216 bulletin: museum of compaeative zoology. 



Merula confinis (Baird). 

 St. Lucas Robin. 



Turdus confinis, Baihd, Rev. Araer. Birds, pt. I. 1864, 29—31 (orig. descr. ; type 

 from Todos Santos). Elliot, lUustr. New and Unfig. N. Amer. Birds, I. 

 1869, introd. (" T. mic;ratorius ; " Todos Santos). Coopkr, Orn. Cal., 1870. 

 9, 10 (descr. ; crit. ; figures head ; Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and 

 RiDGWAT, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, L 1874, pi. 2, fig. 1. Coues, Birds CoL 

 Valley, 1878, 9 (variety of Turdus mi(jratorius). Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. 

 INIus., V. 1881, 222 (descr. ; Todos Santos). 



[Turdus] confinis Gray, Hand-list, I. 1869, 258, no. 3,756. Dubois, Synop. Avium, 

 fasc. VL 1901, 401 (BasseCalifornie). 



[^Turdus migratorius] var. confinis Codes, Key X. Amer. Birds, 1872, 72 (descr. ; 

 Cape St. Lucas). 



Turdus migratorius, var. mn finis Coues, Check List, 1873, 5, no. 1 a. Baird, Brewer, 

 and HiDGWAY, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, L 1874,27,28, pi. 2, fig. 1 (descr.; 

 crit.; Todos Santos). Jasper, Birds N. Amer., 1878, 173, pi. 114, fig. 21 

 (Cape St. Lucas). 



Merula confinis Ridgway, Nom. N. Amer. Birds (Bull. U. S. Nat. Miis., no. 21), 

 1881, 11, 60, 74, no. 8; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 538, footnote (Todos 

 Santos) ; VL 1883, 158, 159 (crit. ; Todos Santos ; Laguna). Beluing, 

 Ibid., 346 (crit. ; Laguna trail; Victoria Mts.). A. O. U., Check List, 1886, 

 345, no. 762. Brya>-t, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., IL 1889, 319 (Todos 

 Santos; Victoria Mts.) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 198 (Victoria Mts.). Emerson, Ibid., 

 I. 1890, 46 fHayward's, Calif.). Keeler, Ibid., 250 (Hay ward's, Calif.). 

 Allen, Auk, X. 1898, 142 (tropical type). 



Turdus migratorius confinis CocES, Check List, 2d ed., 1882, 23, no. 3. 



T.[urdus] confinis Codes, Key N. Amer. Birds, 4th ed., 1894, 244, 245 (descr. ; 

 Lower Calif.). 



M.[erula] confinis Ridgwat, Man. N. Amer. Birds, 2d ed., 1896, 578 (descr. ; near 

 Cape St. Lucas). 



Of this hitherto rare bird, Mr. Frazar collected over one hundred and fifty 

 specimens. These represent very fully the nuptial and late autumn plumages, 

 but unfortunately do not include examples of the young in first plumage. 

 The sexes are not certainly distinguishable, either by size or color, although 

 the females average a trifle smaller than the males and are usually whiter be- 

 neath, with less spotting on the throat. In spring birds the color of the under 

 parts varies from creamy buff to light cream, or creamy white. November 

 and December examples have the under parts pure, deep, almost ochraceous, 

 buff. Fully ten per cent of the entire series show more or less ashy on 

 the breast, this varying in tone and extent from a few pale gray, nebulous 

 epots near the tips of the feathers to numerous brownish-ashy blotches which 

 form a broad and almost solid pectoral band. This clouding is most common 

 and pronounced in autumnal specimens, but some of these lack it wholly, 

 while it sometimes occurs in spring birds, a few of which, indeed, are quite as 



