of the District of Montreal. 189 



brown ; irides hazel ; eggs 4 to 5, sullied white, mottled with 

 brown. 



Doi-sal aspect. Dark greyish-brown. Two central tail feathers 

 with margins of a lighter hue ; all the lateral feathers clove 

 brown, except the two external ones, the last one of which has 

 its whole outer web, and half its inner web white, and a spot of 

 white towards the distal end of the next one ; primaries and se- 

 condaries clove brown, with whitish margins to their outer webs • 

 scapulars clove brown with worn edges ; 2cd longer than 4th 

 primary, and white on the margin of the outer vane ; greater 

 wing coverts margined and tipped with brownish-slate colour ; 

 smaller ones tipped with pure white. 



Ventral aspect. A streak from the nostrils encircling the eyes, 

 cheeks, sides of neck, and belly and vent light brownish red. On 

 the flanks, breast, and sides of neck, streaks or spots of black ; 

 chin white, merging into the reddish-brown of the throat. 



1st, 2nd, and 3rd primaries subequal and longest. Length 6^ 

 inches ; alar breadth 11 inches. The female differs from the male 

 in being more spotted, and the young bird has an olivaceous 

 blackish-brown dorsal tint. 



Genus Am])eUs. 

 Gen. char. Bill short, a little depressed, deeper than broad ; 

 trigonous at the base ; upper mandible notched and curved at the 

 tip ; lower one straight and compressed at the sides ; nostrils 

 basal, lateral, subrotund, and half closed by a membrane ; tarsus 

 strong, a little shorter than, or as long as the middle toe ; inner 

 toe free; hind one longer than the nail ; lateral toes united as far 

 as the second joint ; 2nd primary longest. 



A. sialis. The Blue Robin. 



Sialia Wilsonii of Swainson ! 



Sylvia sialis of Wilson ! 



Saxicola sialis of Buonaparte ! 



Sialia arctica 



Sialia sialis. Baird I 

 v.s.p. Bill and legs black ; irides bright hazel ; eggs 5 to 6, 

 pale blue, unspotted. 



Dorsal aspect. Including the wings and tail, bright, glossy 

 azure blue. Towards the tips and edges of the inner vanea of the 

 primaries and secondaries there appears an incliDation of the blue 

 to a brown. 



