A REVIEW OF THE GENUS DENDROCINCLA GRAY. Br ROBERT RIDO^VAV. Probably no group of birds presents greater difficulties to the student than the great Neotropical family Dendrocolaptid(v, embracing nearly 300 plainly colored species, among which an essentially similar style of coloration is often repeated in widely different genera, while the vari-ous species, sometimes numerous, within one genus are usually distin-guished by characters which are obvious only on actual comparison of specimens. The vague descriptions of many authors renders it almost a hopeless task to attempt to identify their species from the descriptions alone ; and type specimens, when they are in existence, are scattered through the museums In various countries, many of tliem being thus practically inaccessible. Perhaps the greater number of type specimens belonging to this family are in the celebrated Lafresnaye collection, for some years the property of the Boston Society of Natural History, an institution which is second to none in its readiness to aid the cause of science by placing its treasures in the hands of those who undertake the task of unweaving such intricate webs of obscurity and confusion as that which constitutes the subject of the present paper, which indeed could not have been done without the valuable aid thus received. The present paper is the result of the author's efforts to determine two species of the genus DendrocincJa Gray in a small collection of birds from the Lower Amazon, an attempt which proved a literal " grop-ing in the dark " until the necessary light was furnished by the La-fresnaye types, so courteously supplied by the officers of the above-men-tioned establishment, to whom acknowledgments are due. The want of sufficient time has prevented the author from going much into detail, and the material examined has not been altogether such as was desirable; but it is hoped that the following synoptical table and revision of the synonymy may throw some further light upon the sub-ject and prove useful to those who wish to pursue it further. Genus DENDROCINCLA Gray. ''Dryocopus Max., Beitr., iii, 1831, lU-i" {nee Bon-:, 1826!). Type, Dendrocolaptea tur-diniis LiCHT. ? Dendrocinda Gray, List Gen. B. 1840, 23. Type, DendroGolapies tnrdinus Light. Dendrocops Lafuksn., Rev. et Mag. Zool., 1851, 320-3-29, 465-468 (nee Swains.); Mon. Dendroc, 1851, 72-84. Dendromanes Scl., P. Z. S., 1859, 382. Type, Dendrocinda anabatina ScL. Gen. Char. — Bill about as long as head, or somewhat shorter, the culmjen straight to the tip, where more or less abruptly decurved, form-ing a more or less distinct terminal hook, this not preceded by a dis-488
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