BIRDS OF THE COLORADO VALLEY 



CHAPTER I. THEUSHES 



FAM. TURDID.E 



fin HE birds of this family, together with those of the families 

 JL which follow in this work to the Flycatchers (Tyrannidce), 

 inclusively, belong to the great group of Passer 'es. Any Passerine 

 bird of this country may be recognized by the character of the 

 feet, .which are perfectly fitted for grasping in other words, for 

 perching upon such support as the twigs of trees, for instance. 

 Though many kinds of birds, such as Birds of Prey, Herons, 

 and various others that might be mentioned, perch habitually, 

 yet the truly insessorial foot, as exhibited among Passeres, is * 

 unmistakable in several features. The hind toe, which is never 

 wanting, is inserted on the same level as the front toes collec- 

 tively; it is always directed straight backward, being thus op- 

 posed directly to the front toes ; it is of considerable length, 

 and its perfect mobility is secured by the separation of its prin- 

 cipal muscle from that one which bends the other toes collec- 

 tively. The claw of the hind toe is at least as long as that of 

 the middle anterior toe, and often longer. Neither of the front 

 toes is ever reversed in position, to effect such arrangement of 

 the digits in pairs as is witnessed in some 

 Picarian birds, as Woodpeckers, Cuckoos, 

 &c.; nor are the toes ever soldered together 

 for a long distance, as in the Kingfishers ; 

 nor are their joints abnormal in number, as 

 in some of the Swifts ; nor are the feet 

 webbed or lobed, as in many wading and all 

 swimming birds. In addition to these char- 

 acters, it may be stated that the legs are 

 clothed with feathers down to the tibio-tar- 

 sal joint; and that the tarsus and toes are Fm ] ... TypicalpM8erine 

 invested with hard, horny integument, like Foot - 

 that encasing the bill. Such a foot as results from these con- 

 1 B c 



