Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/231

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AMERICAN ROBIN.
195


above, free ; the outer and middle united to the second joint, claws arched compressed, acute.

Plumage soft and rather blended. Wings of moderate length round- ed, the first primary extremely short, the third and fourth longest. Tail rather long, even, of twelve broad rounded feathers. Bill lemon-yellow, the tip brownish, in old birds the whole is yellow. Iris hazel. Feet pale brown. Upper part and sides of the head brownish- black, fading on the back of the neck ; the upper parts in general, smoke- grey, tinged on the shoulders with brown. The wings and tail blackish- brown, with greyish edges; the first row of small wing-coverts tipped with pale-grey, and the end of the inner web of the outermost tail-feather, together with the tip of the next, white. An interrupted circle of three lines of white round the eye. Chin white, spotted with brownish-black. The under surface generally, including the wing-coverts, reddish-orange, fading on the abdomen into whitish.

Length 10 inches, extent of wings 14 ; bill along the ridge |, along the edge l ; tarsus ^^, middle toe 1^%.

Adult Female. Plate CXXXI. Fig. 2.

The colours of the female are paler, but resemble those of the male. Her dimensions are a little less, the length varying from 9 to 1 inches. Young Birds. Plate CXXXI. Fig. 3, 3, 3, 3, 3.

The young birds are spotted with blackish-brown on the fore-neck, breast, and sides, which are of a paler reddish tint ; the upper parts have the shafts of the feathers whitish, and the bill is dark-brown. It is remark- able that all the Thrushes known to me which have the breast of a uni- form tint when old, have it spotted when young, shewing that in their mode of colouring the different species of the genus agree in this respect at one period or other.

The Rock or Chestnut Oak.

Qdercus MONTANA, Willd. Sp. PL vol. iv. p. 440. Pursh, Flor. Amer. Sept. voL ii. p. 634. Mich. Arbr. Forest, vol. i. p. 56. pi. 8 — Moniecia Polyandria, lAnn. AmentacejE, Juss.

This species of oak is distinguished by its obovate or oblong largely toothed or sinuate leaves, which are acuminate, and tapering at the base,