BIRDS OF NOETH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 351 



one-half the length of culmen; culmen nearly straight but elevated 

 and decidedly arched basally, faintly depressed in middle portion and 

 slightly decurved terminally, the top broad and rounded; gonys 

 straight, shorter than maxilla from nostril; maxillary tomium nearly 

 straight, but faintly concave anteriorly and convex in middle, the ric- 

 tal portion very strongly and rather abruptly deflexed; mandibular 

 tomium nearly straight for terminal half, then arched and strongly 

 deflexed to the rictus. Nostril rather large, triangular (obtusely 

 pointed anteriorly), overhung by a prominent and conspicuous con- 

 vex horny operculum, the posterior end touching feathers of frontal 

 antise. Wing moderate (nearly five times as long as culmen, more 

 than three times as long as tarsus), the tip well produced (projecting 

 for more than length of culmen but less than length of tarsus), pointed; 

 outermost (ninth) primary longest, the eighth, seventh, and sixth, suc- 

 cessively, but little shorter; inner webs of two outer primaries slightly 

 sinuated; longest tertial projecting decidedly beyond secondaries. Tail 

 short (about five-eighths as long as wing), even, the rectrices rigid, broad, 

 with extreme tip more or less pointed, with aculeate tips of the shafts 

 slightly projecting. Tarsus long (more than half as long again as 

 culmen, nearly one-third as long as wing), slender, the anterior scu- 

 tella distinct; middle toe, with claw, slightly shorter than tarsus; 

 outer toe with claw falling far short of base of middle claw, the inner 

 slightly longer but with claw still falling decidedly short of base of 

 middle claw; hallux about as long as inner toe (longer than outer), 

 much stouter, its claw nearly as long as the digit, rather slender, 

 strongly arched, acute. 



Coloration. — Above blackish, or streaked and barred with brown 

 and dusky; beneath with more or less of red. 



RoMge. — South America, from Argentina and southern Brazil to the 

 Isthmus of Panama (Chiriqui). (Two species.) 



LEISTES MILITARIS (Linnaeus). 

 CAYENNE RED-BREASTED BLACKBIRD. 



Adult male in Ireedvng dress. — Uniform black, with traces (more or 

 less distinct) of grayish brown bars on apper tail-coverts and rectrices 

 and of lighter edgings on wing-feathers; throat, chest, breast, and upper 

 portion of abdomen uniform rich vermilion red; bill black; legs and 

 feet blackish brown. 



Adult male after Ireeding season. — Similar to the above, but the 

 black portions of the plumage broken by light brown or pale buffy 

 grayish edgings, these most conspicuous on median line of pileum, 

 back, scapulars, wings, and under tail-coverts; terminal portion of 

 tertials, rectrices, and longer upper tail-coverts barred with brownish 

 gray; bill horn brown, the mandible paler; legs and feet horn brown. 



Adult female in Ireeding c^ess.— Above black, broken by pale buffy 

 brownish edges to feathers, producing rather broad streaks on back, 



