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TURD US MIG 11A TORTUS. 
GENUS I. TURDUS. TIIE THRUSHES PROPER. 
Gicn. Ch. Bill shorter than the head, conical, with the tip gently curbed and notched, either yellow in color or with 
the lower mandible lighter at the base. Anterior face of tarsus, in adult specimens, fused into a continuous plate. 
TURDUS MIGRATORIUS. 
Robin. Migratory Thrush. 
Turdus migratorius Linn. Syst. Nat. 12 ed., 1766, p. 292. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Ch. Form robust. Wings rather long and pointed. Tail slightly rounded. Marginal indentations equal 
in depth to the width of the sternum. Tongue not very wide, slightly cleft at the extremity, and delicately fringed 
for about one-half of the terminal length. 
Color. Adult male in spring. Back, rump, outer edges of tertiaries, secondaries and primaries, ashy gray; 
other portions of wings above, dark brown. Top and sides of head, upper portions of tail and throat, black; the 
latter streaked with white. Interscapular region, ashy, spotted with black. Spots above and below the eyes, and 
just in front of the upper portion of them, chin, abdomen and under tail coverts, pure white; the latter streaked with 
ashy. Under surface of tail and wings, glaucous; with the primaries tinged with pale buif. Remainder of under 
surface of body, including under wing.coverts, rich golden brown. Bill, yellow. Iris and feet, brown, in all stages 
of plumage. 
Female in spring, similar, but generally paler. The plumage of the adult male in winter differs from that in 
spring, in having the feathers of the under portion of the body, as well as those of the tertiaries and secondaries, 
tipped with white. The upper surfaces are tinged with brown. This is especially noticeable in Robins taken in 
Southern Florida during January. Specimens taken in this section are always smaller in size than those from New 
England. 
Female, at other seasons, paler and browner. 
Young male, similar to the winter male, but has two white bars on the wings, composed of drop shaped marks 
on the tips of the two rows of wing coverts. The bill is also browner. Young female, similar. 
During winter, birds in this stage are strongly tinged with brown, both on the under and upper surfaces of 
the body. 
Nesting plumage, pale yellow beneath, barred and. spotted throughout with black. The feathers of the upper 
surface are darker, and tipped with drop shaped marks of white. The upper row of lesser wing coverts is streaked 
with brownish yellow. Throat and chin, pure white, with a maxillary brown stripe. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
The above descriptions will serve to distinguish this species from all others. It is a widely distributed bird, 
being found throughout the entire extent of North America. As will be seen, by the dimensions given below, 
specimens taken in Southern Florida, although smaller in size, have a longer tail than those taken in New England. 
The bill is also longer in proportion to the size of the bird. This merely illustrates a now well-known law in nature. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of twenty-seven specimens from New England.—Length, 9-69; stretch, 15*31; wing, 
4-84; tail, 3-37; bill, *80; tarsus, 1*25. Longest specimen, 10*75; greatest extent of wings, 16.50; greatest length 
of wing, 5*40; of tail, 4*20; of bill, 1*00; of tarsus, 1*36. Length of smallest specimen, 9-15; smallest extent of 
wings, 15-00; smallest length of wing, 4-25; of tail, 3-76; of bill, -70; of tarsus, 1*10. Average measurements of 
seventeen specimens from Southern Florida.—Length, 9-06; stretch, 15-03; wing, 4-87; tail, 3-90; bill, *71; tarsus, 
1-06. Longest specimen, 10-00; greatest extent of wings, 16-25; greatest length of wing, 5-20; of tail, 4-10; of 
bill, *85; of tarsus, 1-75. Length of smallest specimen, 9-15; smallest extent of wings, 14-80; smallest length of 
wing, 4-10; of tail, 3-40; of bill, -50; of tarsus, 1-00. 
DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 
Nests composed of mud, mixed with grass, and the compound when dried forms a species of cement. This is 
usually smoothly lined with fine, dead grasses. The whole is generally placed on a foundation of coarse grass. The 
nests are regular in form, and well proportioned to the size of the bird. Dimensions.—External diameter, 6 inches; 
internal, 4-50 inches; external depth, 4-50 inches; internal, 3 inches. Nests built iu damp localities contain less 
mud than those of drier places. 
Eggs blue, of varying shades, but generally very dark. Dimensions from 1-05x8-0 to l-26x-85. 
