Part 4

Of the three families, the _Turdidæ_ contain a great variety of forms, and exhibit widely different characters, rendering it exceedingly difficult to arrange them in any systematic or regular sequence, or to accurately define their boundaries. In the _Birds of North America_, the Mocking Thrushes were placed among the Wrens, on account of the distinct tarsal scutellæ, and other characters. We are now, however, inclined to believe, with Dr. Sclater, that their place is with the recognized _Turdidæ_; and, among other reasons, on the ground of their more deeply cleft toes, and greater extension forward of frontal feathers. The following synopsis of the North American forms will serve the purpose of determining the genera, even if these are not arranged or combined in a strictly natural manner.

A. Turdinæ.—Tarsus covered anteriorly with a continuous plate without scales.

Wings decidedly longer than the tail, which is nearly even. Bill considerably shorter than the head.

First quill usually not one fourth the second. Wings pointed. Tarsus hardly the length of head, but yet longer than middle toe; outstretched toes falling short of tip of tail … _Turdus_.

B. Miminæ.—Tarsi scutellate anteriorly; scales seven.

Wings decidedly longer than the tail, which is nearly even. Tarsus as long as the head.

Bill decidedly shorter than the head, scarcely notched; wings pointed; first quill less than half the second, third and fourth longest. Claws not peculiar. Bristles prominent. Tarsus considerably longer than middle toe and claw … _Oreoscoptes_.

Wings decidedly shorter than the tail, which is considerably graduated; first quill half or more than half the second.

Bill notched at tip, shorter than head; straight.

Scutellæ very distinct; gonys straight, or even declining at tip.… _Mimus._

Scutellæ more or less obsolete; gonys convex, ascending at tip.… _Galeoscoptes._

Bill not notched at tip, lengthened; sometimes much decurved.… _Harporhynchus._

NOTE.—In the Review of American Birds, I., May, 1866, 409, I have advanced the suggestion that the N. American genus _Myiadestes_, usually placed under the _Ampelidæ_, really belongs under _Turdidæ_ in a group _Myiadestinæ_. The relationships are certainly very close, as is shown by the characters given below.

COMMON CHARACTERS.—Tarsi without regular transverse scutellæ, except at lower end. Wings acute, pointed, as long as or longer than tail, which is but slightly graduated. First primary rarely half second, which exceeds the secondaries. Base of quills buffy yellow, as are inner edges. Tail spotted or varied at the end. Young birds with many light spots. Very melodious singers.

Myiadestinæ. Bill short, much depressed; mouth deeply cleft; width at base about equal to the distance from nostril to tip, or greater; commissure more than twice distance from nostrils to tip of bill, and nearly two and a half times length of gonys. Legs weak; tarsi rather longer than middle toe and claw. Tail feathers tapering slightly from base to near tip, giving a slightly cuneate appearance to the tail.

Turdinæ. Bill stouter, more lengthened; narrow at base and more compressed; width at base less than distance from nostril to tip; commissure not more than twice distance from nostrils to tip of bill, and about twice length of gonys. Tarsi stouter, longer than middle toe and claw. Tail feathers widening slightly from base to near tip, giving a parallel-sided or slightly fan-shaped appearance to the tail.

The _Miminæ_ differ, as already mentioned, in the scutellate tarsi: more rounded wings, etc.—S. F. B.

SUBFAMILY TURDINÆ.

There are several American genera of _Turdinæ_ not found north of Mexico as yet, although it is not impossible that one of these (_Catharus_) may hereafter be detected within the limits of the United States. The species of _Catharus_ resemble the North American wood-thrushes (_Hylocichla_); but the spurious or first primary quill is longer (from one half to one third the second quill), the wings are rounded, not pointed, the tarsus is longer than the head, and the outstretched toes extend beyond the tail. The species to be looked for are _C. melpomene_ and _occidentalis_.[22]

The North American species of _Turdinæ_, while retained under the single genus _Turdus_, yet constitute several distinct groups, which we may call subgenera.

GENUS TURDUS, LINNÆUS.

_Turdus_, LINNÆUS, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1758, 168. (Type, _Turdus viscivorus_ of Europe.)—BAIRD, Rev. Am. Birds.

