°r (] ev II. PASSE RES. 
Tribe IT. Tenuirostres. 
Family Y. Certhidrs. 
second Subfamily, 
SYNALLAXINriE, or Sharp-tails, 
e The Toes moderate and strong, with the lateral toes unequal, the outer one the longest, and united 
lear first joint, and the inner slightly united at the base ; the hind toe long and strong ; the 
strong, compressed, and curved. 
Synallaxis Vieill. * 
s jd s ^°rt, more or less slender, with the culmen curved to the tip, which is entire and acute ; the 
Mt] mUC k com P rcsse fi 5 the gonys long, straight, and advancing upwards ; the nostrils basal and lateral, 
^ 1<: opening longitudinal, and more or less closed by a membrane. Wings short and rounded, 
the 
v aR 
fir st quill much shorter than the second ; this is rather shorter than the third, fourth, and 
tvhich are the longest. Tail more or less lengthened, always graduated, soft, and partaking of 
118 forms. Tarsi longer than the middle toe, slender, and covered with broad scales in front. Toes 
fiind 01 ^ 6 ° r len S tllenc( ft ''Ah the lateral ones unequal, the outer the longest, and united at its base ; the 
toe 
nearly as long as the middle one, and strong ; the claws moderate, compressed, and curved. 
This ; 
scatty,. ? Gni18 Peculiar to the continent of South America. The species arc usually found in pairs, hut sometimes in 
ar e fiocks of twelve or fourteen, on the borders of lakes and rivers, or on the rushy inundated places, where they 
s hoi't t; Cn S a gcd moving by short flights from one stem of a reed or of other plants to another, remaining only a 
Usn a n G ° n eac h’ climbing up and down them as if searching for minute insects and seeds. They carry their tails 
anotv ? lCc b uttering at intervals a shrill quickly repeated note. The flight of these small birds from one locality to 
a Pcci Cg 8 Performed with a sudden jerk, and they walk rather quickly and with ease on the ground, where some 
derail 6 lnore commonly observed feeding among the withered herbage. The nests arc cylindrical, very large, and 
a t tk e Pfteed in the middle of a compact bush. They are composed outwardly of prickly branches, with the entrance 
h, 
a U'S. 
1 P e i extremity, from which a curved passage leads to the inner compartment, which is lined with feathers and 
I. s< 
Oi s . ^ Vieill. N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xxxii. 210., Gal. 
^ V ' br;is. t gg Sphenura ruficeps Liclit. ; Parulus ruficeps Spix, 
c * l, eteuR r> ’ ’ Synallaxis albescens Temm. PI. col. 227- f. 2.; 
a. s . 
V ^ hurnifi ^ & P ,a ^ r - Voy. dansl’Amer. Mer. Ois. p. 246. 
°b dans p a ° la Eltt P Mem. Acad, des Sci. Petersb. 1830. t. 6., 
lei, mer ‘ Mer ' 0is> u !7- f- 2. 
1 1 s - *skhT ala D ’° rb - & Lafr - 
‘•7. Kitti. 
Syn. Av. p. 24. 
Acad, des Sci. Petersb. 1830. 
•Mr 0 Esta bl _ 
911,8011 (1827) 
6. S. fuliginiceps D’Orb. & Lafr. Syn. Av. p. 23., Voy. dans 
l’Amer. Mer. Ois. t. 17. f- L 
7. S. albiceps D’Orb. & Lafr. Syn. Av. p. 23., Voy. dans l’Amer, 
Mer. Ois. t. l6. f. 2. 
8. S. striaticeps D’Orb. & Lafr. Syn. Av. p. 22., Voy. dans 
l’Amer. Mer. Ois. t. l6. f. 1. 
9. S. rufieauda Vieill. N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xxxii. 310. — Sphe- 
nura mentalis IAcht. ? Azara No. 223 . ; Sylvia russeola Vieill. ; 
Opetiorhynchus inundatus Temm, Spix Av. liras, t. 86. f. 1 . ; Syn- 
allaxis caudacutus Pr. Max. 
'■s»r i * h «HyVi, mol 
1809 (mu,. Did. ima. Net.). It is coequal witli 1‘mlu, of Spix (1821), anil it embracea Ox yuru, of 
