XORTH AMEEICAN BIRDS. 



l-AMir.v TURDID^. — The Thrushes. 



Till' Tiirdichr, witli the Sd.rmilido' and ChiclUlcr, form a sroup closely 



R'latuu, by conuiinn cliaracters, and appreciaUy diflbrent from tlie utlnJr 



ikcincs with slender ])ills and s]iocially inseetivorou.s habits, having-, like 



them, ton ja-imaries (the first mnch sliorter than the second, but nearly 



always ap])recialile), and tlie nostrils uncovered. The ffcuiit family of 



Kjllriniliila-, with similar (:haracter.s of the bill, never present more than 



nine i)rimaries. The most striking of these common characters is seen 



in the (lce])ly cleft toes, of which the outer is united by the basal joint 



alone to tlu; middle toe, while the inner is se])arated almost to the very 



base of its first j'oint.i Tiie i'rontal feathers extend, with rare excepti(jns, 



to the very nostrils. The I)ill is elongated and suladate, moderately slender,' 



and usually notched at tip ; the culmen moderately curved i'rom the base, 



and the mouth well ])rovided with bristles, cxcc].t in a few cases. Usually 



the .scutelhe coxering the front and sides of the tarsus are fused into one 



continuous i.late, or else scarcely appreciable, cKcejit on the inner edge 



only; in the :\rockiiig Thrushes they are, however, distinctly marked. The 



lateral toes are nearly e.[ual, the cniter lather the longer. With these as 



some of the principal characteristics, they may be distinguished irom each 



(jther as follows : — 



X.)TK. - In 11,0 piv^ciit vv„rk tlio IcPL'th <,f tlic tni! i. mon«nro,l f,-.mi flio ooccvx, i...i,l,. of tli,. .kin 

 .■in.l i.Mt, as usu.illy tl.o nis,., frn,,. the ba>„ of the .juills „t tlioir msortioii. The winjrs are nioasuiT,! 

 Iroiii the carpal joint, with dividers. 



' bi a iKTl\rtly fresli si„rinien „f T„,;h,x nnisfr/ini,.,. tlie basal ha'r„f the first ]^h>h^^x of the 

 Miner toe IS ,.o,i„eete,l will, tile li.sl joint of tile ,„i,i,lh. toe by a membrane, whiell sOvtehes 

 aeross to w,tl„„ two llfths of the end of the latter; tiiere appears, however, to b,. no li.^amentous 



" """• ""' ''■'-"' •i"'"f "<■ *'"' ">'''•'■ to,, is eutiivly mlh,.r.^i.t, ami a m,.mbr,iii,. ext.mls frr.ni 



nearly tli,. basal half of th,' sir.m,! joint to the distal en,l of the first joint of the n,i,l,lle to... 

 W lie.i this .•onne.;tiiiK membrane l,,.,;om..s ,l,i..,l lh,. .livision of the to..s appears lonsidi'iably 



k'reatel'. 



When th,. lo,.s are all ,.xt,.n,h.,| in line with tl„. tarsns, th,' himl claw stivtehi's a little b,.yon.l 

 llie lati'ial and s.'aively ivaidies Ihi' base of tl„. miMdl,' elaw. 



Th, 



rlnt,.s at th,. ni,p,.r surface of the basal j ts of the toes are nninlranKiilar ami opposite 



eaih otlii.r. 



