BIRDS TURDIDAE TURDUS ALICIAE, 
217 
TURDUS ALICIAE, Baird. 
Gray-cheeked Thrush. 
Sp. Ch.— Third quill longest; fourth nearly equal; second not much longer than fifth. Above nearly pure dark olive green ; 
sides of the head ash gray ; the chin, throat, and under parts, with ring round the eye, white ; purest behind. Sides of throat 
and across the breast with arrow-shaped spots of dark plumbeous brown. Sides of body and axillaries dull grayish olivaceous. 
Tibiae plumbeous ; legs brown. Length, nearly 8 inches ; wing, 4.20 ; tail, 3.20 ; tarsus, 1.15. 
Hab. — Mississippi region to the Missouri. 
In this species the most striking feature next to the uniformly olivaceous back is the grayish 
ashen character of the head, and the entire absence of any buff tinge of the breast and sides of 
the neck. These parts are not of as pure white as the belly, having the faintest possible shade 
of yellowish red, but it is barely appreciable, nor is it any more distinct in raising the feathers. 
There is the faintest possible shade of reddish in the tail and its coverts above, but this is only 
to be observed on a close examination. 
This species comes much nearest to Tardus sivainsonii, the olive-backed thrush, agreeing with 
it in the dark greenish olive of the upper surface. This, however, is decidedly darker, and 
showing a clearer greenish than usual in the other. The absence of any buff on the throat, 
breast, and sides of the head, and the predominating ashy shade on the latter, with a white 
ring instead of reddish yellow round the eye, are strong points of distinction. The slight tinge 
of reddish yellow in the olivaceous of the sides, the inner surface of the wings, and the 
axillars of T. sivainsonii, are here replaced by grayish olive. The under mandible is blacker, 
and the legs are decidedly dusky instead of yellowish. The bill appears more slender, and the 
whole bird is larger. 
The best specimens of this species before me are from Illinois, but several from the upper 
Missouri belonging to Lieutenant Warren's collection agree with them, and I find no difficulty 
in distinguishing them at once from any other North American species by more tangible 
characters than are usually to be found in the small American thrushes. It is barely possible that 
it may constitute a variety only of T. sivainsonii, but if so it is a very strongly marked one. 
The description by Cabanis of T. sivainsonii in Fauna Peruana expressly dwells on the buff 
of the sides of the head and the breast, and consequently belongs to the preceding species. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When collect- 
ed. 
Whence obtained. 
Collected by— 
Extent. 
Stretch 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
10084 
10083 
4708 
4709 
4712 
4711 
April 29, 1857 
C? 
s 
s 
3 
Dr. F. V. Hayden.. 
7.25 
7.62 
7.00 
7.50 
12.25 
12.50 
12.50 
12.6a 
4.25 
4.12 
4.00 
4.25 
May 8, 1855 
do 
do 
28 b 
