ii; 



34 



REVIEW OF AMERICAN BIRDS. 



[part f. 



m 



Among the species of Tardus, of Dr. Sclator, I find in his section 

 Semimerula a group which, in its characters, differs so widely from 

 Tardus and Merula proper, that I cannot hc^Io considering it of 

 generic rank. At one end of the section is Lr. Sclater's type, 1\ 

 giyas of Ecuador, in which the wings dilfer most from Tardus in 

 being broad and much rounded ; the 1st primary very large, and 

 almost half the 2d, which about equals the 8th — the 6th quill longest. 

 The bill is shaped like that of T. migratorius, but rather larger. 

 The legs are stout and strong. In T. aurantius the wings are rather 

 more pointed, but considerably less so than in T. migratorius. The 

 lengthened tarsi, considerably longer than the head, form a conspicu- 

 ous feature. The general appearance of aurantius is very like that 

 of Mimocichla, the principal apparent difference being in the shorter 

 and less rounded tail. The style of coloration, too, is much the 

 same. 



Mr. George R. Gray places Cichlopsis, of Cabanis, among the 

 Thrushes, with T. aurantius as the type. The true type, however, 

 is Tardus leiicogenys, Licht. Berlin Mus., which is generically very 

 diflFerent from the Tardus leucogenys, Latham {=^T. aurantius, Gr.). 



Semimerula aurantia. 



Tardus aurantius, Gm. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 832.— Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, 

 333. — Ib. Catal. Am. Birds, 1861, 6, no. 37. {Semimerula.) 



Turdus leucogeni/x, Latham, Ind, Orn. I, 341. — Gosse, Birds Jam. 1847, 

 136.— Ib. Illuat. no. 23. 



Hab, Jamaica. 



The sexes do not appear to differ in this species, although the bills 

 vary greatly in size. Thus in 24,340, %, the bill measures .60 from 

 tip to nostril; while in 22,142, 9, it measures .76, with the same 

 width at base or even rather narrower. Thus, as in other large 

 Thrushes, I find that the bill varies considerably in size, although 

 the average in a large number of specimens may furnish good specific 

 characters. 



A youngibird exhibits nothing of the spotted plumage of the im- 

 mature North American Thrushes, differing from the adult merely in 

 a wash of ferruginous on the under side, as well as on the top of 

 head and back. 



Measurement of 24,340, % : Length, 10.00 ; wing, 4.80; tail, 4.3.5; 

 bill from head, 1.00, from nostril, .60, from gape, 1.20 ; 1st primary, 

 1.10; 2d primary, 3.20; tarsus, 1.54; middle toe and claw, 1.28. 



ir 



