CAT-BIRD. 195 



dorsal line, straight, the edges sharp and a little declinate at the end, the tip 

 narrow; the gape-line very slightly arched. 



Head oblong, of ordinary size; neck rather short, but somewhat slender. 

 Feet longish, rather strong; tarsus compressed, anteriorly covered with seven 

 large scutella, sharp-edged behind; toes of moderate length, slender, the hind 

 toe stout, the lateral nearly equal, the anterior united for a short space at the 

 base. Claws slender, arched, compressed, acute. 



Plumage soft and blended. Wings of moderate length, rounded, the first 

 quill short, the third and fourth longest, the second and fifth equal, and about 

 a quarter of an inch shorter than the fourth. Tail long, rounded, of twelve 

 rather narrow rounded feathers. 



Bill dark brown, the base of the lower mandible paler. Feet yellowish- 

 brown, claws dusky. The general colour of the upper parts is greyish-brown, 

 the tips of the secondary coverts, the edges of the primary quills, and a large 

 spot at the end of the three lateral tail-feathers, white; the lower parts 

 whitish, marked with triangular dusky spots, of which there is a distinct 

 line from the base of the bill; the throat, the middle of the breast, the 

 abdomen, and lower tail-coverts unspotted. 



Length to end of tail 8 inches, to end of wings 5|; wing from flexure 3^; 

 tail 3|; bill along the ridge £f ; tarsus l-^', hind toe T 4 2, its claw T \; middle 

 toe T 8 2, its claw y§. 



CAT-BIRD. 



- Orpheus carolinensis, Linn. 

 PLATE CXL.— Male and Female. 



Some individuals of this species spend the winter in the southern portions 

 of East Florida, where I have found them during the months of December 

 and January; but the greater number retire beyond the limits of the United 

 States about the middle of October. They are very rarely seen in the State 

 of Louisiana, nor have I known any to breed in that portion of the country. 

 They pass in abundance through Georgia and the Carolinas early in Sep- 

 tember, feeding then on the berries of the sweet gum, those of the poke and 

 sumach, the seeds of grasses, &c. On their return in spring, they reach the 