GEN. CHAR. Bill conical, subulate, shorter than the head; the tip gently decurved and notched (except in _Hesperocichla_); the rictus with moderate bristles; the wings rather long and pointed, with small first primary (less than one fourth the second); wings considerably longer than the tail, which is firm, nearly even, with broad feathers. Tarsi variable, seldom as long as the skull, the scutellæ fused into a continuous plate, only in rare individual instances showing indications of the lines of separation.

The genus _Turdus_ is very cosmopolitan, occurring nearly throughout the globe, excepting in _Australia_, and embraces species of highest perfection as singers. In the large number of species known there are many variations in external form, but the transition from one to the other is so gradual as to render it very difficult to separate them into different genera. The sections of the group we adopt are the following:—

_Sexes similar._

Hylocichla. Smallest species. Bill short, broad at base; much depressed. Tarsi long and slender, longer than middle toe and claw, by the additional length of the claw; outstretched legs reaching nearly to tip of tail. Body slender. Color: above olivaceous or reddish, beneath whitish; breast spotted; throat without spots.

Turdus. Bill stouter and higher. Tarsi stout and short, scarcely longer than middle toe and claw. Body stout, generally whitish beneath and spotted. (Second quill longer than fifth?)

Planesticus. Similar to preceding. (Second quill shorter than fifth?) Beneath mostly uni-colored; unstreaked except the throat, which is whitish with dark streaks.

_Sexes dissimilar._

Merula. Similar to _Turdus_. Male usually more or less black, especially on the head; females brownish, often with streaked throats. Bill distinctly notched.

Hesperocichla. Similar to _Turdus_. Male reddish beneath, with a black collar. Bill without notch.

SUBGENUS HYLOCICHLA, BAIRD.

_Hylocichla_, BAIRD (s. g.), Rev. Am. Birds, 1864, 12. (Type, _Turdus mustelinus_.)

[Line drawing: _Turdus mustelinus._ 1570]

The essential characters of _Hylocichla_ have already been given. The subgenus includes the small North American species, with _Turdus mustelinus_, Gm., at the head as type, which are closely connected on the one side with _Catharus_, by their lengthened tarsi, and with _Turdus_ by the shape of the wing. The bills are shorter, more depressed, and broader at base than in typical _Turdus_, so much so that the species have frequently been described under _Muscicapa_.

It is not at all improbable that naturalists may ultimately conclude to consider the group as of generic rank.

In this group there appears to be five well-marked forms or “species.” They are, _mustelinus_, Gm., _pallasi_, Caban., _fuscescens_, Steph., _swainsoni_, Caban., and _aliciæ_, Baird. The first-named is totally unlike the rest, which are more closely related in appearance.

In studying carefully a very large series of specimens of all the species, the following facts become evident:—

1. In autumn and winter the “olive” color of the plumage assumes a browner cast than at other seasons; this variation, however, is the same in all the species (and varieties), so that in autumn and winter the several species differ from each other as much as they do in spring and summer.

Of these five species, two only (_pallasi_ and _swainsoni_) inhabit the whole breadth of the continent; and they, in the three Faunal Provinces over which they extend, are modified into “races” or “varieties” characteristic of each region. The first of these species, as the _pallasi_ var. _pallasi_, extends westward to the Rocky Mountains, and migrates in winter into the South; specimens are very much browner in the winter than in spring; but in the Rocky Mountain region is a larger, grayer race, the var. _auduboni_. This, in its migrations, extends along the central mountain region through Mexico to Guatemala; specimens from the northern and southern extremes of this range are identical in all the specific characters; but the southern specimens, being in the fall and winter dress, are browner in color than northern ones (spring birds); an autumnal example from Cantonment Burgwyn, N. M., is as brown as any Central American specimen. Along the Pacific Province, from Kodiak to Western Mexico, and occasionally straggling eastward toward the Rocky Mountain system, there is the var. _nanus_, a race _smaller_ than the var. _pallasi_, and with much the same colors as var. _auduboni_, though the rufous of the tail is deeper than in either of the other forms. In this race, as in the others, there is no difference in size between specimens from north and south extremes of its distribution, because the breeding-place is in the North, all Southern specimens being winter sojourners from their Northern birthplace.

