BIRDS OV NORTH AND MrDDLE AMERICA. 1 ] 



Neocorys Sclatbr, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1857, 5. (Type, Mniidii x/iriu/iirU 



Audubon. ) 

 Notiocorys BAin-D, Review Am. Birdn, Oct. 1864, 151, 1,56. (Type, "Ahnnla. nifa 



Gmelin, ' ' = Anthus parvus Lawrence. ) 

 Pediocorys «■ Baird, Review Am. Birds, Oct., 1864, 151, 157. (Type, Anthug bogo- 



teriMS Sclater. ) 



XanthocoryK Shakpe, Cat. Birdw Brit. Mns., x, 1885, 457, 619. (Type, jinthus 

 ^ nattereri Sclater. ) 



Motacillidae, with the plumage more or le.ss streaked, tail decidedly 

 shorter than wing, the under parts neither pure white,* yellow,'-""' 

 orange,'^ nor red,** but more or less buffy or cinnamomeous, and more 

 or less streaked, at least on sides, and without black on chest or throat, 

 except in form of streaks; planta tarsi not scutellate, except the lower 

 portion. <" 



^a«-^(?.— Cosmopolitan (wanting only in Papuan islands and Poly- 

 nesia). (Numerous species.) 



Nidificatimi. — Nest on ground, among grass tufts or rocks, open 

 above, composed of grasses, etc., lined with softer materials; eggs 

 profusely speckled with brown, often so densely as to appear almost 

 uniformly of that color. 



The above combination of characters will serve to readily distinguish 

 this genus from other Motacillidro. I have not been able to satisfac- 

 torily subdivide the group, for, notwithstanding very marked varia- 

 tions in relative length of the hallux and its claw to that of the middle 

 toe and tarsus and in the wing formula, there seems to be no correla- 

 tion of these variations with one another or with other chai-acters, 

 while at the same time the most extreme variations seem to be con- 

 nected by intermediate conditions. This is apparently the case both 

 as to Neocorys and Xanthocorys ; and if these are recognized as genera 

 it will certainly be necessary to recognize other groups as of equal 

 rank. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF ANTHUS. 



«. Sixth primary conspicuously longer than fifth, the difference between them very 



much greater than that between fifth and fourth; wing more than 75 mm. 



(usually very much more). 



h. Hallux and claw together not longer than middle toe and claw and shorter than 



tarsus. 



c. Rump and upper tail-coverts not streaked; second rectrix partly white. 



(North America.) Antlms pensilvanicus (p. 12) 



cc. Rump and upper tail-coverts conspicuously streaked with darker. (Northern 

 Europe and Asia, south in winter to northeastern Africa and southern Asia; 

 accidental in Alaska and Lower California. ) : Anthxia cervinus (p. 15) 



« Erroneously given as Pedicorys in Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., x, 534, and the page 

 wrongly cited as 15 (as also in case of Notiocorys). 

 6 To exclude genera Motadlla and LimonidromuK. 

 ''To exclude genera Motadlla, Budytes, and Macronyx. 

 d To exclude genus Macronyx. 

 To exclude genus Oreocorys. 



