PASSl^RIN/E. 



24; 



Oriole Tanagers. 

 Tlie bill conical, arcuated, pointed, and notched at the end*. 



Cardinal Tanagers. 

 Bill conical, somewhat vaulted, an obtuse salient tooth on the sidef . 



Ramphoceline Tanagers J. 



A conical bill, the branches of whose lower mandible are enlarged 

 behind §. 



TuRDUs, Lin. 



The Thrushes have a compressed and arcuated bill, but its point is not 

 hooked, and its emarginations do not form such deep notches as in the 

 Shrikes ; as we have already stated, however, there are gradual transitions 

 from one genus to the other. 



Their regimen is more frugivorous, generally feeding on berries. Their 

 habits are solitary. 



The term Thrush is more particularly reserved for those species in 

 which the colours are uniform, or are distributed in large masses. The 

 most widely disseminated is, 



T. merula, L., Naum. 71. (The European Blackbird). The 

 male (Enl. 2), is entirely black, with a yellow bill; the female (Enl. 

 S.'iS), is brown above; reddish brown beneath; the breast spotted 

 with brown. It is a very mistrustful bird, but is easily tamed, and 

 can be taught to sing well, and even to speak. It remains in Europe 

 during the whole year. 



A neighbouring species, which, however, is a bird of passage, and 

 prefers the mountains, is, 



T. torquatus, L. : Le Merle a plastron hlanc; Enl. 168 and 182 ; 



* The T. gularis, Enl. 156 — pilcata, 720, 2, and specuUfera, Spix, 36, 1, approach 

 the Molacillee by their more slender bill. T. nigrkollis, 720, 1, is a true motacilla, 

 a sort of Regulus with a rather large bill. 



t T. cristaia, Enl. 7, 2, and 301, 2, of which the T. hrunnea, Spix, 49, 2, is the 

 young. — nigerrima, Enl. 179, 2, and 711. — oUvarea. — arcMepiscopus, Desm. Spix, 5G, 

 2. — Ta>i. rufiventer, Spix, 50, 1. — nifgularis, Id., 56, 5. — Saira, Id. 48, 1. — viridis, 

 lb. 2. This division has been named Taciiyphonus, by Vieillot, Gal. 82. 



But we should also refer to it his genus Pyranga, which is solely founded on an 

 individual deformity. We shall name his species Tail, cynnictera. 



The Palmiste, Buff. Enl. 509, 1 {Turd, palmariim, Gm.), Vicill. Am. II. 69, also 

 belongs to it; its notch is scarcely sensible, and it almost wholly disappears in a 

 neighbouring species, of which Vifeillot has made his genus Ictekia, let. dumicola, 

 Vieill., Am. and Gal. pi. Ixxxv, or Pipra polyglotla, Wils. I. vi. 2. This species leads 

 to Ploceus. Tanagra mississipiensis, Enl. 742, or T. cestiva, Wils. Am. VI. 3, 4. — 

 T. rubra, 156, \.—T. ludoviciana, Wils. 111. xx. 1. 



N. B. Swainson separates the T. tatao, and some others, from the Tanagers, under 

 the name of Agl aia, and makes a genus of my Tanagers a bee fin, called Spermagra. 



X From this Vieill. has made his Jacapa, or Ramphoceles, Galer. 79. 



§ Tanagra jacapa, Enl. 128. — T. hrasiUa, Enl. 127, 1. — T. nigrogtdaris, Spix, 47. 



N. B. The Tanagra atricapiUa, 809, 2, and i\\Q gnyanncnsis are Shrikes. The T. 

 r.ristatella, Spix, or Fringilla cristaia, Gmel., T. graminea and T. ruficoUis, Spix, 53, 

 are Buntings. 