The _T. swainsoni_ is found in abundance westward to the western limit of the Rocky Mountain system; in the latter region specimens at all seasons have the olive of a clearer, more greenish shade than in any Eastern examples; this clearer tint is analogous with that of the Rocky Mountain form of _pallasi_ (_auduboni_). In precisely the same region inhabited by the _pallasi_ var. _nanus_ the _swainsoni_ also has a representative form,—the var. _ustulatus_. This resembles in pattern the var. _swainsoni_, but the olive above is decidedly more rufescent,—much as in Rocky Mountain specimens of _T. fuscescens_; the spots on jugulum and breast are also narrower, as well as hardly darker in color than the back; and the tail is longer than in Rocky Mountain _swainsoni_, in which latter it is longer than in Eastern examples. The remaining species—_mustelinus_, _fuscescens_, and _aliciæ_—extend no farther west than the Rocky Mountains; the first and last only toward their eastern base, while the second breeds abundantly as far as the eastern limit of the Great Basin.

The _T. fuscescens_, from the Rocky Mountains, is considerably darker in color above, while the specks on the throat and jugular are sparser or more obsolete than in Eastern birds.

In _T. mustelinus_, the only two Western specimens in the collection (Mount Carroll, Ills., and Fort Pierre) have the rump of a clearer grayish than specimens from the Atlantic Coast; in all other respects, however, they appear to be identical. Some Mexican specimens, being in winter plumage, have the breast more buffy than Northern (spring or summer) examples, and the rufous of the head, etc. is somewhat brighter.

In _aliciæ_, no difference is observed between Eastern and Western birds; the reason is, probably, that the breeding-ground of all is in one province, though their migrations may extend over two. There is, however, a marked difference between the spring and autumn plumage; the clear grayish of the former being replaced, in the latter, by a snuffy brown, or sepia tint,—this especially noticeable on wings and tail.

The following synopsis is intended to show the characters of the different species and varieties.

1. _Spots beneath rounded, covering breast and sides._

A. Rufous brown above, becoming much brighter toward the bill, and more olivaceous on the tail. Beneath white; whole breast with rounded spots. Nest on tree; eggs pale blue.

1. T. mustelinus. Beneath nearly pure white, with rounded blackish spots over the whole breast, sides, and upper part of abdomen; wing, 4.25; tail, 3.05; culmen, .80; tarsus, 1.26. _Hab._ Eastern Province United States, south to Guatemala and Honduras. Cuba and Bermuda of West Indies.

2. _Spots beneath triangular, on breast only._

B. Entirely uniform in color above,—olivaceous, varying to reddish or greenish with the species. Beneath whitish, with a wash of brownish across the breast and along sides. Spots triangular, and confined to the breast. Nest on trees or bushes; eggs blue spotted with brownish; except in _T. fuscescens_, which nests on the ground, and lays plain blue eggs.

_a. No conspicuous light orbital ring._

2. T. fuscescens. Yellowish-rufous or olive-fulvous above; a strong wash of pale fulvous across the throat and jugulum, where are very indistinct cuneate spots of same shade as the back. Wing, 4.10; tail, 3.00; culmen, .70; tarsus, 1.15. _Hab._ Eastern Province of North America. North to Nova Scotia and Fort Garry. West to Great Salt Lake. South (in winter) to Panama and Brazil. Cuba.

3. T. aliciæ. Grayish clove-brown above; breast almost white, with broad, blackish spots; whole side of head uniform grayish. Wing, 4.20; tail, 3.20; culmen, .77; tarsus, 1.15. _Hab._ Eastern Province North America from shore of Arctic Ocean, Fort Yukon, and Kodiak to Costa Rica. West to Missouri River. Cuba.

_b. A conspicuous orbital ring of buff._

4. T. swainsoni.

Greenish-olive above, breast and sides of head strongly tinged with buff. Spots on breast broad, distinct, nearly black. Length, 7.00; wing, 3.90; tail, 2.90; culmen, .65; tarsus, 1.10. _Hab._ Eastern and Middle Provinces of North America. North to Slave Lake, south to Ecuador, west to East Humboldt Mountains … var. _swainsoni_.

Brownish-olive above, somewhat more rufescent on wing; breast and head strongly washed with dilute rufous. Spots on breast narrow, scarcely darker than back. Wing, 3.85; tail, 3.00; culmen, .70; tarsus, 1.10. _Hab._ Pacific Province of United States. Guatemala … var. _ustulatus_.

