BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 223 



Nidification. — Nest (so far as known) open above, rather bulky, 

 placed in dense shrubs, small trees, or thick vine-growth. Eggs 

 (3-5) pale greenish or whitish, speckled or spotted with brown. 



Range. — The whole of temperate and tropical America (except 

 Galapagos and Eevillagigedo islands. (About twenty species and 

 subspecies.) 



KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES OF MIMUS. 



a. Pileum and back plain gray or brownish gray; sides and flanks very slightly, if at all, 



streaked (usually immaculate); lateral rectrices extensively white terminally 



(outer pair with terminal fourth or more white, sometimes entirely white). 



b. Primary coverts white ^sometimes with subterminal spots or streaks of dusky; 



inner primaries extensively white basally; outermost rectrix entirely white, or 



with merely a blackish edging to outer web. ( Mimus polyglottos.) 



c. Third rec-trix with inner web mostly black or dusky, sometimes almost wholly 



so ; under parts more strongly tinged with gray or buffy. ( Continental forms.) 



d. Smaller, with longer tail; general coloration darker, less buffy; adult male 



averaging wing 111.4, tail 119.9, tarsus 32.5; adult female, wing 104.8, tail 



108.5, tarsus 31 .6. (Eastern United States, chiefly south of 40° N. ; Andros, 



Biminis, and Abaco islands, Bahamas. ). Mimus polyglottos polyglottos(p. 225) 



dd. Larger with shorter, or relatively shorter, tail; geni^ral coloration paler, 



more buffy; adult male averaging wing 115.5, tail 119.9, tarsus 32.7; adult 



female, wing 110.7, tail 115.2, tarsus 32.4. (Southwestern United States 



and southward to Oaxaca and Cape San Lucas, Mexico.) 



Mimus polyglottos leucopterus (p. 228) 



cc. Third rectrix with inner web mostly white, usuall\' entirely white; under 



parts more purely white. {Antillean forms.) 



d. Paler gray above, purer white beneath; white at l)ase of longer primaries 



more restricted, usually concealed by primary c<iv('rts. (Island of Inao-ua, 



Bahamas.) Mimus polygldttos elegans (p. 231) 



dd. Darker gray above, less purely white (usually i beneath; white at base of 



longer primaries more extended, usually showing beyond tips of primary 



coverts. 



e. White of inner primaries less extended, the innermost (first) primary never 



(?) entirely white. (Islands of Cuba, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and 



Porto Rico, Greater Antilles.) Mimus polyglottos orpheus (p. 231) 



ee. White of inner primaries more extended, the innermost (first) primary 

 sometimes entirely white. (Island of Haiti, Greater Antilles.) 



Mimus polyglottos dominicus (p. 233) 

 66. Primary coverts black or blackish slate, sometimes narrowly margined with pale 

 gray or grayish white; inner primaries without any white; outermost rectrix 

 with basal half, or more, of inner web black or dusky, 

 c. Smaller, especially the bill (exposed culmen 16-23.5). {Mimus gilvus.) 

 d. Base of longer primaries, underneath primary coverts, not distinctly white. 

 e. General color of wings duller, more slaty, with broader gray edgings, 

 obscuring the ground color. 

 /. Smaller, with relatively smaller bill; adult male averaging wino- 102, 

 tail 102.9, exposed culmen, 17.7; adult female, wing 100.9, tail 101.5, 

 exposed culmen, 17.6. (Guiana and adjacent parts of Brazil; Grenada, 

 St. Vincent, Santa Lucia, Martinique, Nevis, and St. Thomas, West 

 Indies.) Mimus gilvus gilvus (p. 234) 



