48 



NORTH AMKKICAX IHRDS. 



served. Tlie first s|XMMiiien was obtained hy Or. T. C Henry, near Mimbres, 

 and described by bini in Miy, 1858, in the Proceedinj^s of the IMiihideljdiia 

 Acad( ly ol' Sciences. A second specimen was obtained by H. II Miill- 

 hansen, at Fort Yuma, in 18G:>. Dr. Cones did not observe it at Fort 

 Whipple, but tliinks its range identical witli that of ff. Inontci. 



Dr. Cooper foind this species quite common at F<jrt Mojave, Init so very 

 shy tliat he only succeeded in sliooting one, after much watching for it. 

 Their song, genen.l habits, and nest he si)eaks of as being in every way 

 similar to those of H. irdicicus. 



The eggs remained unknown until Dr. E. l*almer had the good fortune to 

 find them at St. (Je( rge. Southern I'tah, June 8, 1870. The nest was an 

 oblong Hat structure, >.'()ntaining only a very slight de})ression. It was very 

 rudely constructed externally of coarse sticks quite hjoscly jmt together; 

 the inner nest is made of liner materials of tlie same. The base of this 

 nest was 12 inclies long, and 7 in breadth ; tlie inner nest is circular, with a 

 diameter of 4i inches. 



The eggs are of an oblong-oval shai)e, one end being a little less obtuse 

 tlian the other. In leni^tb thev varvfrom 1.1 ~» to 1.12 inches,and in breadtli 

 from .84 to .82 of an inch. They are of a uniform blue color, similar to the 

 eggs of the common Ilobin (Titnhis nnfirdtorius), only a little paler or of a 

 lighter tint. In the total absence of markings they differ remarkably from 

 those of all other species of the genus. 



Genus MIMXTS, Bote. 



Mimvs, BoiE, Isis, O.t. 1826, 972. (Tvp' Tunhis jmhitjlnftus, Linn.) 

 Orpheus, SwAiN.soN, ZtMjI. Jour. Ill, 1S27, 1(>7. (Same typt'.) 



Gen. Char. Bill not imicli more than half the length of the head ; jrontly decMirved 



t'i*>ni the basse, notehed at tip; 

 eonnnissure curved. Gonys 

 sitraight, or sli<j;^htly concave. 

 Hictal bristles quite well de- 

 veloped. Wing.^ rather short- 

 er than the tail. First primary 

 about equal to, or rather more 

 than, half the second ; third, 

 fourth, and fifth < mills nearly 

 equal, sixth scarcely shorter. 

 Tail considerably graduated ; 

 the feathers stitV. rather nar- 

 row, especially the outer webs, 

 lateral feathers about thn-e 



quarters of an inch the short- 

 Mimus polyi;lottiis. mi 



er in the type. Tarsi longer 

 than middle toe and claw by rather less than an additional claw; tarei conspicuously an«l 

 strongly scutellate; broad plates seven. 



