series, that on outer side sometimes indistinct, especially on upper portion; middle toe, with claw, much shorter than tarsus; outer toe, without claw, reaching to or slightly beyond middle of subterminal phalanx of middle toe, the inner toe slightly shorter; hallux about as long as inner toe but much stouter; basal phalanx of middle toe wholly united to outer toe, for about half its length to inner toe; claws moderate in size and curvature, that of the hallux decidedly shorter than the digit. Plumage full, soft, and blended, that of the rump elongated and lax; feathers of crown and occiput (especially the latter) elongated, forming a more or less distinct decumbent crest of broad, rounded feathers.
Coloration. — Adult males with pileum, wings, and tail black, the rest of upper parts gray or gray and black, in some species wholly black, except for white concealed patch on back and white wing- spots; back with a large concealed patch of white, the wings and tail with white markings; under parts gray, sometimes whitish on abdomen, etc., sometimes entirely black; adult females brown (sometimes partly rufescent) above, with whitish markings on wings and concealed white patch on back, paler brownish or rufescent below.
Nidification. — Nest pensile, vireo-like; eggs white or creamy white, spotted or streaked with brownish.
Range. — Honduras to Cayenne and southeastern Brazil. (About twelve species.)[1]
- ↑ The type of Erionotus (Thamnophilus cærulescens Vieillot), together with Thamnophilus melanochrous Sclater and Salvia and probably several others referable to the same group (I have not seen T. tschudii Pelzeln, T. æthiops Sclater, T. cinereo-niger Pelzeln, T. stellaris Spix, T. tristis Sclater and Salvin, T. capitalis Sclater, nor T. cinereiceps Pelzeln), differs so much in relative size and shape of the bill from T. amhiguus Swainson, T. nævius (Gmelin), T. gorgonæ Thayer and Bangs, and related forms that there is some question as to whether the two groups are really congeneric; indeed, I have placed them together mainly on account of their very close resemblance to one another in style of coloration. Another group, composed of species (referred by Dr. Sclater to the genera Thamnophilus and Dysithamnus) distinguished by their very plain (mainly gray, slate colored or sooty) coloration, without black wings or tail and destitute of white markings on wings and tail or of a distinct white dorsal (concealed) patch, I do not, at present at least, refer to Erionotus. These species (Thamnophilus murinus Pelzeln, T. simplex Sclater, T. capitalis Sclater, T. inornatus Ridgway, Dysithamnus leucostictus Sclater, Thamnophilus schistaceus D'Orbigny, Dysithamnus ardesiacus Sclater and Salvin, D. unicolor Sclater, D. plumhea (Maximilian), and D. subplumbeus Sclater and Salvin) differ considerably among themselves in structural details and may represent two or more distinct groups. Since they are all extralimital to the present work, however, I leave them as a problem for others to work out.
