SYLVIIN^. 
141 
FAMILY XVIII. SYLVIINiE. SYLVIINE 
BIEDS OR WARBLERS. 
Body slender ; neck short ; head rather large, ovate. 
Bill short, straight, slender, tapering, rather broader than 
high at the base, compressed toward the end, its outlines 
I very slightly convex, the notch of the upper mandible ob- 
I solete or faint. Mouth of moderate width ; both man- 
I dibles moderately concave ; tongue of moderate length, 
j emarginate and papillate at the base, narrow, grooved 
above, horny, thin-edged, its point slit and lacerated ; 
oesophagus of moderate width, and without dilatation ; 
stomach elliptical, with the lateral muscles strong, the 
epithelium thin, tough, and longitudinally rugous ; intes- 
tine short, and rather wide ; coeca very small. Trachea 
with four pairs of inferior laryngeal muscles. Eyes of 
moderate size. Nostrils small, oblong, operculate. Aper- 
ture of ear large, elliptical, or roundish. Feet of mode- 
rate length ; tarsus slender, much compressed, distinctly 
scutellate before, thin-edged behind, with two longitudi- 
nal plates ; toes four, moderate, slender, the first compa- 
ratively stout, the lateral about equal ; claws arched, ex- 
tremely compressed, acute. Plumage soft and blended ; 
wings of moderate length, more or less rounded, of eigh- 
teen quills ; tail moderate, of twelve feathers, even, round- 
ed, or emarginate. 
The Sylviinse are birds of small size, none of them 
much exceeding the Nightingale. They are distinguished 
from the Saxicolinse by being less robust, by having the 
bill narrower at the base, and the tarsi more slender. 
They are active, lively, and, in general, remarkable for 
the variety, softness, and modulation of their notes, seve- 
ral of them being among the most celebrated songsters. 
They feed on insects, larvae, soft fruits, and sometimes 
seeds. Most of them, owing to their being essentially in- 
