THE BLACKBIRDS. 249 



THE BLACKBIRDS. GENUS MERULA. 



Mcrula, Leach, Syst. Cat. Mamm. and Birds, Brit. JVlus., p. 20 

 (1816). 



Type, M. merula (Linn.). 



The separation of the genus Merut'a from the genus I^iirdus 

 is rather difficult to justify, as in structure the two genera are 

 almost identical, and the character most to be relied on, viz., 

 the difference in the colour of the sexes, is not found to exist 

 in a few species, which, nevertheless, must be considered to 

 belong to the " Blackbird " group of Turdida. As far as the 

 European species are concerned, however, the distinctions are 

 well marked, and the difference in the colour of the sexes 

 separates the Blackbirds from the Thrushes. They resemble 

 the latter in not having the white pattern on the inner face of 

 the wing, and are thus easily distinguished from Oreodchla and 

 Geocichla. The members of the genus Merula are distributed 

 over the Palsearctic, Indian, and Australian regions, being 

 confined in the latter to various Pacific Islands. In the 

 Neotropical Region nearly twenty species occur, but the genus 

 is unrepresented in the Nearctic Region. 



THE BLACKBIRD. MERULA MERULA. 

 (Plate XXII., Fig. 2.) 



Turdus merula, Linn., Syst. Nat., i., p. 295 (1766); Macg., Br. 



B., ii., p. 81 (1839); Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 280 (1872); 



Dresser, B. Eur., ii., p. 91, pi. 13 (1872) ; B. O. U. List 



Br. B., p. 4 (1883); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. vii. 



(1888); Saunders, Man., p. 13 (1889); Wyatt, Br. B., pi. 



i., figs. 3-4 (1894). 

 Merula merula. Seeb., Cat. B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 235 (1881); 



id. Br. B., i., p. 235 (1883). 



Adult Male. Entirely black above and below, and including 

 the wings and tail ; bill orange-yellow ; feet and claws dark 

 brown or black ; iris hazel ; eyelid orange. Total length, io'5 

 inches; culmen, 0*9; wing, 5*0; tail, 3*8; tarsus, 1*3. 



Adult Female. Differs considerably from the male, being 

 browner, and mottled underneath. The general colour is 



