THREMMArHILUS. COW-BIRD. 611 



stouter, directed backwards, and of about the same length as 

 the second and fourth, the third considerably longer ; all covered 

 above with large scutella, the first with nine, the second with 

 ten, the third w4th thirteen, the fourth with eleven ; rather 

 flat and granulated beneath ; the fourth united to the third as 

 far as the second joint. The claws are rather long, moderately 

 arched and stout, much compressed, acute, their sides flat and 

 obscurely grooved. 



The plumage is moderately full . The feathers along the 

 nasal groove are very narrow, pointed, and curved backwards. 

 The wings are of moderate length, rather pointed, the first 

 quill extremely small, being about a sixth of the length of 

 the second, wdiich is generally a little shorter than the third, 

 the fourth slightly shorter, the rest graduated ; primary quills 

 ten, narrowed towards the end ; secondary generally nine, broad, 

 all rounded, the inner slightly emarginate. The tail is of 

 moderate length, or rather short, slightly rounded. 



The birds of which this genus is composed are of small or 

 moderate size, varying from that of a Common Thrush to that 

 of a Jackdaw. They are peculiar to the Old Continent. The 

 smaller species are closely allied to the Starlings on the one hand, 

 and to the Thrushes on the other, insomuch that the only spe- 

 cies which occurs in Britain has been referred by some to the 

 genus Sturnus, by others to Turdus. Were the species not 

 numerous, there would in fact be little reason for separating 

 some of the Thremmaphili from Gracula, and the rest from 

 Sturnus ; nor would it be easy to point out the distinctive 

 characters of these groups, although when a series of specimens 

 is inspected, and the separation made, one is pleased with the 

 result. 



The species of this genus were first separated by M. Tem- 

 minck from the genera Gracula, Sturnus, and Turdus, and 

 received from him the common designation of Pastor (which 

 being translated is simply Shepherd.) In the third part of his 

 Manual, at p. 76, he states that objections have been made to 

 the name, " not without some reason,'' but excuses himself for 

 retaining it, because were the same strict criticism applied to 

 very many other generic names, the number to be suppressed 



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