55. MELANOTIS. 3f)3 



Jdiilt. General colour above slaty blue, brighter on the crown 

 and especially over the eye ; wing'-coverts like the back ; qnills 

 dusky blackish, externally slaty blue like the back ; tail slaty blue, 

 barred vrith indistinct wavy bands of dusky under certain lights, the 

 inner webs dusky ; lores, feathers below the eyes and at tlie base of 

 lower mandible black ; under surface of body slaty blue, dusky 

 blackish on the chin ; the throat, fore neck, and sides' of neck with 

 lanceolate streaks of lighter blue ; axillaries and under wing-covert^, 

 as well as the thighs and under tail-coverts, slaty blue like the breast; 

 "bill and feet hlack'' (Sal v in). Total length 11 inches, culmen 

 1-2.J, wing 4-5, tail 5, tarsus 1-2. 



Vounf/. Whole-coloured like the adult, but dull slate-colour 

 witliout any blue shade except on the quills and tail ; ear-cov.^rts 

 and lores black. 



The Slaty-blue Mocking-Thrush is an inhabitant of Mexico from 

 Ma/.atlan to Tehuantepec, generally in the temperate region, though 

 in the State of Vera Cruz it range's into the hot and alpine regions 

 up to 4300 feet. It is also found in the Tres Marias Islands. "^ 



(', h, c. Ad. sk. Mexico. Purchased, 



'/•c^juv.sk. Mexico. • M. Salle' [C.]. 



2. Melanotis hypoleucus. 



Melauotis In-poleucus, JIartl. Jiei: Zool. 18}2, p 400- Sclaler 

 P. Z. ,S'. 18.59, p. 3.37; Scl. ^- Salv. Ibis, 185!), p. 7, 1800, p. 29; 

 Scl. Cat. Amer. B. p. 7 (1862) ; Baird, Rev. Amer. B. p. 57 (1864) ; 

 Sd. 4- Sale. Ba: Oni. p. 8o, pi. 4.3(1868) ; iid. Nomencl. Av. Neotr. 

 p. .3 (1873) ; Salv. 8f Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, i. v, -^9 

 (1879). 1 i- - 



Mimus hj'poleucus, Graij, Haml-l. B. i. p. 262, no. 3839 (1869). 



Adult. General colour dark slaty blue : lesser and median win<»- 

 covcrts hke the back ; greater seric.s and quills blackish, externally 

 edged with slaty blue ; two central tail-feathers slaty blue, the re'- 

 mainder blackish on the inner webs, slaty blue on the outer ; crown of 

 head brighter slaty blue than the back, especially over the eyes ; a nar- 

 row line at base of forehead, lores, ear-coverts, "as M-ell as the feathers 

 below the eye extending along the basal edge of the lower mandible, 

 black; cheeks and under surface of body pure white, the entire 

 sides of the body, flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts slatv blue, 

 as also are the axillaries and under wing-coverts ; quills" dusky 

 ])rown below, lighter along the inner web ; " bill and feet l)lack " 

 {.S<dviii). Total length lO-o inches, culmcn 1-15, wing 4-2, tail 'ro 

 tarsus 1-3. ' ' 



_ VoKiif/. Differs from the adult in being dxill sooty grey above, 

 with very little of the slaty-blnc colour observable in the"adult, except 

 on the wings and tail, which are slaty blue externally ; below, the 

 parts which are slaty blue in the old bird arc merely dull sooty 

 grey, while all the breast, which should bo pure white, i"s dull sooty 



