256 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PASSERES — OSCINES. 
4. Subfamily SAXICOLINA: Stone.chats and Blue-birds. 
Chiefly Old World; repre- 
sented in North America by 
two European species and the 
familiar Blue-birds; authors 
assign different limits to the 
group, and frequently trans- 
pose the genera. As usually 
constituted, it contains up- 
wards of 100 species, com- 
monly referred to about 12 
genera. Like many other 
groups of Passeres, it has 
never been defined with pre- 
cision, being known conven- 
tionally by the birds orni- 
thologists put in it. The 
following birds have booted 
tarsi; oval nostrils; bristled 
rictus; rather short, square or 
emarginate tail ; long, pointed 
wings, with very short spuri- 
ous Ist quill; tarsus not shorter (except in Stalia much longer) than middle toe and claw; 
pill much shorter than head, straight and acute. 
Fig 129.— Wheat-ear. (From Dixon.) 
Analysis of Genera. 
Bill slender. Tarsus much longer than middle toe and claw. Point of sine formed by 2d4th quills. 
Lateral toes of equal lengths. Form slender. No blue. Terrestrial. . . . Saxicola 6 
Bill very slender. Tarsus much longer than middle toe and claw. Point of wine formed by 3d-5th quills. 
Lateral toes of unequal lengths. Form slender Throat intense blue and chestnut; tail with chestnut 
Cyanecula 8 
Bill stouter. Tarsus not longer than middle toe and claw. Point of wing formed by 2d-4th quills. Lateral 
toes of unequal lengths. Blue the chief color. Form stouter. Arboricole fi ». . . Sialia T 
6. SAXI/COLA. (Lat. sazum, a rock; colo, I inhabit. Fig. 130.) Srong-cuats. Bill shorter 
than head, slender, straight, depressed at base, com- 
pressed at end, notched. Wings long, pointed, the tip 
formed by the 2d-4th quills, the 1st spurious, scarcely 
or not one-fourth as long as the 2d. Tail much 
shorter than wing, square. Tarsi booted, but with 4 
seutella below in front; long and slender, much ex- 
ceeding the middle toe and claw; lateral toes of about 
equal lengths, very short, the tips of their claws not 
reaching the base of the middle claw; claws little 
curved ; feet thus adapted to terrestrial habits. A large 
Fic. 130. — Generic details of Saxicola. and widely distributed Old World genus, of some 30 
species, inhabiting Europe, Asia, and especially Africa. 
26. S. onan’the. (Gr. oivdvdn, oinanthe, name of a bird, from oivn, oine, the grape, and dvOos, 
anthos, a flower. Fig. 129.) Svrong-cHat. WuHiraAT-EAR. Adult ¢: Ashy-gray; forehead, 
superciliary line and under parts white, latter often brownish-tinted; upper tail-coverts white ; 
wings and tail black, latter with most of the feathers white for half or more of their length ; 
line from nostril to eye, and broad band on side of head, black; bill and feet black. Q more 
brownish-gray, the black cheek-stripe replaced by brown. Visine without the stripe, above 
S., a / 
“oy of 
% p 
Dp ey 
