254 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSEBES— OSCINES 



the same. ? similar, rather smallor. Coast region of California, abundant in dense chaparral; 

 nest a rude platform of twigs, roots, grasses, leaves, etc., in bushes; eggs 3-3, 1.15 X 0.85, 

 bluish-green, with olive and russet-brown spots. 



24. H. r. lecon'tii. (To Dr. John L. Le Conte, the entomologist.) Yuma Theashee. This 

 form, with size and proportions the same as those of redivivus proper, differs very notably in 

 the pallor of all the coloration, being in fact a bleached desert race. Excepting the slight 

 rfnaxillary streaks, there are no decided markings anywhere ; and the change from the pale 

 ash of the general under parts to the brownish-yellow of the lower belly and crissum is very 

 gradual. Valley of the Gila and Lower Colorado ; very rare. Nest in bush, bulky, loose, 

 deep; eggs 3, 1.15X0.77, pale greenish, dotted with reddish. 



25. H. crissa/Us. (Lat. crisscdis, relating to the crissum, or under tail-coverts. Fig. 126. j Ceissal 



Theashee. $ : Brownish-ash, 

 with a faint olive shade, the 

 wings and tail purer and darker 

 fuscous, without white edging or 

 tipping. Below, a paler shade 

 of the color of the upper parts. 

 Throat aud side of the lower jaw 

 white, with sharp black maxil- 

 lary streaks. Cheeks and au- 

 riculars speckled with whitish.' 



Fig. 126.— Crissal Thrasher, nat. size. (Adnat. del. E. C.) Under taU-coverts rich chestnut, 



in marked contrast with the surrounding parts. BiU black, at the maximum of length, slen- 

 demess, and curvature'; feet blackish. Length about 13.00; wing 4.00-4.25; tail 5.50-6.00; 

 its lateral feathers 1.50 shorter than the central ones; biU 1.50; tarsus 1.33; middle toe 

 and claw 1.25. This fine species is distinguished by the strongly chestnut under taU-ooverts, 

 the contrast being as great as that seen in the cat-bird. The sharp black maxillary streaks are 

 also a strong character. The bill is extremely slender, the tail at a maximum of length, and 

 the feet are notably smaller than those of H. redivivus. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and 

 California in the Colorado Valley, common in chapan'al ; nest in bushes near the ground, of 

 twigs lined with vegetable fibres ; eggs usually 2, emerald green, unspotted. 



Subfamily CINCLIN/E: Dippers. 



Fig. 127. —European Dipper, C. aquaticus. (From Dixon.) 



Wing of 10 primaries, the 

 1st of which is spurious, and, 

 like the others, falcate; 2d 

 primary entering into the 

 point of wing ; wing short, 

 stiff, rounded, and concavo- 

 convex. TaU still shorter 

 than the wing, soft, square, 

 of 13 broad, rounded feathers, 

 almost hidden by the coverts, 

 which reach nearly or quite 

 to the end, the under being 

 especially long and full. Tarsi 

 booted, about as long as the 

 middle toe and claw. Lateral 

 toes equal in length. Claws 

 all strongly curved. BOl 



