48 CHARACTERS OF THE GENUS OROSCOPTES 



placed in bushes ; the eggs are three to six in number, usually 

 speckled (the Catbird furnishes an exception to this last state- 

 ment). In this group, the vocal powers are carried to the highest 

 known degree, some of the species being able to imitate not 

 only the notes of other animals, but various sounds which are 

 mere noises, without' musical quality. 



There are three Xorth American genera of this subfamily, all 

 of which are represented in the Colorado Basin. Although the 

 generic characters are not very strongly marked (all the species 

 used to be placed in the single genus Mimm), tangible differ- 

 ences will be observed on comparing the diagnoses given. 



Genus OROSCOPTES Baird 



CHARS. Wings and tail of equal lengths, the former more 

 pointed than in the other genera of Mimince, with the first quill 

 not half as long as the second, which is between the sixth and 

 seventh ; the third, fourth, and fifth about equal to each other, 

 and forming the point of the wing. Tail nearly even, its 

 feathers being but slightly graduated. Tarsus longer than the 

 middle toe and claw, anteriorly distinctly scutellate. Bill much 

 shorter than the head, not curved, with obsolete notch near 

 the end. Eictal bristles well developed, the longest reaching 

 beyond the nostrils. 



0. montanus is the type and only known species of this genus. 



Mountain Mockingbird 



Oroscoptes montanus 



OrphCUS montanus, Orn. Comm. Journ. Pbila. Acad. vii. 1837, 193 (Columbia River). Aud. 



Syn. 1839, 89. Aud. BA. ii, 1841, 194, pi. 139. Henry, Pr. Phila. Acad. vii. 1655, 310 



(New Mexico). 



Turd us montanus, Aud. OB.fr. 1838, 437, pi. 369, f. 1. 

 TurdUS (Orpheus) montanus, Towns. Journ. Phila. Acad. viii. 1839, 153. 

 Mimus montanus, p.C.&GL. 1838, 17. Gamb. Pr. Phila. Acad. iii. 1846, 114 (California). 



Gamb. Journ. Phila. Acad. i, 1847, 42. Bp. CA. i. 1850, 276. McCall, Pr. Phila. Acad. 



V. 1851, 216 (Texas). Woodh. Expl. Zuni River, 1853, 73.Heerm. PRRR. x. 1859,44. 

 OroSCOpteS montanus, Ed. BNA. 1858, 347. Cones, Pr. Phila. Acad. xviii, 1866, 65 (Arizona). 

 Oreoscoptes montanus, Scl. PZS. 1859, 340 (critical). Henry, Pr. Pbila. Acad. xi. 1859, 



107 (New Mexico). Bd. Ives' Rep. Expl. Colorado, pt. v. 1861, Q.Hayd. Tr. Am. Phil. 



Soc. xii. 1862, 163 (Black Hills). Bd. Rev. AB.1864, 42.- Dress. Ibis, 1865, 482 (Texas) 



Butch. Pr. Phila. Acad. xx. 1868, 149 (Laredo, Tex.). Coop. Am. Nat. iii. 1869, 73. 



Coop. Pr. Gala. Acad. 1870, 75 (Colorado River). Coop. B. Cal. i. 1870, 13. Stev. U. S. 



Geol. Surv. for 1870, 1871, 464. Hold. Pr. Bost. Soc. 1872, 194 (Black Hills). All. Bull. 



MCZ. iii. 1872, 174.- Coues, Key, 1872, 74.Merr. U 8. Geol. Surv. for 1872, 1873, 670, 



705,712,713. Ridg. Bull. Ess. Inst. v. 1873, 179. Coop. Am. Nat. viii. 1874, 17. Allen, 



