TURDID.E — THE THRUSHES. 



29 



Turdus nsevius, Gmel. 



OREGON ROBIN; VARIED THRUSH. 



Turdus ncevms, Gm. S. N. 1, 1788, 817. — Sclateh, P. Z. S. 1857, 4; 1859, 331.— 

 Bated, Birds N. Am. 1858, 219 ; Rev. Am. B. 1864, 32. —Cooper & Suckley, P. R. 

 R. R. XII, II, 1859, 172. — CouEs, Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 65. (Quotes occurrence on 

 Colorado River, above Fort Mohave, as exceptional.) — Maynard (Massachusetts!). — 

 TuRNBULL (N. Jersey!). — Dall & Bannister (Alaska). —Cooper, Birds Cal. 10. 

 OrpJieits meruloides, Rich. F. B. A. II, 1831, 187, pi. xxxviii. 



Other figures: Vieillot, Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, pi. Ixvi. — Aud. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 

 pi. ccclxix, and ccccxxxiii. — Ib. Birds Am. Ill, j)!. cxliii. 



Sp. Char. Tail nearly even ; the lateral feather shorter. Above, rather dark bluish 

 slate ; under parts generally, a patch on the upper eyelids continuous with a stripe behind 

 it along the side of the head and neck, the lovi^er eyelids, two bands across the win"- 

 coverts and the edges of the quills, in part, rufous orange-brown ; middle of belly white. 

 Sides of the head and neck, continuous with a broad pectoral transverse band, black. 

 Most of tail feathers with a terminal patch of brownish white. Bill black. Feet yellow. 

 Female more olivaceous above ; the white of the abdomen more extended ; the brown 

 beneath paler; the pectoral band obsolete. Length, 9.75 inches: wing, 5.00; tail, 3.90 : 

 tarsus, 1.25. 



Young (45,897, Sitka, Aug. 18G6; F. Bischoff). Exactly resembling the adult female, 

 having no spots other than seen in the adult plumage ; but the pectoral collar is composed 

 only of badly defined blackish transverse crescents, and the upper parts anterior to the 

 rump are of an umlier In-own tint. The markings about the head and on the wings are 

 pt-ecisely as in the adult. 



This species does not appear to be lial^le to any noticeaI)le variation. 



Hab. West coast of North America, from Behring Straits to California; stragglino- to 

 Great Bear Lake. Accidental on Long Island (Cab. G. N, Lawrence), New Jersey (Cab. 

 Dr. Samuel Cabot), and Ipswich, Mass. (Cab. Boston Society Natural History) ; Iowa 

 (Allen). 



Habits. The accidental occurrence of a few specimens of this well- 

 marked bird in the Eastern States 

 is its only claim to a place in that 

 fauna, it being strictly a western 

 species, belonging to the Pacific 

 Coast. It was first discovered by 

 the naturalists of Captain Cook's 

 expedition, who met with it as iar 

 to the north as Nootka Sound. It 

 is only very recently that we have 

 become possessed of reliable infor- 

 mation in regard to its Ijreeding 

 and its nest and eggs. Sir John 

 Itichardson was informed tliat it 

 nested in bushes in a manner simi- 

 lar to that of tlie common robin. Turdus n<pv ins. 



Nuttall and Towusend found it a1)undant among tlie western slopes of the 



