Pallas pendant son séjour en Crimée, ce qui fait conjecturer que l’espèce habite ce
pays.” Relying on the accuracy of this description, we find that in one bird the
plumage is “ entirely of a chocolate-brown while in the other the head and chin
only are of this colour, all the remaining parts of the plumage, without exception,
being cinereous-grey. The specimens sent us for examination by Dr. Richardson
are evidently young birds ; the chocolate-colour of the head being but slightly indicated,
and the bills not having acquired that deep black colour seen in the Mexican
specimen : the whitish edges to the feathers is a further indication of youth.
We have thought it advisable to alter our original specific name for this bird
from Mexicanus to Americanus. Among some interesting skins from India, recently
submitted to our inspection, with his usual liberality, by Dr. Horsfield, we
detected another species of Cinclus, differing altogether from M. Temminck’s
description of Pallasii, and to which the name of Asiaticus may be thought appropriate,
since it is a young bird, and may possibly exhibit in adult age some slight variation in colour.—Sw.
DESCRIPTION
Of an immature bird, killed on the eastern declivity of the Rocky Mountains, lat. 55°.
C olour blackish-grey, with a bluish tinge on the dorsal aspect, and an approach to clove-
brown on the throat and breast. The quill feathers and tail are clove-brown, and the secondaries
are very slightly tipped with white. The plumage on the posterior part of the belly, the
under tail coverts, and the linings of the wings, are tipped with greyish-white. The bill is.
pale horn-colour, the legs and feet flesh-coloured.
F orm, &c.—Bill straight; its breadth and height at the base are nearly equal, but towards
the point it is considerably compressed. The upper mandible has a moderately acute ridge,
elevated between the nostrils, with a gradual inclination towards the point, which is formed
by a rather sudden, though slight curve of the ridge only, and droops a very little. There
is a scarcely perceptible notch on each side of the tip, which is somewhat obtuse. The under
mandible is very little shorter. Nostrils longitudinal slits, situated at the lower margin of
a depressed semi-oval membrane, partly clothed with feathers. Forehead narrow, sloping
towards the bill. Wings concave, and, when folded, about an inch shorter than the tail. The
first quill feather is very short, being only about three-quarters of an inch in length ; the third
is the longest, the second and fourth are almost as long, and the fifth is only a line shorter;
the sixth is a quarter of an inch shorter than the fifth ; and the remainder diminish in succession
: the third, fourth, and fifth have their outer webs very obliquely sinuated. The tail
is short, and slightly rounded. Tarsus entirely naked, somewhat longer than the middle toe
and its claw. The first phalanx of the outer toe is closely connected to the base of the inner
one. The hind toe is but little shorter than the inner one, which again nearly equals the
outer one. The middle one exceeds these two by the entire length of its last phalanx. The
claws are short, much compressed, and but slightly curved ; the hind one is larger than the
middle one, which does not exceed the two lateral ones.
D im en s io n s.
Length from the tip of the bill to the end Inches. Lines. Length of the bill on its ridge In0ches. Lines
of the tail . . . . .. 7 6 ,, of the tarsus . 1 724
„ of the tail . . . . 2 3 „ of the middle toe 0 10 ,, of the folded wing . . . 3 6 „ of its claw . 0 3
,, of the bill from the angle of the of the hind toe 0 54. mouth . . . i . . 1 0 ,, of its claw . . , . 0 4
One of the other specimens, which is of rather smaller dimensions and probably
a younger bird, differs in the wing coverts and most of the under plumage
being slightly tipped with greyish-white.
In Mr. Swainson’s Mexican specimen of the mature bird, the entire head and
adjoining part of the neck above and below have a blackish-brown tint*, nearly
the colour of the soot of pitch-coal. The quill feathers and tail exhibit a duller
tint of the same colour, while the rest of the plumage above and below is blackish-
grey. The margins of the interscapulary feathers are worn, but exhibit some
slight remains of brown; and the ventral plumage is also slightly tinted with
brown on the tips. A few of the vent feathers have pale-grey tips. The bill
is black. The dimensions of the specimen are nearly the same as those given
above.—R.
Fuligneus.