128 TURDUS MUSICUS. 



upper parts being of a uniform light-brown tint, the lower 

 spotted as in many other species. The body is rather full, the 

 neck rather short, the head of moderate size, the wings and 

 tail of ordinary length. The bill is rather larger in proj)ortion 

 than that of the Missel Thrush, slightly ascending, straight, 

 compressed towards the end ; the upper mandible with its 

 dorsal outline nearly straight at the base, arcuato-declinate to- 

 wards the end, the sides convex, the edges a little inflected 

 and overlapping, the tip declinate, narrow, with a slight notch; 

 the lower mandible with its dorsal outline ascending and slight- 

 ly convex, the back rounded at the base, narrowed towards the 

 end, the angle narrow and rounded, the sides sloping outwards 

 at the base, convex towards the end, the edges sharp and in- 

 flected ; the gape-line nearly straight. The mouth is rather 

 narrow ; both mandibles are deeply concave, with a central 

 prominent line ; the palate flat, with two prominent lines ; 

 the posterior aperture of the nares oblongo-linear ; the tongue 

 sagittate, elongated, thin and transparent towards the end, 

 where it is ciliato-lacerate, the tip slightly slit, the papillae at 

 the base conical, one of them at each angle much longer. 

 The oesophagus is three inches and a quarter long, three- 

 twelfths in diameter ; the stomach oblong, an inch and a 

 quarter in length ; the intestine seventeen inches long, and 

 varying in diameter from five to three twelfths ; the coeca 

 three twelfths long, and an inch and a quarter from the anus. 



The eyes are of moderate size, the diameter of their aperture 

 two and a half twelfths ; that of the ear three twelfths. The 

 nostrils elliptical, direct, a twelfth and a half long. The legs 

 are of ordinary length, rather slender ; the tarsus compressed, 

 anteriorly covered with a long plate and three inferior scutella, 

 posteriorly with two long plates meeting at a very acute angle ; 

 the toes moderate, on the first eight, on the second ten, on the 

 third thirteen, on the fourth twelve scutella ; the claws arched, 

 much compressed, rather acute, laterally grooved. 



The plumage is soft and rather blended, slightly glossed ; 

 the feathers oblong, rounded, with a long slender plumule of 

 few filaments. A few longish bristle-feathers along the base 

 of the upper mandible. The wings are of moderate length. 



