29 



WOOD THRUSH. 

 TURDUS MELODUS. 

 [Plate n.— Fig. 1.] 



Bartram, p, 290. — Peale's Museum, No. 



THIS bird is represented on the plate of its natural size ; and 

 particular attention has been paid to render the figure a faithful 

 likeness of the original. It measures eight inches in length, and 

 thirteen from tip to tip of the expanded wings ; the bill is an inch 

 long, the upper mandible of a dusky brown, bent at the point, and 

 slightly notched; the lower a flesh color towards the base; the legs 

 are long, and, as well as the claws, of a pale flesh color, or almost 

 transparent. The whole upper parts are of a brown fulvous color 

 brightening into reddish on the head, and inclining to an olive on 

 the rump and tail ; chin white; throat and breast white, tinged with 

 a light buff" color, and beautifully marked with pointed spots of 

 black or dusky, running in chains from the sides of the mouth, and 

 intersecting each other all over the breast to the belly, which, with 

 the vent, is of a pure white ; a narrow circle of white surrounds the 

 eye, which is large, full, the pupil black, and the iris of a dark cho- 

 colate color ; the inside of the mouth is yellow. The male and fe- 

 male of this species, as indeed of almost the wliole genus of thrushes, 

 differ so little as scarcely to be distinguished from each other. It is 

 called by some the Wood Robin, by others the Ground Robin, and 

 by some of our American ornithologists Turdus minor, though as 

 will hereafter appear, improperly. The present name has been 

 adopted from Mr. William Bartram, who seems to have been the 

 first and almost only naturalist who has taken notice of the merits 

 of this bird. 



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