C R A T E R O P U 8 Reinwardii. 

 Black-masked^ or ReinwarcUs Thrush. 



Family Merulidae. Sub-family Macropodiana}. 

 Generic Character. 



Bill hard, compressed, either sliji^htly notched or entire : wings and 

 tail rounded, the former short, the latter broad. Feet re- 

 markably large and strong; the two outer fore toes equal, the 

 middle lengthened ; hind toe and claw very large : claws com- 

 pressed, strong, and but slightly curved. 



Specific Character. 



Above grey ; throat spotted ; lo'ings and tall brown ; head and ears 

 black; cliin tchile. 



In Mus. Paris. Nost. 



Of the luibits ot" tliis plain, but singularly formed bird, we 

 know nothing'. It is, we believe, one of the numerous dis- 

 coveries made by that able Zoologist, Professor Keinwardt, 

 in the Indian Islands ; and should it not be already de- 

 scribed, (a point we cannot fully ascertain,) we trust it may 

 be allowed to bear the name of one, whose important labours 

 merit the thanks and respect of all the scientific world. 



The length of our specimen, as indicated by the scale on 

 the plate, is ten inches and three quarters. 'I'he feet, in 

 all their details, are uncommonly strong, while the wings 

 are feeble and much rounded. The fifth and sixth quills 

 are longest ; the scapular quills and the tail feathers, when 

 held to the light, exhibit transverse dark shades. 



We have elsewhere pointed out* the characters by which 

 the strong legged Thrushes form one of the sub-families 

 of the Merulidie ; the two other aberrant divisions, being 

 represented by the true Orioles fOrioUmv,) and the short 

 legged Thrushes ( Brarki/p'nuf.J That these form a circle 

 of their own,independant of the AntThrushes [Ali/otheri/nv,) 

 and the true Thrushes ( MeruUnaeJ has unintentionally been 

 proved by M. JM. Temminck and Vigors ; the first in pro- 

 j)0sing, and the latter in adopting, the genus Ijcos; an 

 artificial group, compounded of birds totally dissimilar to 

 each other, but which, in the progression of certain species, 

 demonstrate the circular arrangement of the three sub- 

 families above named. 



* Northern Zoology, Vol. ii. 

 CO. 



