336 TIMELIID^. 



blackish, margined with slaty grey, the outer feather slightly ashy 

 towards the tip ; crown of head blackish, forming a cap, the fore- 

 head and feathers over the eye ashy ; ear-coverts and sides of face, 

 as well as the entire under surface of body, light slaty grey, paler 

 on the abdomen, the vent slightly tinged with rusty ; under tail- 

 coverts chestnut ; axillaries light slaty grey ; under wing-coverts 

 pale ashy ; quills dusky below, ashy brown along the edge of the 

 inner web. Total length 8*25 inches, culmen 0'85, wing 3"6, tail 

 3-8, tarsus 1*1. 



The sexes are alike in plumage. 



Young. Of a more sooty colour above, with little or no distinction 

 of a black cap, and comparatively paler below, where the colour has 

 a soiled brownish cast. Crissum dull rufous. (Cones.) 



The American Cat-bird is distributed over North America in 

 summer as far north as Lake Winnipeg, and westwards to the head 

 of the Columbia river and the Cascade mountains ; in winter it visits 

 the whole of Central America as far south as Panama, and is also 

 found in the Bahamas and Cuba. 



a. Ad. sk. Fort DufFerin, Manitoba N. A. Boundary Commis- 



(G. Dmvson). sion. 



b. Ad. sk. 49th Parallel {G. Daw- N. A. Boundary Commis- 



sori). sion. 



c. d, e. Ad. sk, Rlichigau. Prof. J. B. Steere [P.l. 

 / Ad. sk. Washington Heights, Dli- H. K. Coale, Esq. [P.J. 



nois. 

 5^, ^. c? ? ad. sk. West side of Rocky Moun- J. K. Lord, Esq. [P.]. 



tains. 

 i, k. Ad. St. North America. 



53. MIMUS. „ 



Type. 



Mimus, Boie, Isis, 182G, p. 972 M. polyglottus. 



Orpheus, Swaiiis. Zool. Journ. iii. p. 167 (1828) .... M. polyglottus. 



Mimetes, Gloger, Handb. Naturg. p. 303 (1842) .... M. polyglottus. 

 Calandria, DesMurs. 

 Leueomimus, Biyant, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. xi. 



p. 68 (1866) M. polyglottus. 



Skotiomimus, Bryant, t. c. p. 68 (1866) M. polyglottus. 



Range. The greater part of North America, excepting the extreme 

 north, and the whole of Central and Southern America, as well as 

 the West- Indian islands, the Lesser Antilles and the Galapagos 

 archipelago. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Outer tail-feather entirely white. 



a'. Penultimate tail-feather white, blackish 

 along the outer web. 

 a". White at the base of primaries very 

 distinct, and extended on the inner pri- 

 maries so as to occupy more than two 

 thirds of the feather pohjghtfui, p. 338 



