D im en s io n s. .
Length from the tip of the bill to the end of Lines.
the tail . , . . . ,, of the tail . , . . 7 6,, of the folded wing . . , 9
of the bill from the angle of the 3 10|
mouth " . , . 0 8i
Length of the bill on its ridge .. Inches. Lines. „ of the tarsus . 0 7 „ of the middle toe . . 1 1 . „ of the middle nail , 0 u „ of the'hind toe . , . . 0 2 | „ of the hind nail . 0 4$ . 0 3
[40.] 4. Merula solitaexa. (Swainson.) Hermit Thrush.
— - Genus, Merula. R ay. (Tardus. -Linn.) '
Hermit Thrush. ( Turdus solitarius.*) Wilson, v,, p. 95, pi. 43, f. ii.
Turdus minor. Bonap. Syn., p. 75, No. 100. Observ., p. 40, No. 72.
Ch . Sp. M e r u la sot.it a r ia , fuscescenti-ferruginea subtus albescens, gutture pectoreque maculis nigris notatis,
rreemmiiggeu mse cmuanrdgai nseibxutasq eute c tasuqduaa lcibuums, teucntgriuciibbuuss peajursu smu pceurrivoartiibsu. s rufescentibus, remigibus 3—4—5 longissimis ;
Sp . Ch . H e r m it T h r u sh , dark ferruginous-brown, beneath whitish; throat and breast marked with black spots ;
margins of the quills, the tail, and its upper coverts, tinged with rufous; the third, fourth, and fifth quills*
the longest, the second and sixth nearly equal; claws slightly curved.
According to Wilson, this bird inhabits the southern parts of the United States
the whole year, frequenting the deepest and gloomiest recesses of the cane and
myrtle swamps. It is rarely seen in Pennsylvania, unless for a few weeks in the
spring and late in the fall, and in both seasons it is mute, having only, in the
spring, an occasional squeak, like that of a young stray chicken. One specimen
* Having stated the reasons which induce.us to consider the Turdus solitarius of Wilson as a distinct species from
the Turdus minor of Gmelin, it remains to be considered whether the original name, imposed on the former by its
first describer, can be retained with propriety. Nomendators have applied this specific appellation to three different
birds. 1. The Turdus solitarius of Latham is stated by M. Temminck to be the young of the European cyawus; an
opinion confirmed by our own observations, noted more than twenty years ago, during a residence in Sicily, where
these birds, from the mountainous nature of the island, are particularly common. -.This name, therefore, sinks into a
synonyme. 2. The Turdus solitarius of Montagu (Supp. Orn. Diet.) is now well known to be the young of the
common Sterling m its first year’s plumage, and consequently has been expunged from our systems. 3. The Turdus
solitarius of Mr. Stevens. This is first stated {Gen. Zool, x., p. 303) to be the same as the T. solitarius of Dr. Latham,
—a nominal species, already disposed of; but in a subsequent volume, printed in 1827, this name seems transferred
to the cyanus of M. Temminck. Wilson wrote in 1812. Amidst this confusion, one point, however, is clearly
established; and it is this, that if the name of solitarius is to be retained in our systems to any species of Thrush it
tchaonu ognhlty ibt er iggihvte nto, wprietshe rsvtrei ctht ep roorpigriientayl , ntaom teh.e— bSirwd. so designated by Wilson. It is upon these grounds that we have