PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 4G1 



meos have been examined." But it is only apparently, what this state- 

 ment seems to indicate, that the young is not speckled at all, thus 

 differing from all the other members, and wanting the most essential 

 character. I have now before me a specimen (U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 45897, 

 Sitka, August, 18GG) which differs considerably from the adult female. 

 The under surface is of a much duller color, without white on the belly 

 and under tail-coverts. All the feathers of the chin, throat, and upper 

 breast, with well-marked, blackish edges, giving these parts a scaly ap- 

 pearance. In the adult female the feathers forming the collar are almost 

 uniformly dark, the edges being lighter, if any, while the feathers of the 

 above-mentioned parts of the young bird are gray and downy at their 

 basal half, then ochraceous yellow, and, finally, narrowly edged with 

 blackish. The feathers of the upper parts in the young have no light 

 centers as usually among the Thrushes, except on the sides of the neck 

 and on the head, where the middle of the feathers are more or less con- 

 spicuously marked with a lighter spot. Finally, we have a very striking 

 difference between the adult and the young, showing the common 

 Tlirush-like feature of the plumage of the latter, the smaller wing-coverts 

 having wedge-shaped, rusty spots towards the tip and dark edgings, 

 while in the adult bird they are absolutely uniform in color. It will 

 thus be seen that the speckled stage is not altogether wanting in this 

 genus, although it may be admitted that it is not so conspicuous as in 

 the young Eobin. This fact seems to me to strengthen my view, that 

 the present bird, notwithstanding a certain resemblance of the predom- 

 inant colors and their tone, is widely remote from Merula migratoria, in 

 the neighborhood of which it has been placed by many authors. 



Group LUSCINIE^. 

 Synopsis of the American genera. 



a ' Feathers of the upper head elongated, forming a more or less distinct crest. Outer 

 web of the outermost tail-feather not widened towards the tip, the shaft and the 

 outline of the web being parallel. Toes more or less stout Cathariis. 



a" Head without crest; outer web of outermost tail-feather widening towards the tip. 

 Toes very slender Ctjanecula. 



Cathaeus Bonap. 



= 1850.— Crtf/iflr«s Bonap., Consp. Av., I, p. 278. (Type bnmaculatus.) 



> IQM.—Malacocichla Gould, Troc. Zool. Soc., Loud. 1854, p. 285. (Type dnjas. ) 



> 1856. — Malacoci/chla Bonap., Corapt. Rend., Ixiii, p. 998. 



Wing short, rounded, and concave, with long secondaries ; first pri- 

 mary between four-eighths, and four-sevenths the second, which is always 

 shorter than the seventh, the fourth and fifth being the longest. Ciil- 

 men arched, seldom straight at the base; commissure arched, with a 

 distinct subterminal notch; bristles more or less developed. Tarsi long, 



