65 



old stumps are standing — our modern wire fencing which has taken the place of 

 the old stake and rider fence having deprived them of a favorite nesting-place. 

 The up-to-date fruit grower, too, no longer allows his apple trees to go untrimmed 

 and full of holes, but cuts out the old trees and replaces them with young ones. 

 This has removed many of the old nesting sites, and the birds have spread over the 

 large area of new country now being brought under cultivation. They introduced 

 LJiemselves to the Province of Manitoba about 1884, and have since become quite 

 common there, having evidently followed the settlers, as they were quite unknown 

 in that country before it was brought under general cultivation. The utility of this 

 bird as an insect destroyer is beyond question. It eats neither grain nor fruit; 

 occasionally in stormy weather, in early spring, when insect food is hard to obtain, 

 it will eat the berries of the sumach, but that is the only vegetable substance I have 

 ever known it to take. The beauty of its plumage, its sprightly spring song, and 

 even the rather melancholy farewell notes in which it bade us good-bye, as it drifted 

 southward in the last days of October, made it a great favorite everywhere, and 

 every lover of nature would be glad to see it return and take its old place about 

 the farm once more. 



Nest boxes placed in the orchards too low down to tempt the House Sparrows 

 to occupy them, would probably induce the Bluebirds to remain with us. 



THEUSHES. 



Description. 



WOOD THEUSH. 



Upper parts bright rufous brown, brightest on the head, and changing gradually 

 to pale olive brown on the upper tail coverts and tail; under parts white, thickly 

 marked with large round black spots except on the throat and middle of the belly. 



L., 8.25; W., 4.40; T., 3.00. 



N"est, generally in low tree or sapling. Eggs, four or five, greenish blue. 



WILSON'S THEUSH— VEEEY. 



Upper parts, wing and tail nearly uniform tawny, not so bright as in the Wood, 

 Thrush; centre of the throat white, sides of the throat and breast with a tinge 

 of buff, spotted with small wedge shaped dusky spots, the breast with half round 

 marks of the same colour. 



L., 7.55; W., 4.06; T., 3.00. 



Nest, generally in low bushes. Eggs, four or five, greenish blue. 



CtEAY-CHEEKED THEUSH. 



Upper parts uniform olive (no huffy tint about the head) eye-ring whitisli, 

 lores grayish; middle of the throat and middle of belly white; sides of the throat 

 and breast, with a very faint tinge of cream buff; sides of the throat spotted with 

 wedged shaped marks, the breast with half round black marks. 



L., 7.58; W., 4.09; T., 3.00. 



Nest, in low trees or bushes. Eggs, four or five, greenish blue spotted with 

 rusty brown. 



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