BIRDS TUEDIDAE. 
207 
Family TURDID AE . 
Primaries ten, of which the first is always very short, the second nearly equal to the longest, (except in Regulinae.) Wings 
ather long. Tarsi usually rather long, without scutellae, or else having them indistinctly visible at the lower end alone. 
Basal joint of middle toe united by its basal two-thirds to the outer, and by basal half to the inner toe. Lateral toes about 
equal. Bill notched at tip. 
The chief characteristics of this family are found in the association of a dentirostral bill, with 
legs destitute of scutellae or divided scales anteriorly, together with the very short or spurious 
first, and the rather long second primary. The North American species all have the tail short 
and rather even, or emarginate. 
The following is a synopsis of the sub-families : 
Turdinae. — Nostrils oval. Bristles along the base of the bill from gape to 
nostrils; those of rictus not reaching beyond nostrils. The loral feathers with 
bristly points. Second quill longer than sixtb. Outer lateral toes longer. Wings 
long. 
Regulinae. — Nostrils oval. The frontal feathers elongated ; their bristl shafts 
with the rietal bristles extending beyond the nostrils, the former scale- 
like. Points of loral feathers bristly. Second quill shorter than sixth. Size 
very small. 
Cincllnae. — Nostrils linear. No bristles whatever about the rictus, nor bristly 
points to the loral and frontal feathers. Legs longer than head, reaching 
beyond the tip of the tail. Body stout ; the wings and tail very short. 
Sub-Family TURDINAE. 
The family of Turdinae, as constituted in the previous synopsis, entirely excludes the 
mocking birds belonging to the genera llimus, Toxostoma, &c. The true place of the last 
mentioned forms is very near the wrens, as insisted upon by Cabanis. 
The introduction of Sialia and Saxicola into this sub-family, instead of among the Saxico- 
linae, is contrary to the usual custom of ornithologists. I, however, am unable to appreciate 
any differences between it and Tardus, other than those of generic value, and, at any rate, they 
are all sufficiently allied to permit them to be combined. 
The genera to be referred to here are Turdus, Saxicola, and Sialia. The chief diagnostic 
characteristics of these are as follows : 
Turdus. — Tarsi long, exceeding the middle toe; wings reaching to the middle of 
the tail; which is about four-fifths the length of the wings. Bill stout; its 
upper outline convex toward the base. Second quill shorter than fifth. 
Saxicola. — Tarsi considerably longer tban the middle toe, which reaches nearly 
to the tip of the tail. Tail short, even; two-thirds as long as the lengthened 
wings, which reach beyond the middle of the tail. Second quill longer than 
fifth. Bill attenuated ; its upper outline concave towards the base. 
Sialia. — Tarsi short; about equal to the middle toe. Wings reaching beyond the 
middle of the tail. Bill thickened. 
