The Zoologist — July, 1874. 



4045 



Collected Observations on White''s Thrush (Turdus varius of 

 Pallas). By Edward Newman. 



White's Thrush {Turdus varius). 



Few birds have excited move interest, or evoked more con- 

 troversy amongst us, during the last few years than White's thrush. 

 Its distinctness as a species has been frequently called in question ; 

 some have supposed it a variety of the song thrush, others have 

 suggested that it is the young of the missel thrush ; but neither of 

 these solutions has found favour in the eyes of our leading ornitho- 

 logists, who, I believe, without exception, admit that it is perfectly 

 distinct from any other recognized British or European species. 



It was first minutely described as British by'Mr. Eyton, who, in 

 1836, assigned it the name of Turdus Whitei (as a tribute of 

 respect to the memorj^ of Gilbert White), at p. 92 of his work on 

 the * Rarer British Birds ;' afterwards by Mr. Yarrell, in the second 

 edition of his 'History of British Birds ;' by Mr. Tomes, at p. 379 

 of the 'Ibis' for 1859; by Mr. Sclater at p. 3041 of the ' Zoologist' 

 for 1872 ; and finally by Mr. Eodd, at p. 3880 of the volume of the 

 'Zoologist' for 1874; and Prof. Newton has given an exhaustive 

 summary of its bibliography, at p. 251 of his first volume of the 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. IX. 2 I 