C. Above olivaceous, becoming abruptly more reddish on upper tail-coverts and tail. Spots as in _swainsoni_, but larger and less transverse,—more sharply defined. An orbital ring of pale buff. Nest on ground; eggs blue, probably unspotted.

5. T. pallasi.

Olivaceous of upper parts like _ustulatus_. Reddish of upper tail-coverts invading lower part of rump; no marked difference in tint between the tail and its upper coverts. Flanks and tibiæ yellowish olive-brown; a faint tinge of buff across the breast. Eggs plain. Wing, 3.80; tail, 3.00; culmen, .70; tarsus, 1.20. _Hab._ Eastern Province of United States (only?) … var. _pallasi_.

Olivaceous of upper parts like _swainsoni_. Reddish of tail not invading the rump, and the tail decidedly more castaneous than the upper coverts. Beneath almost pure white; scarcely any buff tinge on breast; flanks and tibiæ grayish or plumbeous olive. Size smaller than _swainsoni_; bill depressed. Wing, 3.50; tail, 2.60; culmen, .60; tarsus, 1.15. _Hab._ Western Province of North America, from Kodiak to Cape St. Lucas. East to East Humboldt Mountains … var. _nanus_.

Olivaceous above, like preceding; the upper tail-coverts scarcely different from the back. Tail yellowish-rufous. Beneath like _nanus_. Size larger than _swainsoni_. Wing, 4.20; tail, 3.35; culmen, .80; tarsus, 1.30. _Hab._ Rocky Mountains. From Fort Bridger, south (in winter) to Southern Mexico … var. _auduboni_.

Turdus mustelinus, GMELIN.

THE WOOD THRUSH.

_Turdus mustelinus_, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 817.—AUDUBON, Orn. Biog. I, 1832, 372, pl. 73.—IB. Birds Am. III, 1841, 24, pl. 144.—D’ORB. La Sagra’s Cuba Ois. 1840, 49.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 212.—IB. Rev. Am. Birds, 1864, 13.—SCLATER, P. Z. S. 1856, 294, and 1859, 325.—JONES, Nat. in Bermuda, 26.—GUNDLACH, Repertorio, 1865, 228.—MAYNARD.—SAMUELS, 146. _Turdus melodus_, WILS. Am. Orn. I, 1808, 35, pl. ii. _Turdus densus_, BONAP. Comptes Rendus, XXVIII, 1853, 2.—IB. Notes Delattre, 1854, 26 (Tabasco). Additional figures: VIEILLOT, Ois. Am. Sept. II, pl. lxii.—WILSON, Am. Orn. I, pl. ii.

SP. CHAR. Above clear cinnamon-brown, on the top of the head becoming more rufous, on the rump and tail olivaceous. The under parts are clear white, sometimes tinged with buff on the breast or anteriorly, and thickly marked beneath, except on the chin and throat and about the vent and tail-coverts, with sub-triangular, sharply defined spots of blackish. The sides of the head are dark brown, streaked with white, and there is also a maxillary series of streaks on each side of the throat, the central portion of which sometimes has indications of small spots. Length, 8.10 inches; wing, 4.25; tail, 3.05; tarsus, 1.26. Young bird similar to adult, but with rusty yellow triangular spots in the ends of the wing coverts.

HAB. U. S. east of Missouri plains, south to Guatemala. Bermuda (not rare). Cuba, LA SAGRA; GUNDLACH. Honduras, MOORE. Cordova, SCL. Orizaba (winter), SUMICHR.

HABITS. The Wood Thrush, without being anywhere a very abundant species, is common throughout nearly every portion of the United States between the Mississippi River and the Atlantic. It breeds in every portion of the same extended area, at least as far as Georgia on the south and Massachusetts on the north. Beyond the last-named State, it rarely, if ever, breeds on the coast. In the interior it has a higher range, nesting around Hamilton, C. W. So far as I am aware it is unknown, or very rare, in the States of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

It makes its appearance early in April in the Middle States, but in New England not until four or five weeks later, appearing about the 10th of May. Their migrations in fall are more irregular, being apparently determined by the abundance of their food. At times they depart as early as the first of September, but sometimes not until the last of October. It winters in Central America, where it is quite abundant at that season.

