CHAR. Tarsus slender, longer than middle toe and claw; undivided as in
_Turdidæ_. Toes deeply cleft. Wings more pointed; second quill much
longer than secondaries. Lateral tail-feathers cuneate, or narrowing
from base towards tip; generally whitish at end of inner web. Quills
with their extreme bases, especially of inner webs, buffy yellow,
showing a light patch inside. Head not crested, though the feathers
sometimes full. In the young all the feathers with light rounded
spots. Pre-eminent as melodious singers.
But a single genus of this group belongs to the United States,
although two others (_Cichlopsis_ and _Platycichla?_) occur in South
America. As already stated, the affinities of _Myiadesteæ_ are much
closest to _Turdidæ_, and this would seem the proper family for it.