258 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
Bill as long as or longer than head (but much less than twice as 
long as tarsus), decidedly though not conspicuously decurved through- 
out, rather slender, much compressed, its width at latero-frontal 
antiz slightly to decidedly less than depth at same point and con- 
tained from four and a half to seven times in distance from nostril to 
tip of maxilla; culmen and tomia gradually decurved from base, the 
latter without trace of subterminal notch; gonys very faintly to rather 
strongly concave, sometimes slightly prominent basally. Nostril 
exposed, posteriorly in contact with latero-frontal feathering, longi- 
tudinally oval, nonoperculate, but margined above by a narrow mem- 
brane. Rictal bristles absent, and feathers of chin, etc., without 
terminal sete. Wing moderate or rather large, rather pointed, the 
longest primaries exceeding secondaries by nearly to much more than 
length of tarsus; eighth, seventh and eighth, sixth, seventh, and 
eighth, or seventh, eighth, and ninth primaries longest, the tenth 
(outermost) nearly to a little more than three-fourths as long as the 
longest, the ninth longer than fifth, sometimes equal to the longest. 
Tail. three-fourths to (usually) decidedly more than three-fourths as 
long as wing, graduated for about one-fourth its length, the rectrices 
(12) acuminate, their strong and very rigid shafts decurved, some- 
times twisted, terminally: Tarsus much shorter to slightly longer 
(P. tenwirostris) than length of bill from nostril, one-fourth (P. 
tenuirostris) to much less than one-fourth as long as wing, distinctly 
scutellate (endaspidean); middle toe, with claw, equal to tarsus or 
decidedly longer; outer toe, without claw, equal to or slightly longer 
than middle toe; inner toe, without claw, reaching to subterminal 
articulation of middle toe; hallux decidedly shorter than inner toe, 
scarcely if at all stouter; middle toe united to outer toe for whole of 
first and part of second phalanx, to inner toe by greater part of first 
phalanx; anterior claws large, very strongly curved, acute, that of the 
hallux much less curved, equal to or shorter than the digit. 
Coloration Rump, upper tail-coverts, tail, and at least part of 
remiges cinnamon-rufous or rufous-chestnut; back, scapulars, and 
wing-coverts olive-brown, russet, or cinnamon-rufous; pileum and 
hindneck brown or dusky, streaked or spotted with paler (sometimes 
the back ‘also streaked), or feathers margined with dusky; chin and 
throat white or buffy (feathers of throat sometimes narrowly mar- 
gined with dusky), the rest of under parts more-or less distinctly 
streaked or striped. 
Nidification.—Nest in holes of trees or stumps; eggs plain white. 
Range.—Southern Mexico to Cayenne, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, 
and Peru. (About twenty species.) 
@ Of these the following have not been examined in this connection: P. falcinellus 
(Cabanis and Heine), P. obtectus Allen, P. warscewiczi (Cabanis and Heine), P. par- 
virostris Sclater, P. puncticeps Sclater and Salvin, P. albolineatus (Lafresnaye), P. 
saturatior Underwood, and P. fuscicapillus Pelzeln. 
