122 MYRMOTHERIN^. CINOLUS. 1^ 
I li 
short, broad, concave, rounded ; the first quill very short*! i 
and narrow, the second and third longest ; tail always 1; ; 
short, convex above, even or rounded. j 
The Myrmotherinse belong chiefly to the warmer ’ 
gions of the globe ; but the genus to which is referred the | ! 
only British species, is composed of birds that inhabit cold i | 
and temperate countries. 
% i 
GENUS XXXVI. CINCLUS. DIPPER. | i 
Bill rather short, slender, compressed, slightly bent up- 1 
wards, much compressed toward the end ; the edges sharp ; f; j 
an obscure notch close to the narrow, slightly deflected tip. v 1 
In old birds, the tip worn, so as to obliterate the notches, " j 
and render the extremity abrupt and somewhat wedge-shaped. 
Mouth very narrow ; tongue sagittate, narrow, grooved, , 
bristly on the margins, toward the end, and terminating in 
two bristle points ; oesophagus of nearly uniform width ; sto- 
mach roundish, compressed, muscular, its epithelium dense ’ 
and rugous ; intestine of moderate length and width ; coeca 
very small, cylindrical. Nostrils linear, direct. Eyes rather 
email, eyelids densely feathered. Aperture of ear roundish, 
of moderate size. Head oblong, rather small, compressed ; 
neck rather short, body full ; tarsus of moderate length, com- 
pressed, rather stout, covered anteriorly by a long undivided 
plate, and four anterior scutella, posteriorly sharp, with two 
long plates ; toes rather large, the first, second, and fourth ; 
nearly equal, the anterior connected by basal webs ; claws ra- ; 
ther long, arched, much compressed, laterally grooved, in old 
birds blunted. Plumage rather compact, on the fore part of the 
head short, blended ; no bristles ; wings rather short, broad, ; 
convex, rounded ; the first quill very short, the third longest ; 
tail short, even, slightly decurved. 
The birds of this genus are placed on the limits of the fa- j: 
mily, and are nearly as much allied to the Thrushes. They 
are remarkable for their habit of procuring their food at the J 
bottom of streams. t 
60 . CiNCLUS EUROP^US. EUROPEAN DiPPER. | 
Head and hind neck deep-brown, both eyelids with a white t 
