174 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY. 



Pallas pendant son sejour en Crimee, ce qui fait conjecturer que Pespece habite ce 

 pays." Relying- on the accuracy of this description, we find that in one bird the 

 plumage is " entirely of a chocolate-brown ;" while in the other the head and chin 

 only are of this colour, all the remaining parts of the plumage, without exception, 

 being cinereous-grey. The specimens sent us for examination by Dr. Richardson 

 are evidently young birds ; the chocolate-colour of the head being but slightly indi- 

 cated, and the bills not having acquired that deep black colour seen in the Mexican 

 specimen : the whitish edges to the feathers is a further indication of youth. 



We have thought it advisable to alter our original specific name for this bird 

 from Mexicanus to Americanus. Among some interesting skins from India, re- 

 cently submitted to our inspection, with his usual liberality, by Dr. Horsfield, we 

 detected another species of Cinclus, differing altogether from M. Temminck's 

 description of Pallasii, and to which the name of Asiaticus may be thought appro- 

 priate, since it is a young bird, and may possibly exhibit in adult age some slight 

 variation in colour. — Sw. 



DESCRIPTION 



Of an immature bird, killed on the eastern declivity of the Rocky Mountains, lat. 55°. 



Colour blackish-grey, with a bluish tinge on the dorsal aspect, and an approach to clove- 

 brown on the throat and breast. The quill feathers and tail are clove-brown, and the second- 

 aries are very slightly tipped with white. The plumage on the posterior part of the belly, the 

 under tail coverts, and the linings of the wings, are tipped with greyish-white. The bill is 

 pale horn-colour, the legs and/eef flesh-coloured. 



Form| &c. — Bill straight; its breadth and height at the base are nearly equal, but towards 

 the point it is considerably compressed. The upper mandible has a moderately acute ridge, 

 elevated between the nostrils, with a gradual inclination towards the point, which is formed 

 by a rather sudden, though slight curve of the ridge only, and droops a very little. There 

 is a scarcely perceptible notch on each side of the tip, which is somewhat obtuse. The under 

 mandible is very little shorter. Nostrils longitudinal slits, situated at the lower margin of 

 a depressed semi-oval membrane, partly clothed with feathers. Forehead narrow, sloping 

 towards the bill. Wings concave, and, when folded, about an inch shorter than the tail. The 

 first quill feather is very short, being only about three-quarters of an inch in length ; the third 

 is the longest, the second and fourth are almost as long, and the fifth is only a line shorter; 

 the sixth is a quarter of an inch shorter than the fifth ; and the remainder diminish in suc- 

 cession : the third, fourth, and fifth have their outer webs very obliquely sinuated. The tail 

 is short, and slightly rounded. Tarsus entirely naked, somewhat longer than the middle toe 

 and its claw. The first phalanx of the outer toe is closely connected to the base of the inner 



