COCCYZIN^. 
DiPLOPTERUS Boie* 
Bill more or less long and slender, with the ciilmen curved, and the sides compressed to the tip, 
which is entire ; the lateral margins curved, and the gonys long and ascending ; the nostrils basal, \dth. 
the opening lengthened, linear, and covered by a scale. Wings long ; with the fourth quill nearly as long 
as the fifth, which is the longest. Tail lengthened, broad, and rounded on the sides. Tarsi of the 
length of the middle toe, rather slender, and covered in front with broad scales. Toes unequal and 
slender ; the claws very short, curved, and acute. 
These birds are found in the tropical parts of South America, inhabiting dense forests. They feed on grasshoppers 
and small lizards. One of the species is stated to live so solitary a life, except at the breeding season, that indi\-iduals 
are not to be found at a less distance than half a league from each other. On the other hand, it is said that the flocks 
of" two other species are frequently found mingled together, and the females even bmld a large nest in common, in 
which they all deposit their eggs, hatch them together, and bring up the young as if they were all of the same 
species. They emit various cries, which have been compared in the different species to " piriririri,'^ accompanied by a 
kind of laugh, " guaagua" with a crying tone, " chochi," &c. 
1. D. guira (Gmel.) Voy. de TUranie, Ois. t. 26. — Crotophaga 
piririgua Vieill. Gal. des Ois. t. 44., Guer. Iconogr. Ois. t. 31. 
2. D. brasilianus (Less.) Rev. Zool. 1839. P- 41. 
3. D. n<Ei-ii/s (Linn.) Boie, PI. enl. 812. 
4. D. chochi (Vieill.) X. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. viii. p. 272., Azara, 
266. 
5. D. phasianellus (Spix), Av. Bras. t. 42. 
PiAYA Less.^ 
Bill moderate, broad at the base, with the culmen curved, and the sides compressed to the tip, which 
is entire ; the lateral margin curved, and the gonys long and nearly straight ; the nostrils sunk in a 
broad short groove, with the opening anterior, oblique, and suboval. Wings long and rounded ; with 
the fifth, sixth, and seventh quills equal and longest. Tail lengthened, broad, and graduated. Tarsi 
as long as the middle toe, and covered in front with broad scales. Toes unequal and rather slender ; 
the claws long, compressed, and curved. 
The species of this genus are peculiar to the warmer portions of America, where they reside in pairs in the open 
plantations, searching among the foUage for the larvae and insects that live on the leaves. They are i-ai'ely, if ever, seen 
on the ground, though occasionally observed on the lower branches, especially those that hang over the water, as such 
places are generally prolific in insects. ^Vhen perched, they are said to be continually moving their tails, and changing 
their position. They are believed to lay two eggs. 
* Spix first established this division under the name of Macropus, which word having been previously used in Zoology, I have adopted 
that given above. Dromococcyx of the Prince Neuwied is probably a synonyme. It embraces Cr«i>a of M. Lesson (1831), with which 
Octopteryx of M. Kaup (1836), and Ptilolepfiis of Mr. Swainson (1837) are synonymous. 
t Established by .M. Lesson in 1831 {Traite d'Ornithologie, p. 139.). Coccycua of the same author is synonymous. 
