MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 257 



Turdus fuscescens Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zoo]., X, i, 182, 1817. — G. R. 

 Gray, Gen. Birds, 1S49. — Baiud, Birds X. Am., 2U, 1858. — Sclater, 

 Cat. Am. Binls, 2, 1862. — Bated, Rev. Am. Birds, I, 17, 1864. — Allen, 

 Mem. Bost. Soc*. Nat. Hist., 1,514, 1S68. — Ridgway, Proc. Phil. Acad. 

 Nat. Sci., XXI, 127, 1869. 



Tualas Wilsonii Bonaparte, (>bs. on Wilson's Nomenclature. — Ndttall, 

 Man. Am. Orn., I, 349, 1832. —Audubon, Urn. Biog., II, 362, pi. clxvi, 

 1834. Ibid., V, 446. — Giracd, Birds L. Island, 89, 1843-44. 



Turdus usiulatus Nuttall, Man. Am. Orn., I, (2d ed.) 400, 1840. — Baird, 

 Birds N. Am., 215, 1858. — Ibid., Rev. Am. Birds, I, 18, 1804. —Ridg- 

 way, Proc. Phil. Aead. Nat. !Sci., XXI, 127, 1S69. — Cooper &. Baird, 

 Orn Cal., I, 5, 1870. 



Mervla minor Swainson, Faun. Bor. Am.. II, 179, pi. xxxvi, 1831. 



Morula Wilsonii Brewer, Proc. Bost. Soc. Xat. Hist., I, 191, 1844. 



Not common, the greater part passing the winter in the tropics. A 

 few specimens were taken by Mr. Boardman at Green Cove Springs, 

 February 20th and 22d. I did not meet with it. 



The considerable variation in color exhibited by different specimens of 

 this species have perhaps been already sufficiently adverted to. It may be 

 added that some of the brightest colored specimens of this species proved 

 on tlissection to be females, as well, also, as some of the palest. As in T. 

 migratorius, T. Swainsoni, etc., these variations in color do not depend 

 entirely upon sex, age, nor season. The latter, however, doubtless has 

 much to do with it, as has also age, as already explained; * but the varia- 

 tion is in the main strictly the result of individual differentiation. 



Dr. Cooper says f that in habits this species is the " exact counterpart 

 of T. nanus," the resemblance extending to the situation and structure of 

 the nest, and also to the color of the eggs. In this connection it may be 

 remarked that it is not a little remarkable that the eggs and nests of both 

 the so-called T. ustulatus and T. nanus should so exactly coincide with 

 those of T. Swainsoni (which breeds where the other species are said to), 

 when the birds themselves are scarcely distinguishable respectively from 

 T. fuscescens and T. Pallasi, both of which nest on the ground and lay 

 unspotted eggs, while T. Swainsoni nests in trees and lays spotted eggs. 

 The nests and eggs I have seen purporting to be those of T. ustulatus and 

 T. nanus (and also of T. Alicia;) were so closely like those of T. Swainsoni, 

 — not differing more from those of this species than those of the same 

 species usually differ, — as to at once raise the suspicion in my mind that 

 they might all be really those of T. Swainsoni, and that they may have 

 been in some accidental way wrongly identified by the collector. 



* In Part III, pp. 193 et seq. 

 t Ornithology of California, Vol. I, p. 5. 

 vol. ir. 17 



