8INOIXG BIRDS — USCLNES. g 



Wings (Icciilcdiy sliorlcr than the tail, wliicli is cunsidiTably irrailiiati'il ; 

 /irst q'lill liall'di- nioi(,' llian lialftiie second. 



liiil nolclu'd at tip, sliorlur tiian licad ; sttaiuht. 



Sculcila; very dislinrt; gonys stniiglit, or even declining at tip. Mimiis. 



Scutcllic more or less obsolete; gonys convex, a,-<cending at tip. (idlnmnijiU-.i. 



Bill not notched at tip, Icugliiened; sonietinies much decm-ved. JIurjKir/ii/uc/iiis. 



NuTK. — III till' l!rvi(nv of American llinls, I., ilay, Ksdti, 400, I liavc^ advanced the suggestion 

 tliat tlie X. American gcinis Mi/icuMci, usually plai'cij undci- the yhiijiiliihi; ivally lielougs UMilei- 

 Tiii-iltilii: in a gioiip Mijuidtstinic. The i-elatioli.sliip.s are certaiidy very close, a.s is siiowu by tile 

 characters given hi-low. 



Common C'liAUAcrKiis.— Tarsi without regular transver.se scutelhe, except at lower end. 

 Wings acute, jMii'ited, as long as or longer than tail, which is liut slightly graduated. Kirst 

 primary rarely half second, which exceeds the .secondaries, liase of (piills hulfy yellow, as are 

 inner edges. Tail spotted or varied at the end. Young birds with many light spot.s. Very 

 nii'loilious singers. 



Myiadestiuae. Kill short, inueh depressed ; mouth ilecply cleft ; width at ba.se about iMpnd 

 to the (listanc- I'rom nostril to tip, or greater ; comnii.ssure more than twice distance from nostrils 

 to tip of Iiill, and nearly two and a half times length of gonys. Legs weak ; tarsi rather longer 

 than 'iiiddlc toe and (daw. Tail feathers tajn'ring slightly from ba.se to near tip, giving a slightly 

 ciiiicate appearance to the tail. 



Turdiliae. Mill stouter, more lengthened ; narrow at ba.so and more comi)res.sed ; width at 

 base less than distance from nostril to tip ; coiiimi.ssure not more than twice distame from 

 ncstrils to tip of bill, and about twice length of gonys.' Tarsi stouter, longer than middle toe 

 and claw. Tail feathers widening slightly from ba.se to near ci|), giving a [larallel-sided or 

 slightly fan-shaped appearance to the tail. 



The Mini,, III- dilfcr, as already mentioned, in the scutellate tarsi : more rounded win"s etc — 

 S. F. IJ. 



Subfamily TURDIN^. 



There iire several Aiiierieiiii oenei'ii of Tim/ina- not found nortli of 

 Mexico its yel, iilthough it is not impos.sible that one of these (Cat/iKnis) 

 may Iiefeafter be detected witiiiii tlie limits of the United States. Tlio 

 species oi Cathiirus resend)Ie the Xorth Americiin wood-thiushes {Hiilovlchlii) ; 

 but the si)iirioas or tirst primary cpiill is lunger (from one half to one third the' 

 second quill), the wings are rounded, not pointed, the tarsus is longer than 

 tlu! head, and the outstretched toes extend beyond the tail. The species to 

 lie looked for are ('. invlinnnnu: and ocriilcntaliti} 



The Nortli American species of Tnnltiur, while ^W^ned under the singh; 

 genus Turdus, yet constitute several distinct groups, which we may c'^iU 

 subgenera. 



Genus TURDUS, Linn.i; 



i;s. 



TiiTdils, LlNN.F.i;s, Syst. Xat., ed. 1(1, 17;VH, 1(!S. (Tvpe, r,n;l„s gis,-ivums of Furopc.) — 

 BAntn, Uev. Am. IJirds. 



Gkn. Ciiau. Bill (■oiiioal, .subulate, .shorter than the head; llie tip gentlv .ieciirved and 

 notched (e.vccpt in J/,-sj,erurir/i/a) ; the rielus with modorale bristles; the wiiig.s rather 



' See Itaird, Heview American liirds, I, 18(14, 7, 8. 



