256 
SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PASSEBES — OSCINES. 
4. Subfamily SAXICOLIN>E: Stone.chats and Blue.birds. 
Chieliy Old World ; repre- 
sented in North America by- 
two European species and the 
familiar Blue-birds; authors 
assign different limits to the 
group, and frequently trans- 
pose the genera. As usually 
constituted, it contains up- 
wards of 100 species, com- 
monly referred to about 12 
genera. Like many other 
groups of Passeres, it has 
,^ never been defined with pre- 
cision, being known conven- 
tionally by the birds orni- 
thologists put in it. The 
following birds have booted 
tarsi; oval nostrils; bristled 
rictus ; rather short, square or 
emarginate tail ; long, pointed 
FIG. 129. - Wbeat-ear. (From Dixon.) ^-^^^^ ^^-^^ ^^^^^ ^p^^^j. 
ous 1st quill; tarsus not shorter (except in Sialia much longer) than middle toe and claw; 
bill much shorter than head, straight and acute. 
Analysis of Genera. 
Bill slender. Tarsus much longer than middle toe and claw. Point of wing formed by 2d-4th quills. 
Lateral toes of equal lengths. Form slender. No blue. Terrestrial Saxicola 6 
Bill very slender. Tarsus much longer than middle toe and claw. Point of wing formed by 3d-5th quills. 
Lateral toes of unequal lengths. Form slender. Throat intense blue and chestnut; tail with chestnut 
Cyanecula 8 
Bill stouter. Tarsus not longer than middle toe and claw. Point of wing formed by 2d-4th quills, Lateral 
toes of unequal lengths. Blue the chief color. Form stouter. Arboricole Sialia 7 
6. SAXI^COLA. (Lat. saxum, a rock ; colo, I inhabit. Fig. 130.) Stone-chats. Bill shorter 
than head, slender, straight, depressed at base, com- 
pressed at end, notched. Wings long, pointed, the tip 
formed by the 2d-4th quills, the 1st spurious, scarcely 
or not one- fourth as long as the 2d. Tail much 
shorter than wing, square. Tarsi booted, but with 4 
scutella below in front; long and slender, much ex- 
ceeding the middle toe and claw ; lateral toes of about 
equal lengths, very short, the tips of their claws not 
reaching the base of the middle claw; claws little 
curved ; feet thus adapted to terrestrial habits. A large 
and widely distributed Old World genus, of some 30 
species, inhabiting Europe, Asia, and especially Africa. 
26. S. oenan'the. (Gr. olvavdr], oinantlie, name of a bird, from oLvr)^ oine, the grape, and avdos, 
awi/ios, a flower. Fig. 129.) Stone-chat. Wheat-ear. Adult J": Ashy-gray; forehead, 
superciliary line and under parts white, latter often brownish-tinted ; upper tail-coverts white ; 
wings and tail black, latter with most of the feathers white for half or more of their length ; 
line from nostril to eye, and broad band on side of head, black ; bill and feet black. 9 more 
brownish-gray, the black cheek-stripe replaced by brown. Young without the stripe, above 
Fig. 130. — Generic details of Saxicola. 
