42 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Si'. Char. Exposed portion of the bill about as long as the head; considerably 

 decurved. Above uniform grayish-brown, or light ash ; beneath dull white ; the anal 

 region and under tail-coverts tinged with brownish-yellow. The under parts generally, 

 except the chin, throat, middle of the belly, and under coverts, with rounded sub-triangular, 

 quite well-detined spots, much like the back. These are quite confluent on the breast. 

 Two narrow bands on the wing-coverts, and the edges of primaries and alulae, are white. 

 The tail-feathers, except the middle, are conspicuously tipped with white. Length of 

 female, 10 inches; wing, 4.00; tail, 4.55; tarsus, 1.20. 



Hab. Adjacent regions of United States and Mexico, southward. Cordova,. Orizaba, 

 Mirador ; Mazatlan, Colima, Oaxaca. 



Specimens from the Rio Grande across to Mazatlan represent one species ; 

 but those from the latter locality are somewhat darker in colors, though this 

 may be owing, in part, to the fact that they are winter birds. Considerable 

 differences in proportions may often be noticed between individuals, but 

 nothing strikingly characteristic of any particular region. 



The specimens of the Mazatlan series (37,326 c?, 51,523, and 51,525 c?) 

 have tails considerably longer than any of those from the llio Grande, the 

 excess amounting in the longest to nearly an inch ; but one from the same 

 locality has it shorter than any of the Texas specimens. 



In its perfect plumage, this species has both rows of coverts distinctly 

 tipped with white ; but in the faded condition of midsummer, the bands 

 thus produced are hardly discernible, and the spots below become very 

 obsolete. 



Habits. This interesting species appears to be common in Western Texas, 

 the valley of the Rio Grande, and Western Mexico. It was met with in 

 these regions on the several railroad surveys, and is described by Dr. Heer- 

 mann as possessing musical powers surpassed by few other birds. When 

 alarmed it immediately hides itself in a thick covert of underbrush, whence 

 it is almost impossible to dislodge it. Its food consists of fruit and berries 

 when in their season, of insects and their larvae, and of worms. These it 

 collects both among the trees and from the ground, on the latter of which it 

 spends much of its time. Mr. J. H. Clark states that the nest of this bird 

 is very similar to that of the Mocking-Bird, but is finer and much more com- 

 pact. He adds that it is oftener found among the Opimtia than elsewhere. 

 It is a quiet bird, rather shy, and keeps closely within the clumps of the 

 chaparral. For a bird of its size it makes an unusual noise in flying. At 

 Ringgold Barracks Mr. Clark's tent was pitched under a como-tree in which 

 there was a nest of these birds. They were at first shy and seemed quite 

 disposed to abandon their nest, but, however, soon became accustomed to 

 their new neighbor, and went on with their parental duties. The position 

 of their nest had been very judiciously selected, for it was during the season 

 of the black fruit of the como, which is somewhat in the shape and size of 

 a thimble, with a pleasant milky pulp. These constituted their prin-cipal 

 food. The eggs in this nest were five in number. Lieutenant Couch met 

 with it from Brownsville to Durango, where it had already paired as early as 



