BIRDS—COLOPTERIDAE. 
163 
Family COLOPTERIDAE. The Flycatchers. 
This family, which connects the non-melodious birds with the Oscines, or true singers, 
embraces rather small and even diminutive species, with a bill variously shaped, but generally 
bent down abruptly at the tip, before which is a slight notch. The small circular nostrils are 
situated close to the forehead. The gape is usually provided with stiff bristles, which are 
sometimes highly developed. The wings are of moderate length ; the first primary always 
more than one-half the second, usually nearly as long ; some of the primaries often curiously 
attenuated, sometimes abbreviated. The feet are rather strong ; the tarsi covered behind with 
small plates, or warts, or granulations in several series, sometimes entirely naked, sometimes 
encircled, except on the inner face, by a single series of plates. The tail always has twelve 
feathers. 
This extensive family contains chiefly genera which have been variously combined with the 
singing birds, but have been mainly brought together in their present relationships in conse¬ 
quence of the researches of Muller and others. It embraces several sub-families, of which, 
however, only two have any reference to the fauna of the United States. The characters of the 
sub-families are given by Burmeister at considerable detail. This author divides the American 
forms into Ampelinae, Piprinae , Tyranninae, Platyrhyncliinae , and Fluvicolinae, to which 
Cabanis adds Todinae, Psarinae, Coracininae, and Phytotominae. It is not necessary to give 
the characters of all these sub-families here, as we have only to do with the Tyranninae and 
Psarinae , united into one by Burmeister on account of their close relationship and numerous 
common characters, the chief of which are the following: 
Common characters. —Bill strong and straight, generally almost as long as the head; 
the distance from the nostril to the tip of bill usually not more than that to the anterior 
corner of the eye ; bill conical and vaulted, somewhat depressed, the tip abruptly bent 
down. Nostrils free, round, and open, nearer the gape than the culmen, not concealed 
by the bristles (usually well developed) which line the rictus and base of the bill. 
Wing rather long and acute ; the primaries often attenuated or abbreviated. Tail 
usually emarginated ; leg rather strong and high, covered behind with several series 
of granulations, or with plates nearly encircling the leg. Basal joints of outer and 
middle toes more or less united. 
Psarinae. —Second primary in the male much shorter than the first and third; 
anterior face of the tarsus with a row of plates, which do not extend more than 
half round the leg. The posterior half covered with a reticulation of small 
plates ; sometimes naked internally. 
Tyranninae. —Outer primaries frequently attenuated at the tips, but the second 
never shorter than both the first and third. Anterior and external face of tarsi 
covered with plates, which completely encircle the bone, except along or near 
the central line of the inner face ; the intervening space either naked or with 
small plates, only occasionally a separate series on the posterior face of the tarsi. 
Toes, especially the inner, cleft to the base. 
