266 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PASSEEES — OSCINES. 



4. Subfamily SAXICOLIN^: Stone.chats and Blue.birds. 



-^ - ' " " Chirriy Old World ; repre- 



, ^^ -=^sa^fc. ..z=a^^^Hi^^BH™^ sen ted in North America by 



^ '^" '*^ ^^k^^^K^^^Wl two European species and the 



familiar Blue-birds j authors 

 assign different limits to the 

 group, and frequently trans- 

 pose the genera. As usually 

 constituted, it contains up- 

 wards of 100 species, com- 

 monly referred to about 12 

 genera. Like many other 

 groups of Passer es, it has 

 never been defined with pre- 

 cision, being knowm conven- 

 tionally by the birds orni- 

 thologists put in it. The 

 following birds have booted 

 tarsi J oval nostrils; bristled 

 rictus ; rather short, square or 



emarginate tail ; long, pointed 

 Fig. 129. — Wheat-ear. (From Dixon.) • -xv i. _x • 



V um i/iAuu., wmgs, with very short spuri- 



ous 1st quiU ; tarsus not shorter (except in Sialia much longer) than middle toe and claw ; 

 bill much shorter than head, straight and acute. 



Analysis of Genera. 

 Bill slender. Tarsus much longer than middle toe and claw. Point of wing formed by 2d-4th quills. 



Lateral toes of equal lengths. Form slender. No blue. Terrestrial Saxicola 6 



Bill very slender. Tarsus much longer than middle toe and claw. Point of wing formed by 3d-5th quills. 

 Lateral toes of unequal lengths. Form slender. Throat intense blue and chestnut ; tail with chestnut 



Cyanecula 8 

 Bill stouter. Tarsus not longer than middle toe and claw. Point of wing formed by 2d-4th quills. Lateral 

 toes of unequal lengths. Blue the chief color. Form stouter. Arboricole Sialia 7 



SAXI'COLA. (Lat. saxum, a rock ; colo, I inhabit. Fig. 130.) Stone-chats. Bill shorter 



than head, slender, straight, depressed at base, com- 

 pressed at end, notched. Wings long, pointed, the tip 

 formed by the 2d-4th quills, the 1st spurious, scarcely 

 or not one- fourth as long as the 2d. Tail much 

 shorter than wing, square. Tarsi booted, but with 4 

 scutella below in front; long and slender, much ex- 

 ceeding the middle toe and claw ; lateral toes of about 

 equal lengths, very short, the tips of their claws not 

 reaching the base of the middle claw ; claws little 

 curv'ed ; feet thus adapted to terrestrial habits. A large 

 Fig. 130. -Generic details of 5fflxico?ffl. and widely distributed Old World genus, of some 30 

 species, inhabiting Europe, Asia, and especially Africa. 



S. oenan'the. (Gr. otvdvdt], oinanthe, name of a bird, from o'ivrj, oine, the grape, and avdos, 

 anthos, a. j\ower. Fig, 129.) Stone-chat. Wheat-ear. Adult (^: Ashy-gray; forehead, 

 superciliary line and under parts white, latter often brownish-tinted ; upper taU-coverts white ; 

 wings and tail black, latter with most of the feathers white for half or more of their length ; 

 line from nostril to eye, and broad band on side of head, black ; bUl and feet black. 9 more 

 bro\^Tiish-gray, the black cheek -stripe replaced by brown. Young without the stripe, above 



