BIRDS — LIOTBICHIDAE — OEOSCOPTES MONTANUS. 



347 



The exposed portion of first primary is two-fifths that of the longest one, and the tarsus is very 

 distinctly scutellate. It is very different from the typical Mimus in the tail and wings, 

 as well as the longer, slenderer, and straighter hill. Its characteristic color consists in the 

 following points : Ahove, grayish brown ; beneath, white, with arrow-shaped brown spots. 

 Tail feathers blotched at the end with white. 



OBOSCOPTES MONTANUS, Baird. 



Mountain Mocking Bird. 



ynopsis, 1839, 87. — Ib. Birds Amer. 11, 



Orpheus montanus, Townsend, J. A. N. Sc. VII, ii, 1837, 192. — Aud. 



1841, 194; pi. 139. 

 Turdm montanus, Aud. Orn. Blog. IV, 1838, 437 ; pi. 369, f. 1. 

 Mimus montanus, Bonap. List, 1838. — Ib. Consp. 1850, 276. 



Sp. Ch.— First quill rather shorter than the sixth. Tail slightly graduated. Above brownish ash ; each feather obso- 

 letely darker in the centre. Beneath dull white, thicky marked with triangular spots, except on the under tail coverts 

 and around the anus, which regions are tinged with yellowish brown. Wing coverts and quills edged with dull white. Tail 

 feathers brown ; the outer edged, and all (except, perhaps, the middle) tipped with white. Length, 8 inches; wing, 4.85; 

 tail, 4.00; tarsus, 1.31. 



Hob. — Rocky mountains ; south to Mexico, and along valley of Gila and Colorado and to San Diego, California. 



In this species the lateral tail feathers are about .25 of an inch shorter than the middle ones ; 

 all are rather attenuated and rounded at the tip. The under parts are sometimes strongly 

 tinged with brownish yellow, most visible in raising the feathers of the breast. The spots on 

 the throat are arranged in two maxillary series, being otherwise sparse and small. There is a 

 faint indication of a pale superciliary stripe and of a whitish ring round the eye. The white 

 tip to the outer tail feather is about half an inch long ; in the others less. This white is 

 sometimes quite obscure. All the tail feathers are narrowly edged with the color of the back ; the 

 exterior one with white. The bill is black, the feet dusky. 



An immature bird (8821) has the spots beneath larger ; the under parts tinged with brown ; 

 the upper parts quite conspicuously streaked. 



List of specimens. 



Catal. 

 No. 



8351 



^50 

 8821 

 8134 

 8131 

 4019 

 4018 



8136 

 8137 



8138 

 8132 

 8133 

 4569 

 4899 

 8129 

 8143 



Locality. 



Fort Laramie, Nob. 



do 



Black Hills, Neb 



W. Texas, near 32° L . 



Port Thorn, N. M 



Tamaulipas, Mex 



do 



NearZuHi,*. M 



Bill Williams' Fork, 



Camp 120 , 



Camp 119 



Espia, Mex 



do 



Gila river, N. M 



San Diego, Gal 



When col- 

 lected. 



Sept. 23,1857 



do. 



Nov. 26, 1853 



Feb. 12, 1854 

 Feb. 11, 1854 

 March—, 1855 

 do 



• do.. 



Loa Angelos valley. 



Whence obtained. 



Dr. Cooper . 



do 



Lt. Warren 



Oapt. Pope 



Dr. T. C.Henry. 



Lt. Couch 



do 



Lt. Whipple . 



do 



do 



Major Emory 



do 



do 



Dr. J. F. Hammond. 



Lt. Williamson 



do 



Orig'l 

 No. 



108 



Collected by— 



Dr. Hayden. 



Eeun. and Moll. 



....do., 



Dr. Kennerly . 



do 



A. Schott 



Dr. Heermann. 

 do 



Length. 



Stretch 

 of wings. 



8.75 



8.75 



7.50 

 8.00 



8.50 

 8.00 

 8.00 

 8.00 



13.25 



11.00 

 11.00 



11. 5U 

 11.50 

 11.75 

 11.75 



Wing. 



4.50 



4.25 



3.75 

 3.75 



4.00 

 4.00 

 3.75 

 3.50 



3.62 



Remarks. 



Iris brown, bill br'wn 

 and w'te, feet elate 

 and yellow. 



Bill slate, feet green- 

 ish lead color. 



Eyes yellow? , 



