SAXICOLID.'E — THE SAXICOLAS. 



69 



Family SAXICOLID^. — The Saxk.m.as. 



Tho ocMioml fliaractors of tiiis iiuuily liave alrciuly liceii <,nveu on ]). '2, 

 as ilistiii,i;ui?jlK'(l IVoiu tlio 'fKnlida: Tlio n'laliiiii.slii|i8 art; very close, how- 

 over, and lull little violence would be done by making it a sublaniily of 

 Tiiriluhr or oven a group of Tanlma; as was done in the " Birds of North 

 America." 



While the groui) is very W(;I1 r(']iro.senti'd in tlu; Old World, America has 

 but one peculiar genus SUilui, and iuiother iSti.rinilii, reiiresentod by a single 

 species, a straggler, perhaps, from (rreenland on the one side and Siberia on the 

 oHier. 'J'iu! diagnostic characters of these are as follows, including I'lin/i's 

 to show tile relationshii)S of the three genera: — 



Turdus. Tiirsi loiii:, cxcccdiiiL,' tlic iiiidiUi' toe; \viiii;-s rcacliina' to tlic iiiiililli' dl' llic tail, 

 wliic'h is iilicml limr lilllis tlio leii,u:th of tlio wiiii^s. Itill .sloiit; its u]i|)it oiitliiie con- 

 vox toward tlio liiiso. Soeond quill slK.rtoi' than lll'lli. 



Saxicola. Tarsi oonsidoralily loniror than tho middle loo, which roaches nearly to the 

 lip oC tho lail. Tail short, even; two thirds as long as the lenj,'llionod wiiiiis, which 

 reach boyoud tlio iiiiddlo of Iho lail. Si'coiid <|iiill Icjiiwr than liClli. JJdl attonualod; 

 ils uinior outline eonoav(> lowards ihe liaso. 



Sialia. Tarsi short; about enual to the middle toe. Winys reaching buyoiul tho middle 

 of tho tail. JJill thiokunod. 



Genus SAXICOLA, Hhc iistkin. 



S'l.fim/ii, l!r.riisTi:iN, (icMioiniiiitzigi' Natur.i,'. I.SO'J. (Tyiic, ,S'. „-ii<iiil/ie.) 



(■KN-. ('ii.vu. Cinimis-anv sliuhlly onrved to llu- well-iiofehed lip. Cidmon oon(^^vo for 

 lh(' basal hali; Ihen j;-enlly docnrviiM,-. Ooiiys strai.irlit. Bill .^londor, attenuated; more 



than half the len,u-lh of head. Tail short, 

 bi-oad, even. Lei^^s eonsiderably longer 

 than tho lio.id ; when oiitstretcliod roaoliin<,' 

 nearly to tho lip of tail. Third ([iiill 

 longest ; second bnt liltle slioiier. Claws 

 long, slightly curved; bind loo ' rather 

 elongated. 



As already stated, America possess- 

 es but a single member of this group 

 of birds, so well re]iresented in the Old 

 World. The color is bluish-grav, with 



wings, a stripe through the eye, and tho middle of e.xpo.sod tail-feathers 



black. 



