; under parts usually more or 

 less streaked, usually with a jugular area of white, buff, or tawny 

 (sometimes followed by a black pectoral band). Plumage in general 

 very fuU and lax, the feathers of pileum long (but not narrow), forming 

 when erected a rounded bushy crest; feathers of anterior portion of 

 malar region elongated, more or less pointed, forming a more or less 

 conspicuous pendent tuft on each side of lower jaw, usually dififerently 

 colored (white) from surrounding parts. 



Range. — Guatemala and British Honduras to eastern Peru, Bolivia, 

 and southeastern Brazil. (Eight species.) 



