HERMIT THRUSH 75 



call-note, like the introductory note of its song ; this is 

 often heard about the nest, when the birds are not alarmed. 

 Its ordinary note on migration is a chuck. It sings very 

 rarely when on migration, and with only a hint of the power 

 which it reserves for its northern home. As a second brood 

 is raised in late July and early August, the male is in full 

 song at that season. 



The song of the Hermit Thrush is, next to that of the 

 White-throated Sparrow, the most noticeable feature of the 

 cool woods of northern New York and New England ; it 

 is heard both in deciduous and evergreen forests, but on 

 the higher mountains above 3000 feet it is replaced by 

 the song of the Olive-backed Thrush. Its voice bears a 

 strong resemblance in quality to that of the Wood Thrush, 

 so that the identity of the common thrush of any one 

 region is often a matter of constant discussion among ama- 

 teur lovers of birds. The ranges of the two overlap so 

 little that it ought to be easy from a study of the map 

 (p. 15) to make a shrewd guess ; the form of the song 

 should then decide the matter. The song of the Wood 

 Thrush begins with a phrase which suggests the syllables 

 ee-o-lee, and continues with phrases, often containing notes 

 separated by great intervals. The song of the Hermit is 

 divided into cadences of different pitch. Each cadence is 

 introduced by a pure fluted note, then follow two or three 

 higher notes, given wdth a tremolo effect. These are either 

 all three on the same pitch, or more often the last two are 

 a little higher or lower than the first. The introductory 

 note is held long enough to give a calm, meditative effect 

 to the song ; it also serves to give the pitch to the cadences, 

 one of w^hich is so high that it is hardly to be heard 

 at a distance ; the others are very full, soprano or mezzo- 

 soprano. There are no bass notes, such as the Wood 

 Thrush strikes, and no great intervals between any two 

 notes. 



