of ike United Staitx. 



Gregarious ; very sociable ; feed on insects and berries. 

 Build without much art. Voice weak and but little modulated. 



Form a singular but well defined link between Coraces and 

 Chelidones. 



12. BOMB YC ILL A. 



Ampelis, L. Gm. Lath. Turdus, Briss. Corvus, 111. 



Bombycivora, (subgen.) Cuv. Ter. m. Bombyciphora, Meyer. 

 Bomb ;cill(t, Vieill. Ranz. Nob. obs. 



Bill trigonal at base, somewhat compressed towards the 

 tip, notched : upper mandible with an obtuse ridge, curved 

 and acute at lip ; lower hardly shorter, compressed, somewhat 

 swelling out at base, recurved, notched, and rather acute at 

 tip ; nostrils basal, oval, patulous, covered by small incumbent 

 setaceous feathers : tongue cartilaginous, broad at tip, lace- 

 rated. Tarsus almost equal to the middle toe, which is 

 united at base to the shorter outer toe ; inner free, shorter 

 than the outer, almost equal to the hind toe, but more 

 slender ; nails acute, middle one almost equal to the hind 

 nail, but more slender at tip. Wings with spurious feather 

 extremely short ; first and second primaries longest. 



Female similar to the male, crested; adults with small 

 red oblong appendages, like red sealing wax, at the tip of the 

 secondaries. Plumage of a very fine silky and glossy tex- 

 ture, lying extremely close. Moult annually. 



Live in numerous flocks. Wandering : perform great 

 journeys ; not shy, simple, and easily tamed. Feed chiefly 

 on juicy fruits. Build in trees ; lay twice a year ; eggs 

 about 5. 



Composed of but two species, one American, and the 

 other European and Asiatic. 



66. Bombycilla cAROLiNENsis, Briss. Drab ; chin, frontlet and 

 line over the eye, black ; belly yellow ; vent white ; wings 

 and tail blackish, the latter tipped with yellow. 



Cedar Bird, Ampelis americana, WUs. Am. Orn. i. p. IQ"!- 

 pl.l.fig.X. Bombycilla cedrorim, Vieill. 



