SYLVIAD^. MOTACII-LIN^. 
41 
shaped birds, having the plumage and long hinder toes 
of the true larks, but with the slender bills of a wag- 
tail. This union of characters all ornithologists con- 
cur in viewing as a plain intimation of the mode in 
which the dentirostral tribe is united to that of the 
conirostral. Anthus, in fact, seems to be placed at the 
very extremity of the Dentirostres, just as the family 
of the Alaudinie, or true larks, is in the circle of the 
Conirostres : in other words, they are not only ana- 
logous, but this analogy actually blends into an afiinity. 
In addition to the four principal types or genera of the 
Motacillince, above enumerated, we have been fortunate 
in detecting what we consider to be the fifth or fissiros- 
tral type, long after we had expressed our firm con- 
viction that type had not yet been detected. Hitherto 
none of the wagtails had been detected in America; but 
the recent researches in Chili have brotight to light a 
most singular bird, long ago figured by Buffbn, but 
which had been lost to our modern collections, until 
''ery lately. This is our Lessonia eryihronotus, which at 
present stands as a solitary example of the fisserostral 
type of the Motacillince. This singular bird has the 
feet and long hind claw of Anthus and of Motacilla, 
between which we assign it a station. It is well known 
that the greater part of the Motacillince are perpetually 
moving their tails, and we shall now show how this 
character is continued to ttie next division. 
(44.) We enter among the PAitiANAi, or tits, by the 
American genus Se'iurus, which, as its name implies, is 
remarkable for the motion of its tail ; one species {Se'iu- 
»■«* aqiiaticus* Sw.) frequents the sides of streams, 
♦ Northern Zoology vol. ii. pi. 48. 
