TO ee ler ree —— 
17. 
18s. 
TURDIDZA — MIMIN: MOCKING THRUSHES. 251 
ions which now obtain in ornithology to place all the species in one genus; but the gradation 
of form is so gentle that it seems impossible to dismember the group without violence. The 
arcuation of the bill proceeds pari passw with its elongation; the shortest bills being the 
straightest, and conversely. There is also a curious correlation of color with shape of bill ; 
the short-billed species being the most richly colored and heavily spotted, while the bow- 
billed ones are very plain, sometimes with no spots whatever on the under parts. Our nine 
forms of the genus are with one exception South-western, focusing in Arizona, where occur 
four species, two of them not known elsewhere; two others are confined to California; two 
to the Mexican border, leaving only one generally distributed. They furnish the following 
Analysis of Species and Varieties. 
Bill not longer than head (0.87-1.12), little or not curved. Breast spotted. 
Bill 1.00, quite straight. Above rich rusty-red ; below whitish, heavily spotted and streaked with 
ALIS DTONTTIMEDASTOLUGMG Pity Tt che) RU Dreum oh ome moueaacas Te lgslol . rufus 17 
Bill 1.12, slightly curved. Above dark reddish-brown, below whitish, heavily spotted and streaked 
with blackish. Texas ee tree Oo OR nn duc on Se Loc longirostris 18 
Bill 1.12, curved. Above ashy-gray, below whitish, breast with round spots of the color of the back. 
Mexican borderand Arizona. - . . +» - + +5 ss + + + curvirostris or palmeri 19, 20 
Bill 0.87, scarcely curved. Above grayish-brown, below brownish-white, breast alone with arrow- 
heads of the colorof the back. Arizona. . - - © © ss * 5 #8 =e 27% . . bendirii 12 
Bill 1.12, curved. Above ashy-gray, below whitish, with profuse distinct blackish-brown spots. 
TRG OCC aTPOLTMAM COR es Mate) eee etait yeu nied sel NG atte (e ke Wadepys” 8) eRe ne a . cimereus 22 
Bill longer than head (1.50), arcuate. Breast not spotted. 
Dark oily olive-brown, below paler, belly and crissum rufescent. Coast of California . . redivivus 23 
Pale ash, paler still below, lower belly and crissum brownish-yellow. Arizona ... . . lecontii 24 
Brownish-ash, paler below, crissum chestnut in marked contrast. Arizona, New Mexico, and 
OPAL TTREEO tb) Be cae OU ae, ie" 1c no SRE! Oe CC SS RR OMG NCR . erissalis 25 
H. ru/fus. (Lat. rufus, rufous, reddish. Fig. 121.) THRASHER. BROWN THRUSH. & Q: Upper 
parts uniform rich rust-red, with a bronzy lustre. Concealed portions of quills fuscous. 
Greater and median wing-coverts blackish near the end, then conspicuously tipped with white. 
Bastard quills like the coverts. Tail = 
like the back, the lateral feathers with Se 
paler ends. Under parts white, more 
or less strongly tinged, especially on 
the breast, flanks, and crissum, with 
tawny or pale cinmamon-brown, the 
breast and sides marked with a profu- g 
sion of well-defined spots of dark 
brown, oval in_ front, becoming more 
linear posteriorly. Throat immaculate, 
bordered with a necklace of spots; 
middle of the belly and under tail- 
coverts likewise unspotted. Bill quite 
straight, black, with yellow base of the j 
lower mandible ; feet pale ; iris yellow Fic. 121.— Thrasher, nat. size. (Ad. nat. del. E. C.) 
or orange. Length about 11 inches; extent 12.50-14.00; wing 3.75-4.25 ; tail 5.00 or more ; 
pill 1.00; tarsus 1.25. Eastern U. 8. chiefly, but N. to adjoining British Provinces and W. 
to the Rocky Mts.; migratory, but breeds throughout its range, and winters in the Southern 
States. A delightful songster, abundant in thickets and shrubbery. Nest in bushes (some- 
times on ground), bulky and rude, of sticks, leaves, bark, roots, etc. ; eggs 4-5, sometimes 6, 
1.05 X 0.80, whitish or greenish, profusely speckled with brown. 
H. r. longiros'tris. (Lat. longus, long, and rostris, from rostrum, beak; i. e., long-billed.) 
Tpxas THRASHER. Similar to H. rufus ; upper parts dark reddish-brown, instead of rich 
foxy-red ; under parts white, with little if any tawny tinge, the spots large, very numerous, 
