by William Swainson

“ The feet, in all their details, are uncommonly strong, while the wings are feeble and much rounded. The fifth and sixth quills are longest; the scapular quills and the tail feathers, when held to the light, exhibit transverse dark shades. ”

“ That these form a circle of their own, independant of the Ant Thrushes (Myotherinæ,) and the true Thrushes (Merulinæ) has unintentionally been proved by M. M. Temminck and Vigors; the first in proposing, and the latter in adopting, the genus Ixos; an artificial group, compounded of birds totally dissimilar to each other, but which, in the progression of certain species, demonstrate the circular arrangement of the three subfamilies above named. ”