The favorite localities of the Wood Thrush are the borders of dense thickets, or low damp hollows shaded by large trees. Yet its habits are by no means so retiring, or its nature so timid, as these places of resort would lead us to infer. A small grove in Roxbury, now a part of Boston, in close proximity to a dwelling-house, was for many years the favorite resort of these birds, where several pairs nested and reared their young, rarely even leaving their nests, which were mostly in low bushes, wholly unmindful of the curious children who were their frequent visitors. The same fearless familiarity was observed at Mount Auburn, then first used as a public cemetery. But in the latter instance the nest was always placed high up on a branch of some spreading tree, often in conspicuous places, but out of reach. Mr. J. A. Allen refers to several similar instances where the Wood Thrush did not show itself to be such a recluse as many describe it. In one case a pair built their nest within the limits of a thickly peopled village, where there were but few trees, and a scanty undergrowth. In another a Wood Thrush lived for several successive summers among the elms and maples of Court Square in the city of Springfield, Mass., undisturbed by the passers by or the walkers beneath, or the noise and rattle of the vehicles on the contiguous streets.

The song of this thrush is one of its most remarkable and pleasing characteristics. No lover of sweet sounds can have failed to notice it, and, having once known its source, no one can fail to recognize it when heard again. The melody is one of great sweetness and power, and consists of several parts, the last note of which resembles the tinkling of a small bell, and seems to leave the conclusion suspended. Each part of its song seems sweeter and richer than the preceding.

The nest is usually built on the horizontal branch of a small forest-tree, six or eight feet from the ground, and, less frequently, in the fork of a bush. The diameter is about 5 inches, and the depth 3¾, with a cavity averaging 3 inches across by 2¼ in depth. They are firm, compact structures, chiefly composed of decayed deciduous leaves, closely impacted together, and apparently thus combined when in a moistened condition, and afterward dried into a firmness and strength like that of parchment. These are intermingled with, and strengthened by, a few dry twigs, and the whole is lined with fine roots and a few fine dry grasses. Occasionally, instead of the solid frame of impacted leaves, we find one of solidified mud.

The eggs of the Wood Thrush, usually four in number, sometimes five, are of a uniform deep-blue tint, with but a slight admixture of yellow, which imparts a greenish tinge. Their average measurements are 1.00 by .75 inch.

Turdus fuscescens, STEPHENS.

TAWNY THRUSH; WILSON’S THRUSH.

_Turdus mustelinus_, WILSON, Amer. Ornithology, V, 1812, 98, pl. 43 (not of GMELIN). _Turdus fuscescens_, STEPHENS, Shaw’s Gen. Zoöl. Birds, X, I, 1817, 182. CAB. Jour. 1855, 470 (Cuba).—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 214.—IB. Rev. Am. B. 1864, 17.—GUNDI. Repertorio, 1865, 228 (Cuba, not rare). PELZELN, Orn. Bras. II, 1868, 92. (San Vicente, Brazil, December.)—SAMUELS, 150.—SCLATER, P. Z. S. 1859, 326.—IB. Catal. Am. Birds, 1861, 2, No. 10. _Turdus silens_, VIEILL. Encyclop. Méth. II, 1823, 647 (based on _T. mustelinus_, WILS.). _Turdus wilsonii_, BON. Obs. Wils. 1825, No. 73. _Turdus minor_, D’ORB. La Sagra’s Cuba, Ois. 1840, 47, pl. v (Cuba).

SP. CHAR. Above, and on sides of head and neck, nearly uniform light reddish-brown, with a faint tendency to orange on the crown and tail. Beneath, white; the fore part of the breast and throat (paler on the chin) tinged with pale brownish-yellow, in decided contrast to the white of the belly. The sides of the throat and the fore part of the breast, as colored, are marked with small triangular spots of light brownish, nearly like the back, but not well defined. There are a few obsolete blotches on the sides of the breast (in the white) of pale olivaceous; the sides of the body tinged with the same. Tibiæ white. The lower mandible is brownish only at the tip. The lores are ash-colored, the orbital region grayish. Length, 7.50; wing, 4.25; tail, 3.20; tarsus; 1.20.

HAB. Eastern North America, Halifax to Fort Bridger, and north to Fort Garry. Cuba, Panama, and Brazil (winter). Orizaba (winter), SUMICHRAST.