Order II. PASSERES. 



Tribe II, Tenuikostkes. 



Family V. Oekthid;e. 



The second Subfamily, 



SYNALLAXINiE, or Sharp-tails, 



have the Toes moderate and strong, with the lateral toes unequal, the outer one the longest, and united 

 to near the first joint, and the inner slightly united at the base ; the hind toe long and strong ; the 

 claws strong, compressed, and curved. 



Synallaxis Vieill.* 



Bill short, more or less slender, with the culmen curved to the tip, which is entire and acute ; the 

 sides much compressed ; the gonys long, straight, and advancing upwards ; the nostrils basal and lateral, 

 with the opening longitudinal, and more or less closed by a membrane. Wings short and rounded, 

 with the first quill much shorter than the second ; this is rather shorter than the third, fourth, and 

 fifth, which are the longest. Tail more or less lengthened, always graduated, soft, and partaking of 

 various forms. Tarsi longer than the middle, toe, slender, and covered with broad scales in front. Toes 

 moderate or lengthened, with the lateral ones unequal, the outer the longest, and united at its base ; the 

 hind toe nearly as long as the middle one, and strong ; the claws moderate, compressed, and curved. 



This genus is peculiar to the continent of South America. The species are usually found in pairs, but sometimes in 

 scattered flocks of twelve or fourteen, on the borders of lakes and rivers, or on the rushy inundated places, where they 

 are actively engaged moving by short flights from one stem of a reed or of other plants to another, remaining only a 

 short time on each, climbing up and down them as if searching for minute insects and seeds. They carry their tails 

 usually erect, uttering at intervals a shrill quickly repeated note. The flight of these small birds from one locality to 

 another is performed with a sudden jerk, and they walls rather quickly and with ease on the ground, where some 

 species are more commonly observed feeding among the withered herbage. The nests are cylindrical, very large, and 

 generally placed in the middle of a compact bush. They are composed outwardly of prickly branches, with the entrance 

 at the upper extremity, from which a curved passage leads to the inner compartment, which is lined with feathers and 

 hairs. 



1. S. ruficapilla Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxxii. 210., Gal. 

 des Ois. t. 74. — Sphenura ruficeps Licht. ; Parulus ruficeps Spix, 

 Av. Bras. t. 86. f. 2. ; Synallaxis albescens Temm. PI. col. 227- f. 2. ; 

 S. cinereus Pr. Max. 



2. S. Axarce D'Orb. & Lafr. Voy. dans l'Amer. Me'r. Ois. p. 246. 



3. S.humicola Kittl. Mem. Acad, des Sci. Petersb. 1830. t. 6., 

 Voy. dans l'Amer. Me'r. Ois. 1. 17. f. 2. 



4. S. leucocephala D'Orb. & Lafr. Syn. Av. p. 24. 



5. S. agithaloides Kittl. Me'm. Acad, des Sci. Petersb. 1830. 

 t. 7. 



6. S. fuliginiceps D'Orb. & Lafr. Syn. Av. p. 23., Voy. dans 

 l'Amer. Me'r. Ois. t. 17. f- 1. 



7. S. albiceps D'Orb. & Lafr. Syn. Av. p. 23., Voy. dans l'Amer. 

 Mer. Ois.t. 16. f. 2. 



8. S. striaticeps D'Orb. & Lafr. Syn. Av. p. 22., Voy. dans 

 l'Amer. Me'r. Ois. t. 16. f. 1. 



9. S. ruficauda Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxxii. 310. — Sphe- 

 nura mentalis Licht. ? Azara No. 223. ; Sylvia russeola Vieill. ; 

 Opetiorhynehus inundatus Temm. Spix A v. Bras. t. 86. f. 1. ; Syn- 

 allaxis caudacutus Pr. Max: 



* Established by Vieillot in 1809 (Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat.). It is coequal with Parulus of Spix (1824), and it embraces Oxyums of 

 Mr. Swainson (1827). 



