Page:Birds of North and Middle America partV Ridgway.djvu/256

228 Large Dendrocolaptidæ (length about 250-275 mm.) with roundish, nonoperculate nostril, and nearly straight, depressed bill with distance from nostril to tip of maxilla greater than length of tarsus, and more than three times its depth at nostril.

Bill about as long as or slightly longer than head, nearly straight, broad and depressed basally, its width at frontal antiæ very slightly to much greater than its depth at same point and equal to less than one-third the distance from nostril to tip of maxilla; culmen very much longer than tarsus, distinctly (sometimes sharply) ridged, gradually (usually very slightly) curved to near tip, where abruptly decurved, the tip of maxilla distinctly uncinate; maxillary tomium nearly straight to slightly but distinctly concave, distinctly notched subterminally; mandibular tomium very faintly to rather distinctly convex, with faint trace of subterminal notch; gonys practically straight for most of its length but convex and slightly prominent basally, sometimes slightly decurved terminally. Nostril exposed, posteriorly in contact with latero-frontal feathering, roundish or broadly oval, nonoperculate. Rictal bristles absent, but feathers of chin and lores with loose, semidecomposed, setaceous webs. Wing large, pointed, the longest primaries exceeding secondaries by nearly to quite the distance from nostril to tip of maxilla; seventh, seventh and eighth, or sixth, seventh, and eighth primaries longest, the tenth (outermost) two-thirds or more as long as the longest, the ninth longer than fourth, sometimes longer than fifth. Tail nearly as long as wing, graduated for about the length of culmen, the rectrices (12) conspicuously acuminate, with very strong and extremely rigid shafts, which are more or less strongly decurved terminally. Tarsus shorter than exposed culmen, a little more than one-fifth as long as wing, rather slender, distinctly scutellate (endaspidean); middle toe, with claw, slightly shorter than tarsus; outer toe (with or without claw) as long as middle toe or very slightly longer; inner toe (without claw) reaching to a little beyond subterminal articulation of middle toe, its claw reaching to base of middle claw (D. certhia) or falling far short (D. validus); hallux decidedly shorter than inner toe, little if any stouter; middle toe united to outer toe by whole of basal and part of second phalanx, to inner toe by at least half the basal phalanx; claws large, very strongly curved, very acute, that of the hallux less strongly curved, longer than the digit.

Coloration. — Brown or olive, the tail, upper tail-coverts and remiges deep cinnamon-rufous or chestnut; pileum streaked, or spotted with paler brown or buffy or barred with black; under parts paler brown, olive, or brownish buffy more or less distinctly barred with darker or blackish, the chest sometimes streaked, the throat usually mostly dull whitish or pale brownish buffy. Sexes alike.

Nidification. — Nesting in holes of trees; eggs white.