MERULID.E. 181 



Catesby's bird, but from that of Edwards, which is consequently his Turdus minor, 

 a species well distinguished by its tawny, or reddish-brown plumage, in opposition 

 to the " olive-brown " of Wilson's solitarius. We leave the other synonymes of 

 Gmelin, and the whole of those quoted by Brisson, entirely out of the question. 

 It is plain that Brisson had our bird only before him, which he describes with 

 even greater precision than Edwards : the reddish breast is a nice, but a very 

 masterly distinction. 



As to the " Little Thrush " of Catesby, it appears totally impossible to identify 

 it with any one species; since, besides those here described, we know of two 

 others, each of which might pass for the bird he may have intended to comme- 

 morate. The same observation is applicable to the smaller American Thrushes, 

 mentioned in u Arctic Zoology" "Synopsis of Birds," &c. The Tardus 

 minor of M. Vieillot (Ois. de I' Am., ii., p. 7) is an imaginary species, confessedly 

 compounded not only of the fuscus and minor of Gmelin, but of the West 

 India and the Carolina species ; neither is it possible to ascertain which of 

 these is intended to be represented on the plate. The Turdus mustelinus of 

 this author is supposed to be the melodus of Wilson, although this has been 

 questioned. 



It is somewhat surprising, that the species whose external characters we have 

 now illustrated, should have escaped the observation of late American naturalists. 

 We have long had in our museum a very fine plumaged specimen, sent to us 

 from Georgia. It perfectly agrees, in every material point, with that here de- 

 scribed ; but the peculiar rufous, or rather ferruginous tinge, which uniformly 

 pervades the whole of the upper plumage, is much clearer and more intense in the 

 Georgian specimen than in the northern. — Sw. 



DESCRIPTION 



Of a male, killed at Carlton House, May 29th, 1827. 



Colour of the whole dorsal aspect yellowish-brown, slightly inclining to orange-brown. 

 The inner vanes of the quill and tail feathers are liver-brown. Under surface. — The chin is 

 white ; the cheeks, throat, and upper part of the breast have a faint tinge of wood-brown, and 

 are marked with numerous roundish, not very well defined spots of hair-brown. These spots 

 also extend, but more faintly, to the lower part of the breast, which is whitish. The sides of 

 the breast, flanks, and linings of the wings are smoke-grey, the belly and under tail coverts 

 white. The insides of the quill and tail feathers are pale broccoli-brown. The bill is blackish- 

 brown above, pale horn-colour beneath. Legs very pale-brown. 



