passerinjE. 267 



Ramphoceline Tanagers.(I) 



A conical beak, the branches of whose lower mandible are enlarged 



behind.(2) 



TuRDus, Lin. 



The Thrushes have a compressed and arcuated beak, but its point 

 is not hooked, and its emarginations do not form such deep notches 

 as in the Shrikes; as we have already stated, however, there are 

 gradual transitions from one genus to the other. 



Their regimen is more frugivorous, generally feeding on berries. 

 Their habits are solitary. 



The term Thrush is more particularly reserved for those species 

 in which the colours are uniform, or are distributed in large masses. 

 The most widely disseminated is, 



y. merw/a, L., Naum. 71. (The European Blackbird.) The 

 male, (Enl. 2,) is entirely black, with a yellow beak; the female, 

 (Enl. 555,) is brown above; reddish brown beneath; the 

 breast spotted with brown. It is a very mistrustful bird, but 

 is easily tamed, and can be taught to sing well, and even to 

 speak. It remains in Europe during the whole year. 



A neighbouring species, which, however, is a bird of pas- 

 sage, and prefers the mountains, is, 



T. torquatus, L. ; Le Merle a plastron hlanc; Enl. 168 and 

 182; Naum. 70. (The Ring Ouzel.) Feathers, black, partly 

 edged with white; the breast marked with a shield of the same 

 colour. 



The high mountains in the south of Europe contain two 

 species, the T. saxatilis, L.; Enl. 562; Naum. 73, and the T. 

 cyaneus, L.; Enl. 250; Naum. 72, from which the T. solifarius, 

 L. does not differ. (3) The first, which is most frequently found 



Vielll., Am. and Gal., pi. Ixxxv, or Pipra polyglotla, Wils., I, vi, 2. This spe- 

 cies leads to Ploceus. Tanagra mississipiensiSf Enl. 742, or T. sestiva, Wils. Am. 

 VI, 3, 4. T. rubra, 156, 1 T. ludoviciana, Wils., 111. xx, 1. 



N.B. Swainson separates the T. taiao and some others from the Tanagers under 

 the name of Aglaia, and makes a genus of ray Tanagers a bee fin, called Speh- 



MAGRA. 



(1) From this Vieill. has made his Jacapa, or Ramphoceies, Galer. 79. 



(2) Tanagra jacapa, .1x1. 128. T. brasilla, Enl. 127, 1. T. nigrogularis, Spix, 

 47. 



N.B. The Tanagra atricapilla, 809, 2 and the guyannensis ar(#Shrikes. The 

 T. cristatella, Spix, or Fringilla cristata, Gmel., T. graminea and T. ruficollis, Spix, 

 are Buntings. 



(3) Obs. Bonnelli. 



