190 Bird -Lore 



of most Warblers, for which they ini^ht readily be mistaken; but their 

 smaller size and short outer primary, which is not more than one -third as 

 lonji as the longest, are distinguishing characters. 



Appearance and Habits. ^-L\ke the Warblers, the Kinglets and Gnat - 

 catchers are active inhabitants of the trees, and here again they might be 

 compared with the former; but their smaller size, the Kinglets' trick of 

 quickly flitting the wings, and the Cjnatcatcher's long tail, which in life 

 is very noticeable, will serve to separate them. 



Song. — Hoth the Kinglets and (jnatcatchers are unusually good singers; 

 indeed, in view of their small size their vocal gifts are surprising. The 

 Gnatcatcher's voice, it is true, lacks volume, but his execution is above 

 criticism, while the Ruby-crowned Kinglet's remarkable, rich, loud notes 

 place him among songsters of the first rank. 



Famm.v i8. Thrushes, Soi.iiaires, Stonech.\ts. Bi.i kbirus, Etc. P^amily TurJidie. 



Range. — Few ornithologists agree as to what birds shall be included in 

 the famil\ Turdida;. Its composition will doubtless always be a matter of 

 opinion; and in cases of this kind it is of far more importance to adopt some 

 uniform plan of treatment and stick to it, than to follow every author who 

 thinks he has discovered the true key to the classification of the group. In 

 other words, in the minor details of classification, the jugglings of the 

 systematist are apt to do more harm than good. Fortunately, we have the 

 'Check-List' of the American Ornithologists' Union to guide us, and the 

 Turdidjt as there defined numbers some 275 species, of which 125 are found 

 in the western hemisphere, 13 in North America, and 7 east of the 

 Mississippi. 



Season. — Most Thrushes are highly migratory. The Hermit alone, of 

 our smaller species, winters in eastern > orth America. The Robin and 

 Bluebird make shorter journeys, rarely crossing our southern boundaries and 

 wintering regularly as far north as southern New England. 



Color. — The typical Thrush is brownish above, white, spotted with 

 black below. From this pattern there is wide variation, but the young of 

 all the species included in this family show their ancestry by being spotted 

 in Juvenal plumage. 



External Structure. — In the Thrushes the tarsus is booted, or, in less 

 technical language, the covering of the so-called 'legs' is without scales; 

 the tail-feathers are of nearly equal length, distinguishing Thrushes from 

 Thrashers, which have rounded tails; and the outer primary is less than 

 one inch in length. 



Song. — Thrushes are preeminent as song-birds, and with the inclusion of 

 the Solitaires, the family might well challenge all the remaining members 

 of the class Aves to a song contest without danger of defeat. 



