BIRDS OF NOKTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 135 



phalanges of middle toe as long as tarsus) , the hallux (without claw) 

 half as long as tarsus ; and with a white supraloral stripe and black 

 loral stripe. 



Bill nearly as long as head (culmen about three-fourths as long 

 as tarsus, more than one-fourth as long as wing), of nearly uniform 

 depth as far as angle of gonys; culmen not elevated basally, nearly 

 straight as far as anterior end of nostril, thence gradually and 

 slightly decurved to tip ; gonys as long as mandibular rami, nearly 

 straight, slightly ascending terminally, its basal angle distinct but 

 not prominent; mandibular rami with a narrow and rather indis- 

 tinct lateral groove; nasal fossa long but rather narrow, extending 

 nearly halfway from loral antia to tip of maxilla, well-defined ; nos- 

 tril narrowly elliptical, entirely pervious, its anterior end much 

 nearer to loral antia than to tip of maxilla; loral antia forming a 

 distinct obtuse angle at middle of base of nasal fossa, the somewhat 

 widened base of culmen separating those of opposite sides and form- 

 ing a U-shaped or obtusely V-shaped opening in the frontal feather- 

 ing; malar antia slightly posterior to loral antia, the mental antia 

 slightly posterior to posterior end of nostril. Wing relatively small, 

 very concave beneath, much rounded; longest primaries exceeding 

 distal secondaries by a little more than one-fourth the length of wing, 

 projecting decidedly beyond tips of elongated proximal secondaries; 

 second, third, and fourth primaries (from outside) longest, the firs! 

 (outermost) intermediate between eighth and ninth. Tail nearl;5 

 half a^ long as wing, much rounded, the rectrices soft, narrow, and 

 tapering, mostly concealed by coverts. Tarsus more than one-thirc' 

 as long as wing, about as long as two first phalanges of middle toe, 

 the acrotarsium with a single series of broad transverse scutella on 

 upper part, the lower half or more with several ill-defined series ; outer 

 toe with claw reaching to or slightly beyond base of middle claw, the 

 inner toe, without claw, reaching to slightly beyond subterminal artic- 

 ulation of middle toe ; hallux, without claw, about as long as basal pha- 

 lanx of outer toe, very nearly half as long as tarsus ; claws moderate 

 in size, much compressed, moderately curved, acute. 



Plumage aiid coloration. — Plumage of head, neck, and underparts 

 dense and blended; primaries moderately broad, the outermost 

 strongly bowed; elongated proximal secondaries moderately broad, 

 their tips rounded. Upper parts brown (dusky or blackish on 

 pileum) the back, etc., mixed with black and streaked with white; 

 a black loral stripe and above it a white supraloral stripe; under- 

 parts mostly white or pale buflfy, the sides, flanks, and under tail 

 coverts barred with black. 



Range (entire genus). — Cosmopolitan (12 species). 



272607 — 41 : 



