CHARACTERS OF THE MIMING 47 



bare volcanic rocks, apparently too timid to venture down and 

 slake their thirst while we were camped near by. Tlieir song 

 is occasionally heard even iu November and December, and is 

 very sweet, but not so full and varied as during the vernal 

 season. 



The sociable disposition which Townsend's Tiirush manifests 

 during the winter, contrasting with those traits it shows at 

 other seasons so conspicuously that it has acquired the soubri- 

 quet of " Solitaire", is also attested by Mr. J. K. Lord, from 

 observations made at Colville during November, when the 

 leaves had fallen, snow covered the ground, and the cold was 

 intense. His attention was attracted by the sound of singing, 

 unusual at that inclement season; and he soon discovered a 

 score of these brave little birds perched upon the sprays of some 

 thorn-bushes, and was reminded, by their low, sweet notes, of 

 the Song Thrush of Europe. Commend me to the rare bird 

 that sings in winter, whose pipe, yet limpid when the rivers 

 cease to flow, is tuned to sounds harmonious amid the discord 

 of the elements, in earnest of more genial times to come ! 



Subfamily MIMINiE : Mocking Thrushes 



Chars. — There is little to be added to the comparative diag- 

 nosis of this group already given (p. 5). The tarsi are scutellate 

 anteriorly, with seven scales (rarely obsolete, as sometimes oc- 

 curs in Oaleoscoptes). The wings are short and rounded — usually 

 shorter than the tail, the feathers of which are graduated in 

 length. There are bristles about the base of the bill, but the 

 feathers themselves are soft. The bill is extremely variable in 

 length and shape ; sometimes it is much shorter than the head, 

 and as straight as that of a typical Thrush, but in other cases 

 it equals or exceeds the head in length, and is bent like a bow. 

 The members of this group have been sometimes classed with 

 the Wrens, to which they bear a strong resemblance in many 

 respects. They are peculiar to America, and abound in species 

 in the warmer parts of this hemisphere. In its broader features, 

 the economy of these birds is much the same as that of the true 

 Thrushes. They are insectivorous, but also feed on various soft 

 fruits. They inhabit shrubbery rather than high open wood- 

 land, and as a rule keep nearer the ground, some of the species 

 being decidedly terrestrial, as indicated by their large strong 

 feet. Their nidification is inartistic ; the stout bulky nests are 



