BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 501 



of middle toe coherent to outer toe for most of its length, to inner toe 

 for nearly as much. 



Coloration. — A broad superciliary stripe of white or pale huffy, 

 with a black or brown stripe below it on side of head; sides of head 

 below this black or brown stripe and under parts white or buffy, with 

 or without dusky spots or bars; upper parts brown, usually much 

 variegated; whole head sometimes white; tail usually more or less 

 banded. 



Nidification {at least of some species). — Nest very bulky, placed in 

 thorny bushes (especially cacti), more or less flask shaped (the entrance 

 at one end), composed of dried grasses, twigs, etc., lined with softer 

 materials; eggs, 4-7, whitish or buffy, more or less speckled with 

 reddish brown. 



Hange.— Southwestern United States to Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. 



KBY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF HELEODYTES. 



n. Pileum and hindneck white; rest of upper parts uniform sooty brown. (Isthmus 



of Panama. ) .Heleodytes albobrunneus (p. 503) 



aa. Pileum and hindueck not white; rest of upper parts more or less variegated, 

 especially the wings, which are conspicuously banded. 

 6. Under parts wholly immaculate white or buffy white, 

 c. Larger (wing 86, tail 76, tarsus 29) ; middle rectrices barred with black and 

 chestnut. (State of Chiapas, southwestern Mexico.) 



Heleodytes chiapenais (p. 504) 



CO. Smaller (wing less than 80, tail less than 75, tarsus less than 28); middle 



rectrices plain black, or black barred or mottled with brownish gray. 



{Heleodytes capistratus.) 



d. Middle rectrices barred with brownish gray. (Guatemala to Costa Rica.) 



Heleodytes capistratus capistratus (p. 504) 

 dd. Middle rectrices plain black, except at tips. (State of Chiapas, south- 

 western Mexico. ) Heleodytes capistratus nigricaudatus ( p. 506) 



66. Under parts not immaculate white; if immaculate the color not white, but 

 dull fulvous. 

 c. Hindneck plain rusty brown or cinnamon; under parts plain whitish, only 

 the under tail-coverts conspicuously marked (spotted or barred) with dusky, 

 the remaining portions immaculate or inconspicuously speckled. 

 d. Pileum uniform black; postocular stripe black; under parts more or less 

 distinctly speckled. (Southeastern Mexico.) 



Heleodytes rufinucha, adults (p. 507) 



dd. Feathers of pileum margined with brown; postocular stripe brown; under 



parts (except under tail-coverts usually immaculate, never distinctly 



speckled). (Southwestern Mexico. ) . .Heleodytes humilis, adults (p. 508) 



cc. Hindneck not i:usty brown or cinnamon, but more or less distinctly streaked 



with dusky and whitish. 



d. Pileum uniform dull black. 



e. Under parts wholly immaculate; abroad postocular stripe of black; black 



bars on lateral rectrices much narrower than pale cinnamon or cinna- 



monjwhitish interspaces Heleodytes gularis, young (p. 527) 



ee. Under parts not wholly immaculate; a narrow postocular streak of 

 blackish; black bars on lateral rectrices not narrower than pale cinna- 

 mon or grayish buffy interspaces. 

 /. Breast, etc., conspicuously spotted with dusky. 



Heleodytes jocosus, young (p. 525) 



