DESCRIPTION OF^ THE CATBIRD 57 



Terr, for 1873, 1873, 670, 705, 713 (far viem).—Rid^. Bull. Essex lust. v. 1673, 179 (Colo- 

 rado).— ivW^. Am. Nat. vii. 1873,201, 550; viii. 1874, 19S.— .l/cm Am. Nat. viii. 1874, 7.— 

 B. B. {,- R. NAB. i. 1874, 53, fig. pi. 3. f. 5.—Hcnsh. Rep. Orn. Specs. 1874, 40, 56, 71 (Utah, 

 &.c.).—Breic. Pr. Bost. Soc. xvii. 1875, i38.— Hensh. Zool. Expl. W. 100 Jlerid. 1876, 153. 



Caleoscoptes carolineusis, 5. .s- ■?• Pzs. 1859, 370 (Oaxaca). 

 Felivox caroiinensis, Bp. CR. 1853. 



Lucar caroiinensis, Coucs Pr. Phila. Acad. 1875, 349 (commeut. on Bartram). 



lucar lividUS, Bartr. Trav. Fla. Amer. ed. 1791, p. 390bi8. 



TurdUS lividus, IVils. AO. U. 1810, 90, pi. 14, f. 3 (after Bartram).— i??. 



Journ. Phila. Acad. iv. 1824, 36 (critical).— Xess. Tr. Orn. 1831, 4lO.— 



Gaetke, J. f. O. 1856, 71 (Heligoland \).—Hmjm. Pr. Phila. Acad. viii. 



1856, 289. 

 OrpIieilS lividus, Bias, ibis, iv. 1862, 66 (Heligoland). 

 TurdUS felivox, VieillOX^. ii. 1807, lO, pl.67.— £/>. Journ. Phila. Acad. iv. 



1824, 36.— Bp. Ann. Lye. N.Y. ii. 1826, 75.—Peab. Rep. Orn. Mass. 1839, 



302.—Tkomps. Vermont, 1853, 78, &g.--ll'iUis. Smiths. Rep. for 1858, 



1859, 281 (Nova Scotia). 

 Orpheus felivox, Sw. d: Rich. FBA. ii. 1831, 19-2.— Praimi. Tr. Illinois Agr. 



Soc. 1855, 601. 

 MimUS felivox, Bp.C.Sc GL. 1838. IS.—Bp. CA. i. 1850,'in6.— Burnett, Pr, 



Bost. Soc. iv. 1851, 116.— Rearf, Pr. Phila. Acad. vi. 1853, 398.— Hoy, 



Pr. Phila. Acad. vi. 1853, 309 (Wisconsin).— A'£«?uc. Tr. 111. Agr. Soc. 



i. 1855,'582.— 3/fli!/H. J. f. O. vi. 1858, 180.— i/oy, Smiths. Rep. for 1864, 



1865, 437 (Missouri). 

 Oat Flycatcher, Penn. AZ. ii. 1785, 388, no. 272. 



Merle ii derriere roux, vorb.i.c. 



Zorzal gato, Cuban. FlG.7.— Foot of 



Merle Catbird; Chat, Le Maine, Oi^. Canad. 1861, 167. Catbird, nat. size. 



Catbird, Vulg. 



Hab. — Nearly all the United States, and adjoining British Provinces. North 

 to the Red and Saskatchewan Rivers (latitude 54^^). West to Washington, 

 Oregon, Wyoming, and Utah. South in -winter to Panama. Mexico. Cuba. 

 Resident in the Southern States. Breeds throughout its range in North 

 America. 



Ch. sp. 5 2 ScJiistaceo-plumbeiis, subtus dilutior ; v€rtice,cauddj 

 rostro pedibufque yiigris, alis tiigricantibus, crisso castaneo. 



S 9: Slaty-gray, paler and more grayish-plumbeousbelow; crown of head, 

 tail, bill and feet black. Quills of the wing blackish, edged with the 

 body-color. Under tail-coverts rich dark chestnut or mahogany-color. 

 Length, 8^-9; extent,llormore; wing, 3^-3f ; tail,4; bill, f; tarsus, l-lro. 



Young: Of a more sooty color above, with little or no distinction of a 

 black cap, and comparatively paler below, where the color has a soiled 

 brownish cast. Crissum dull rufous. 



The outer edge and tip of the lateral tail-feather is sometimes decidedly 

 palerthantherest, indicating the space occupiedby the white in Oroscoptes. 



IT is not ea.sy to account for the vulgar prejudice agaiust tbis 

 bird. The contempt he inspires cannot be entirely due to 

 familiarity; for other members of the household, like the Robin, 

 Bluebird, and Swallow, do not come under the ban. If his 

 harsh, abrupt, and discordant note were the cause, the croaking 



