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U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
TURD US, Linnaeu . 
Turdus, Linn.eus, Systema Naturae, 1735. (Type T. viscivorus, fide G. R. Gray.) 
Bill rather stout; commissure straight to near the tip, which is quite abruptly decurved, and usually distinctly notched; 
culmen gently convex from base. Bill shorter than the head ; both outlines curved. Tarsi longer than the middle toe. Lateral 
toes nearly equal ; outer longer. Wings much longer than the tail, pointed ; the first quill spurious and very small—not one- 
fourth the length of longest. Tail short, nearly even, or slightly emarginate. 
The essential characters of the true thrushes appear to consist in the long tarsi, without 
distinct scutellae ; the long pointed wings, with rather short second quill and the spurious 
primary ; and the moderately short, even tail. There are, however, several distinct groups 
among them, of which these in the following synopsis belong to North America. 
The Turdus naevius of authors is quite different from the other species in the more slender 
bill, longer gonys, and absence of any notch in the bill. The general appearance is, however, 
so thrush-like that I cannot see any reason for transferring it to a separate family, as Bonaparte 
has done. The structure of its bill assimilates it to Toxostoma ; but it differs in shorter bill, 
even tail, booted tarsi, and long wings. The first primary is shorter also, though longer than 
in Turdus. 
There are few species of North American birds the synonymy of which has been in such a 
state of confusion as the small thrushes. Of these there may now be considered as well estab¬ 
lished T. mustelinus, fuscescens, ustulatus, swainsonii, aliciae, pallasii, and nanus, to which may 
possibly have to be added T. silens of Swainson, coming between swainsonii and pallasii. In 
regard to mustelinus there has been no difficulty, the only synonym of note being melodus of 
Wilson. The case is, however, very different with the rest, and a brief sketch of the history 
of each species may not be out of place. It will he well to state, as a preliminary, that Turdus 
fuscescens and ustulatus have the upper parts throughout of a uniform reddish brown, without 
any shade of olive, the throat and breast brownish yellow ; the former species with very 
obsolete spots in these regions, lighter than the ground color above ; the latter with the spots 
more distinct, and darker than the back. T. sioainsonii has the back uniform olive brown, with 
a shade of green ; the breast with distinct nearly black spots; the sides of head and the breast yel¬ 
lowish red. T. aliciae similar, but the sides of head gray, the breast white. T. pallasii and names 
have the hack brown, with a faint tinge of reddish ; but the rump, upper coverts, and tail are 
quite foxy, considerably different from the back. The under parts are decidedly spotted. T. 
nanus is considerably the smaller of the two ; the color beneath purer ; the sides bluish ash, rather 
than yellowish bi own. T. silens, if really distinct from T. pallasii, is larger and more oliva¬ 
ceous on the back, with the same contrast of color on the tail. The Turdus fuscescens was 
described improperly by Wilson as T. mustelinus. Stephens, in 1811, first detected the error, 
and called the species T. fuscescens, which name, however, remained unnoticed until brought 
to light by Gray in the Genera of Birds. Bonaparte, in 1824, gave the name of wilsonii, by 
which the species has generally been known. Swainson, in the Fauna Boreali Americana, 
calls it T. minor after Gmelin, and applies the name ivilsonii erroneously to T. swainsonii. 
The Turdus minor of Gmelin, in fact, applies in part to this species, but also includes characters 
of T. swainsonii, having been compounded of the descriptions of the little thrush of Latham and 
the little thrush of Pennant. He supposed them to be merely two different descriptions of one 
species, whereas that of Latham belonged to fuscescens, (“ above reddish brown or clay color, 
breast yellowish, with dusky spots,”) and that of Pennant to T. sioainsonii, (“ above uniform 
