TURDID.E — THE THRUSHES. 43 



Febniaiy. He describes it as exceedingly tame and gentle in its lialiits, and 

 with a song remarkably melodious and attractive. Perched on the tojjmosl 

 bough of a tiiiweriiig luiiunsa, in the presence of his consort, the male will 

 pour tbrtli a voluuie of must enchanting music. Their nest is generally very 

 nearly Hat, mea.suring nearly six inches in circumference, and scarcely more 

 than an inch in its greatest thickness. It has hardly any distinct cavity, 

 and hollows but very slightly from the rim to the centre, its greatest depres- 

 sion having barely the deptli of half an incli. The nests are composed of 

 long coarse fibrous roots, rudely, but somewhat compactly interwoven. The 

 inner framework is consti'ucted of the same materials internuxed with the 

 finer stems of grasses. 



Mr. II. E. Dresser states that in the vicinity of JNIatamoras these birds are 

 fond of frequenting small villages, and that he frequently found their nests 

 within the gardens and court-yards of the houses, and near the road. 



The eggs of this Thrush vary considerably in size, ranging from 1.2t) to 

 1.03 inches in length, and from .84 to .77 of an incli in breadth. Their 

 mean length is 1.12 inches, and their average breadth .80. They have 

 a light greeu ground-color, generally, though not thickly, covered with fine 

 brown spots. 



Harporhynchus cvirvirostris, \ar. palmeri, IIidgway. 



PALMER'S THKASHEB. 



HarporhyncMis curviroslris, var. palmeri, Ridgw.iy, Report King's E.xpeditioii, V, 1S72. 



Sp. Cii.\r. Bill .slender, moderately curved; lirih quill longest; fourth and .«i.xtli just 

 perceptilily shorter, and equal; second equal to ninth; first 1..5.5 shorter than longest. 

 General plumage uniform grayish-umber, paler below, becoming ahnost dirty whitisli on 

 the throat and abdomen ; lower part of the breast and abdomen with a very few just 

 discernible irregular specks of a darker tint; lower tail-coverts dilute isabella-brown, more 

 ochraceous at their margins ; anal region and lower part of abdomen light ochraceous. 

 No bands on wings, and tail-feathers only diluted at the tips. Maxillary stripe whitish 

 with transverse bars of dusky. "Iris orange." 



tf(No. 8,128, "New Mexico " ^ Arizona, Dr. Heermann) : wing, 4.30; tail, 5.00; 

 bill (from nostril), 1.00; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe (without claw), 1.00. 9(49,723, Camp 

 Grant, Tucson, Arizona, March 12, 18G7 ; Dr. E. Palmer; with eggs): wing, 4.1.5; tail, 

 4.85; bill, .95; tarsu.s, 1.25; middle toe, .90. 



Hab. Eastern Arizona (Tucson). 



This very curious race seems to unite the characters of curviroslris and 

 lecontei ; in fact, it is so exactly intermediate between the two, that we are 

 almost in doubt as to which it is most nearly related. Having the stout form 

 and larger size, as well as tlie spots on the abdomen, of the former, it has also 

 the uniform colors and general appearance of leconki. Were it not that the 

 nest and eggs, with the parent accompanying, had been received from Dr. 

 Palmer, we might be tempted to consider it a hybrid between these two 



