78 TURDUS. THRUSH, 



The general form varies a little, but is usually rather full, 

 the body ovate and compact ; the neck of ordinary length ; the 

 head oblong, rather compressed, and of moderate size. The 

 legs are of moderate length, and rather slender ; tarsus com- 

 pressed, covered anteriorly with one long plate above and four 

 small scutella below, laterally with two long plates meeting 

 behind at a very acute angle, and several transverse scales be- 

 low. Toes moderate, covered above with long scutella, papillar 

 beneath ; the first, second, and fourth nearly equal, the third 

 much longer, the third and fourth slightly connected at the 

 base. Claws of moderate length, slender, arched, compressed, la- 

 terally grooved, acute ; that of the hind toe considerably larger. 



Plumage ordinary, rather blended, slightly glossed, the 

 feathers generally rounded, and having a small plumule of few 

 barbs ; the frontal feathers short and rounded. There is a 

 row of short bristle-feathers along the basal margin of the 

 upper mandible ; and all the feathers about the base of the bill 

 are terminated by bristly points. Wings of ordinary length, 

 or longish, broad, semi-ovate, rounded ; primaries ten, tapering 

 to a rounded point, the third, fourth, and fifth cut out on the 

 outer web ; the first extremely small, the third and fourth 

 longest ; secondaries eight, long, broad, broadly rounded, with 

 a minute tip. Tail of ordinary length, or rather long, slightly 

 emarginate, even, or a little rounded, of twelve rather narrow 

 feathers, which suddenly taper to a point. 



The aflinities of this genus are numerous, and many of them 

 obvious. Thremmaphiliis, Oriolus, Alauda, Erythaca, Saoci- 

 cola, and Lanius, are all in various degrees allied to it, as are 

 several other genera ; and certain species manifest a more de- 

 cided resemblance to particular genera than others. Thus, 

 the Fieldfare, in its flight, in the form of its bill, and in some 

 of its habits, resembles the Sky Lark ; and the Blackbird in 

 its attitudes, motions, form, and cry presents some vague ana- 

 logy to the Magpie. 



The Thrushes which occur in Britain vary from eight to 

 eleven inches in length. Some of them frequent the open 

 fields, others the gardens and hedges. Their food consists of 

 mollusca, insects, larvse, worms, berries, fruits, and seeds of 



