Form, &c.—Bill depressed at the base, its breadth there considerably exceeding its height;
Its length from the forehead is more than twice its width at the nostrils. There is an elevated
ridge between the nostrils. The angles of the mouth are furnished with strong bristles, as in
the other Thrushes we have to describe. The wings, when folded, are about an inch and a
half shorter than the tail. The first or spurious quill feather is very narrow, and barely ex-,
ceeds half an inch in length ; the second is shorter than the third or fourth, but much longer
than the fifth : the third is the longest. The outer webs of the third and fourth are obliquely
sinuated near their tips. The tail is even, the two central feathers being a very little shorter
than the rest*. The hind toe is more robust than the others, and has the longest claw ; it
is equal to the inner one in length : the outer toe is a little longer. The latter is united, a
little beyond its first joint, to the base of the middle toe. The hind claw is more curved
than the others.
D im en s io n s
Of the male.
Length from the tip of the bill to the end ofInches. Length of the bill, measured along the ridg- eI nc0hes. the tail . . .“ . 7 i ' „ of the tail . . . 7 6 ,, of the tarsus 1 3 : „ of the folded wing . 3 0 „ of the middle toe . . 0 9 4 0 ,, of its claw . . . 0 3 ,, of the bill, from the angle of the „ of the hind toe 0 5 month . . . * . 0 11 ,, of its daw . . . 0 3}
[39.] 3. M e r u l a W i l s o n i i . (Bonaparte.) Wilson’s Thrush.
Ge n u s , Merula. R a t . (Turdus. L in n .)
Tawny Thrush. ( Turdus mustelinus?) W il s o n f , v., p. 98, pi. 43, f. iii.
Turdus Wilsonii. B o n a p. Syn., p. 75, No. 100. Observ., p. 34, No. 73.
Ch . Sp . Me r u l a W il s o n ii, olivaeeo-brunnescens subtus albescens, gutture pectoreque maculis fuligneis interstinctis,
remigibus 2—3—4 longissirms ; remige secunda quartam cequanli. Sp. Ch . W il s o n ’s T h r u s h , obscure olive-brown; beneath w hitish; throat and breast,marked w ith dusky spots;
the second, third, and fourth quill feathers the longest, the second equal to the fourth.
This Thrush arrives on the banks of the Saskatchewan in May, and, during
summer, haunts the alder thickets and dense willow groves that skirt the
* In a specimen in Mr. Swainson’s museum the two outer tail feathers are slightly shorter than the others, and its
Closed wing is- also two lines shorter than the one described above.
f This Thrush was first described by Wilson; but the name of Mustelinus, which he gave it, was preoccupied. Vide
B o na p., Observ., Trans. Phil. Soc. Phil., iv., p. 34, No. 73. f
marshes. It, doubtless, breeds there; but I had not an opportunity of seeing its
nest *, nor can I speak of the extent of its range to the northward. Wilson
states that it makes its appearance in Pennsylvania, from the south, regularly
about the beginning of May, stays a week or two, and passes on to the north and
to the high mountainous districts to breed. It has no song, he says, but a sharp
chuWcke.— haRv.e compared the northern specimens with no less than five others, killed
last year in New Jersey, and now in our museum. It is with peculiar satisfaction
that, after much trouble, we find our own observations confirm, in their full extent,
the judicious remarks made upon this species by the Prince of Musignano ; and
gladly do we follow him in commemorating it by the name of the great American
ornithologist. True it is, that, by the strict rules of priority, we may not perhaps
be justified in so doing; this species having received, in a popular compilation,
another name. But not even the laws of nomenclature, as the late venerated Sir
James Smith has expressed, must upon every occasion impose shackles upon
superior minds. Few ornithologists will be disposed to withhold from the memory
of Wilson the only honour it is now in their power to give.—Sw.
DESCRIPTION
Of a specimen, killed at Carlton House, lat. 53°, May, 1827.
Colour of the whole dorsal aspect an uniform deep hair-brown, inclining slightly to oil-
green. The cheeks and the spaces between the eyes and nostrils are pale yellowish-brown,
obscurely spotted with hair-brown. The under plumage is mostly white, tinged on the sides
of the throat with yellowish-brown, and faintly plouded and blotched on the flanks with hair-
brown. The throat and breast are marked with broad, triangular, blackish-brown spots on the
tips of the feathers. Bill dark umber-brown, pale at the base of the lower mandible. Legs
pale yellowish-brown.
F orm, &c.—Bill shorter than that of M. minor, less compressed, and having a less distinct
ridge. The tip droops a little in both, and has a small notch on each side. The wings, when
folded, are an inch shorter than the tail. The third quill feather is the longest, the second
and fourth are scarcely a line shorter, and are equal to each other ; the tenth is fourteen lines
shorter than the third, and the first is about three-quarters of an inch long. The outer webs
of the third and fourth are distinctly sinuated ; that of the fifth is even. The tail is very
slightly emarginated; the central pair of feathers being, however, in our specimens, a little
longer than the adjoining ones. The tarsi are longer than those of M, silens, equal to those
of M. solitaria, and shorter than those of M. minor.
* Mr. Yarrell has received eggs from America, which he is assured are those of this bird. They have a deep bluish-
green colour, without spots, and are an inch in length.—R.