BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 161 



fourths as Ions;- as tarsus; lateral toes equal or very nearly so, boih 

 reaching (without claw) very slightly beyond subterminal articulation 

 of middle toe (M. ohscurus, M. unicolor, and M. melanops) or the 

 outer one longer, reaching (without claw) decidedly beyond the 

 joint mentioned (other species); hallux shorter than inner toe but 

 much stouter; basal phalanx of middle toe united for basal half or 

 more to outer toe, for less than basal half to inner toe ; claws moderate 

 in size, strongly curved, acute, that of the hallux shorter than its 

 digit (sometimes nearly as long in AI. townsendi). 



Coloration. — Adults never spotted nor streaked; upper parts 

 plain bluish slate, gray, brown, or dull rufous (if brown or rufous 

 the head usually grayer), the secondaries showing a more or less 

 distinct broad blackish or dusky sub-basal band, their inner webs 

 with a broad basal band of white or buffy, this continued, less 

 definitely over middle portion of primaries; mider parts plain gray- 

 ish, dull white becoming pale brownish gray on chest and sides {M. 

 elizahetli), or gray with rufous throat-patch and under tail-coverts 

 (Haitien, Jamaican, and Lesser An tillean species); lateral rectrices 

 with more or less of white; sexes alike; young conspicuously spotted, 

 above as well as below, with buff or ochraceous, the spots margined 

 with blackish. 



Nidification. — Nest (of M. toivnsendi) placed in cavities among 

 rocks or banks, old logs or stumps, or similar situations, bulky, 

 open above, composed of twigs, shreds of bark, etc., lined with finer 

 materials; eggs (of M. to'wnsendi) whitish, speckled with reddish 

 brown. 



Range. — Mountain districts of western North America, Mexico, 

 Central America, northern South America, and West Indies (islands 

 of Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, JMartinique, Dominica, Santa Lucia, and 

 St. Vincent). About twelve species, with additional subspecies. 



KEY TO TJIE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF MYADESTES. 



a. Pluiuage without j^pots or s^treaks. (Adully.) 

 h. AVithout iul'()U8 on under partt^. 



c. Upper parts plain grayish or slate color, the under parts similar but paler. 

 d. Wing six times as long as tarsus; inner primaries with a patch of l)uff at l)ase 

 of outer web. (Western North America, from Zacatecas, Mexico, to Alaska.) 



Myadestes townsendi (p. 163) 

 dd. Wing less than five times as long as tarsus; inner primaries without bnff at 

 Ijase of outer web. 

 e No black on forehead or chin; eyelids partly white; bill blackish. (South- 

 eastern Mexico to northern Honduras.) Myadestes unicolor (p. 170) 



ee. Forehead and chin (as well as lores, etc.) black; no white on eyelids; 

 bill yellow (orange in life). (Costa Rica and Panama.) 



Myadestes melanops ip. 171) 



11422— VOL 4— 07-— 11 



