NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 23 



because I suspect that this is the bird alluded to by him, as to avail myself of 

 an opportunity to express my high appreciation of his great merits and 

 acquirements as an Ornithologist. 



13. MoLOTHRUS RUFO-AXILLARIS, nobis. 



With a part of the axillary feathers clear reddish chestnut color. 



Entire plumage black, head and body, above and below, with a bluish purple 

 lustre, wings and tail with an obscure greenish lustre or nearly plain black. 

 Bill and feet black. 



Total length about 8| inches, wing 4|, tail 3h inches. 



Hab. Buenos Ayres. Spec, in Smithsonian Mus., Washington. . 



Uue specimen only of this curious bird is in the Museum of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, and seems clearly to belong to this group, though not presenting 

 such highly lustrous plumage as either of the preceding. It is apparently 

 quite adult, and easily recognized by the reddish che3tnut-colored axillary 

 feathers, to be seen at once by raising the wing at the shoulder. 



Though having all the characters of an adult bird, the plumage in this 

 specimen has but slight lustre, inclining to bluish purple on the head and 

 body, and greenish on the wings and tail. The only specimen that 1 have 

 se*n is in the fine collection made by Mr. Christopher J. Wood, while attached 

 to Capt. T. J. Page's La Plata Expedition, which is now in the Museum of the 

 Smithsonian Institution.* 



V. Genus STURNELLA, Vieillot. 

 (Genus Sturnella, Vieill. Analyse p. 34.) 

 1. Sturnella. 



1. Sturnella ludoviciana, (Linnaeus.) 



Sturnus ludovicianus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 290, (1766.) 

 Alauda magna, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 167, (1758.) 

 Cacicus alaudarius, Daud. Tr. D'Orn. ii. p. 325, (1800.) 

 Sturnella collaris, Vieill. Nouv. Diet, xxxii. p. 203, (1819.) 

 Catesby, Carolina, pi. 33. Buff. pi. Enl. 256. Vieill. Gal. Ois. ii. pi. 90. 

 Wilson Am. Orn. iii. pi. 191. Aud. B. of Am. pi. 136. Oct. ed iv. pi. 223. 



An abundant bird of Eastern North America, carefully described by the 

 authors cited above, and by Prof. Baird in Birds of N. A. p. 535, and accu- 

 rately figured as above given. The specific name " magna," has undoubted 

 priority for this species, and I only object to it and do not use it at present on 

 account of its singular inappropriateness to this bird as a species of the genu9 

 Sturnella or Little Stare. Sturnella magna, or Great Little Stare, strikes me as 

 approaching absurdity, if that is possible, or any fault in ornithological nomen- 

 clature ! I will in no wise molest scientific persons whose tastes may be differ- 

 ent in this matter, however, and so promise. 



This bird is nearly related to all of the next four species of this genus, 

 equally in structure and in colors, and it would be difficult to describe by 

 positive characters either spf-cies of this group, so as to insure recognition 

 absolutely, or without comparative characters being given. All the species 

 can be identified from the excellent descriptions in Ibis, 1861, p. 179, by Dr. 

 Sclater of London, and the best descriptions of the two species of the United 

 States are by Prof. Baird in Birds of N. A. p. 535. No other genus or sub- 

 genus of this family presents so many spec : es of such uniformity of structure 

 and similarity of colors, and there are, assuredly, few such in the entire king- 

 dom of birds. 



2. Sturnella neglecta, Audubon. 



Sturnella neglecta, Aud. B. of Am. Oct. ed. vii. p. 339, (1844.) 

 Aud. B. of Am. Oct. ed. vii. pi. 489. 

 An abundant bird of Western and Central North America. Generally paler 



* Lampropsar Warczewiczi, Cab. Jour. Orn., 1861, p. 83, may be another species of this gruip. 



1866.] 



