The general characters of this family have already been given on p. 2, as distinguished from the _Turdidæ_. The relationships are very close, however, and but little violence would be done by making it a subfamily of _Turdidæ_ or even a group of _Turdinæ_, as was done in the “Birds of North America.” While the group is very well represented in the Old World, America has but one peculiar genus _Sialia_, and another _Saxicola_, represented by a single species, a straggler, perhaps, from Greenland on the one side and Siberia on the other. The diagnostic characters of these are as follows, including _Turdus_ to show the relationships of the three genera:— Turdus. Tarsi long, exceeding the middle toe; wings reaching to the middle of the tail, which is about four fifths the length of the wings. Bill stout; its upper outline convex toward the base. Second quill shorter than fifth. Saxicola. Tarsi considerably longer than the middle toe, which reaches nearly to the tip of the tail. Tail short, even; two thirds as long as the lengthened wings, which reach beyond the middle of the tail. Second quill longer than fifth. Bill attenuated; its upper outline concave towards the base. Sialia. Tarsi short; about equal to the middle toe. Wings reaching beyond the middle of the tail. Bill thickened. GENUS SAXICOLA, BECHSTEIN. _Saxicola_, BECHSTEIN, Gemeinnützige Naturg. 1802. (Type, _S. œnanthe_.) [Line drawing: _Saxicola œnanthe_, Bechst.] GEN. CHAR. Commissure slightly curved to the well-notched tip. Culmen concave for the basal half, then gently decurving. Gonys straight. Bill slender, attenuated; more than half the length of head. Tail short, broad, even. Legs considerably longer than the head; when outstretched reaching nearly to the tip of tail. Third quill longest; second but little shorter. Claws long, slightly curved; hind toe rather elongated. As already stated, America possesses but a single member of this group of birds, so well represented in the Old World. The color is bluish-gray, with wings, a stripe through the eye, and the middle of exposed tail-feathers black. Saxicola œnanthe, BECHST. THE WHEAT-EAR. _Motacilla œnanthe_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1758, 186. _Saxicola œnanthe_, BECHST. “Gemein. Naturg. 1802,” and of European authors.—HOLBÖLL, Orn. Grœn. (Paulsen ed.), 1846, 23 (Greenland).—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 220 (Europe); Review, 61.—JONES, Nat. Bermuda, 1859, 28 (Bermuda).—COUES, Pr. A. N. S. 1861, 218 (Labrador).—REINHARDT, Ibis, 1861, 5 (Greenland).—DALL & BANNISTER (Alaska). _Saxicola œnanthoides_, VIGORS, Zoöl. Blossom, 1839, 19 (N. W. America).—CASSIN, Ill. I, 1854, 208, pl. xxxiv (Nova Scotia).