4. MIMOCICHLA. 2S1 



Le Tilly, ou la Grive cendree d'Ameriqiie, Month. Hist. Nat. Ois. iii. 



p. 314 (1775, partim). 

 Ived-legged Thrush, Lath. Gen. Si/ti. ii. pt. 1, p. 83 (1783, partim). 

 Tardus plumbeus, Linn., S j (ipud Gmel. Si/st. Nat. i. p 814 (1788), 



apiid Lath. Lid. Orn. i. p. 334 (1790). 

 Miniu.-i rubripes (Temm.), apud Bryant, Pr. Lost. Soc. vii. p. 114 



(18.19). 

 Mimocichla plunibea (Linn.), apud Laird, Lev. Am. B. i. p. 36 



(1804), apud Cory, Birds Bahama Lslands, p. 45, pi. ii. (1880). 

 Mimokitta plumbea (Linn.), apud Bryant, Lr. Bost. Soc. ix. p. 371 



(1805). 

 Mimocitta plumbea (Linn.), apud Netcton, Lbis, 18G6, p. 121. 



General colour of the upper parts dark slate-grey, slightly paler 

 on the rump and upper tail-coverts, the feathers on the head darker 

 ill the centres ; lores nearly black ; ear-coverts as head ; no trace of 

 eye-stripe ; (juills, wing-coverts, and innermost secondaries black, 

 ■R-ith well-defined slatc-groy margins to the outside edges ; tail 

 black, the outside webs shading into dark slate-grey at the base, 

 and the four outside feathers on each side tipped with white, the 

 outside ones for an inch, gradually decreasing until it becomes only 

 a spot on the fourth feather. Chin and cheeks at base of mandible 

 white ; throat black, the upper feathers with concealed white bases 

 and the lower with slate-grey margins ; the rest of the underparts, 

 including the axillaries and under wing-coverts, are almost uniform 

 slate-grey, with the exception of a few feathers near the vent, 

 which ha.ve white tips ; inner margin of quills slate-grey. Bill 

 black. "VVing Avith the fourth and fifth primaries nearly equal and 

 longest, the second primary intermediate in length between the 

 seventh and eighth. Legs, feet, and claws orange. Tail with the 

 outside feathers 0*5 to 0-(J inch shorter than the longest. Length 

 of wing 4-9.5 to 4-4 inches, tail 4-(5o to 4-35, culmen 1-1 to 1-05, 

 tarsus l-4o, bastard primary 1-15 to I'O. 



Tlho female does not difi'er from the male. Birds of the i/cnr and 

 younff ill Jird plumage appear to be unknown. 



The Bahaman Mocking-bird Thrush is only known from the 



named this species Turdus plumhcus in bis tenth edition. He appears sub- 

 se<^uently to have made the acquaintance of tlie following species, and to 

 have come to the erroneous conclusion tliat he had been misled in the infor- 

 mation which he embodied in his diagnosis of the present species. In the 

 twelfth edition he accordingly altered his diagnosis of Turdtui j)luml)cH$ to suit 

 the new species. Tiiis ccimlusion was accepted by ornithologists, Gmelin at- 

 tempting to cut the (lordinn knot by making the black-lhroated species the 

 male and the striped-throated species the female. During the next century 

 no second example of the so-called male was discovered, and it was found that 

 the so-called females were of both sexes. Gmelin'.s plausible theory was con- 

 sequently found to be a ease in which argument by analogy proved "fallacious, 

 and the Tiirdus plumhcus of the tenth edition of Linneus was voted a phantom 

 spe.'ies. J fere, again, argument by analogy proved erroneous, for, after the 

 lapse of one hundred and six years, the supposed phantom species was redis- 

 covered by IJryant. I have, for obvious reasons, rejected the name which has 

 been applied to both species altogether, and have adopted Vieillot's name for 

 the striped-throated specie.s. Tlic black-throated species being thus left name- 

 less, I have great pleasure in naming it alter its rediscoverer. 



