Genus PHYTOTOMA, molina. 



PHYTOTOMA, Molina, Gmelin, IlHger, Temminck. 



Ord. II. Insessores ; Tribus III. Conirostres. — Fam. V. Loxiadee, Vigors.— 

 Ord. VI. Passeres, Linnceus. — Ord. II. Ambulatores ; 12 m . a Fam. Pas- 

 serini, Illiger. 



Char. Gen. — Bostrum basi latum, sub-breve, subincurvum, culmine subdepresso, ro- 

 tundato, retrorsum inter frontis plumulas extendente ; mandibulis, margine sul- 

 cata, superioris tomiis serratis, inferioris tomiis intimis serratis, externis integris ; 

 nares basales, laterales, subovati, setis plumulisque partim tectis. Lingua bre- 

 vis, apice integro. Alee mediocres, remige primo sub-brevi, secundo longiore, ter- 

 tio, quarto, quinto, longissimis. Pedes fortes, mediocres, tetradactyli, vel tridac- 

 tyli ; acrotarsia, acrodactylaque scutellata ; paratarsia reticulata, digitis un- 

 guibusque mediocribus, his fortibus incurvis ; cauda subelongata, subsequalis, 

 rectricibus duodecim. 



Typus genericus, Phytotoma rara, Molina. 



A he genus Phytotoma was established by Molina *, and adopted by Gme- 

 lin in his edition of the Systema Naturae, published in 1788. At first, the 

 genus included only one species, P. rara, Molina and Gmelin, to which 

 Daudin afterwards added, with the appellation of Phytotome d'Abt/ssinie, the 

 Loocia tridactyla of Gmelin (the Guipso balito of Bruce and Buffon f ) ; and 

 his example has been followed by Latham J. Mr Stephens, in his Conti- 

 nuation of Shaw's General Zoology ||, has created out of this species his genus 



* Natural History of Chili, p. 234. 



•f " Le nom entier de cet oiseaux, tel qu'il se trouve sur les figures de M. le Chevalier Bruce, 

 est Guipso balito dimmo •wonjerek.* — Buff. Oiseaux, 4to edit. iii. p. 471. (note.) 

 X Ind. Ornith. lxix. and Gen. Hist. vi. p. 153. 

 || General Zoology, ix. p. 337. 



