286 



S YS TEMA TIC S YNOPSIS. — PA S SERES — OSCINES. 



H. rufus, the bill is quite straight, and only about 1.00; the gonys is straiglit, and makes an 

 angle with the slightly concave lower outline of the mandibular rami. lu H. longirostris sen- 

 netti, the bill is over 1.00, and somewhat curved; the outline of the gonys is a little concave. 



Brown Thrasher. 



making with the ramus one continuous curve from base to tip of bill. Size of H. riifns. Eggs 

 1.05 X 0.75. Lower Rio Grande valley, from Corpus Christi and Laredo, Tex., southward in 

 Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon. H. longirostris (Lafr.) of Bd., B. N. A. 1858, p. 352; H. 

 rufus longirostris, Coues, Key, 1872, p. 72, 1884-87, p. 251 ; H. longirostris sennetti 

 RiDGW., Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., x, Aug. 1888, p. 506; Coues, Key, 4th ed., 1890, p. 897. 

 H. curviros'tris. (Lat. ciirvus, curved, and rostris, bow-billed.) Curve-billed Thrasher. 

 ^ 9 • Above, uniform ashy-gray (exactly the color of a Mockingbird) ; wings and tail 

 darker and purer brown. Below, dull wliiti.-h. tiiiirod with ochraceous, especially on flanks 



and crissum, marked with rounded 

 spots of the color of the back, most 

 numerous and blended on the breast. 

 Throat quite white, immaculate, 

 without maxillary stripes ; lower 

 belly and crissum mostly free from 

 spots. No decided markings on side 

 of head. Ends of greater and me- 

 dian wing-coverts white, forming 

 two decided cross-bars: tail-feathers 

 distinctly tipped with white. Bill 

 Length of ^ about 11.00 ; wing 4.25-4.50 ; tail 4.50- 

 9 averaging rather smaller. Mexico, 



little too thick. 



Fig. 148. — Bow-billed Thrasher, uat. 

 (Ad. nat. del. E. C.) 



black, curved, stout; feet dark brown. 

 5.00 ; bill 1.12 ; tarsus 1.25 ; middle toe and claw 1.33. 

 reaching the U. S. border of Texas and New Mexico. 



H. c. pal'meri. (To Edw. Palmer. Fig. 148.) Bow billed Thrasher. Above, grayish- 

 brown, nearly uniform ; wing-coverts and quills with slight whitish edging ; edge of wing itself 



