BIRDS — BOMBYCILLIDAE — AMPELIS GAREULA. 



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Comparative measurements of species. 



AMPELIS GARRULUS, Linn. 

 Wax-wing; Bohemian Chatterer. 



" Lanixis garrulus, Linn. Fauna Suecica, 2, No. 82." 



Ampelis garrulns, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 297.— Eonap. 2d List, 1842.— In. Conspectus, 1850, 336. 



Bombycilla garrula, Bonap. Zool. Jour. Ill, 1827, 50. — Is. Synopsis, 1828, 438. — Ib. Am. Orn. Ill, 1828, pi. xvi. 



Rich. F. B. A. II, 1831, 237.— Aud. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 463 ; pi. 363.— Ib. Birds Amer. IV, 

 1842, 169; pi. 246.— Keys, and Blas. Wirb. Europas, I, 1840, 167. 



Sp. Ch. — Highly crested. General color brownish ash, with a faint shade of reddish, especially anteriorly ; the forehead, 

 sides of the head, and under tail coverts, brownish orange ; the hinder parts purer ash ; the region about the vent white. 

 Primaries and tail feathers plumbeous black, especially towards the tips ; the tail with a terminal band of yellow. A narrow 

 frontal line passing backward and involving the eye, and extending above and behind it. Chin and upper part of throat black. 

 Tips of the secondary coverts, and a spot on the end of the outer webs of all the quills, white ; those on the inner primaries 

 glossed with yellow. Secondaries with red horny tips, like sealing wax. Side of the lower jaw whitish. Length, 7.40 ; 

 wing, 4.50 ; tail, 3. 



Hab. — Northern parts of both continents. Seen in the United States only in severe winters, except along the great lakes . 

 In the Mississippi valley south to Fort Riley. 



This species, with the general appearance of the cedar bird, is readily distinguished by its 

 superior size ; much larger crest ; black chin and throat, instead of chin alone ; brownish 

 chestnut under tail coverts, instead of white, and the white marks on the wing not found at all 

 in the other. In the closed wing, the white on the ends of the primaries forms a continuous 

 narrow stripe nearly parallel with the outer edge of the wing. 



The specimen from Fort Riley is probably the most southwestern one on record in North 

 America. 



I have no authentic skins of the European Bombycilla garrula before me, but as many 

 careful comparisons have been made between specimens from the two continents, they may 

 be pretty fairly considered as identical. 



List of specimens. 



