66 

 OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. 



Upper parts uniform olive, sides of liead. throat, neck and breast strongly 

 tinged with bufE; eye-ring deep buff; sides of throat marked with wedge shaped 

 spots, the breast with rounded black spots. 



L., 7.20; W., 3.95; T., 3.00. 



Nest, in bushes or small trees. Eggs, three or four, greenish blue, speckled 

 with reddish brown. 



HERMIT THRUSH. 



Upper parts, cinnamon brown, tail rufous of a decidedly different colour 

 from the back; throat and breast with a slight buffy tinge; feathers of the sides 

 of the throat and breast with wedge shaped black spots, those of the breast with 

 large rounded spots; middle of belly whitish. 



L., 7.25; W., 3.25; T., S'.OO 



Nest, on or near the ground. Eggs, greenish blue. 



AMERICAN" ROBIN. 



Adult male. Top and sides of head black; a white spot above the eye, rest of 

 upper parts slaty gray; tail black, the outer pair of feathers, white tipped; throat 

 white, with black spots; breast and sides rufous, the feathers sometimes slightly 

 margined with white; middle of belly white. 



Adult female. Similar but much duller and paler. 



Immature. Darker brown and spotted above and below. 

 L., 9.75; W., 5.00; T., 4.00. 



Nest, in any convenient place, most frequently in trees. Eggs, four or five, 

 greenish blue. 



BLUEBIRD. 



Adult male. Upper parts uniform bright blue, the feathers sometimes irregu- 

 larly margined with rusty; throat breast and sides dull rufous; belly white. 



Adult female. Similar but much duller. 



Immature. Back spotted with whitish; the feathers of the breast margined 

 with grayish brown. 



THRASHERS AND MOCKERS. 



Catbird. Neither this nor the succeeding species belong to the Thrush family, 

 but there is a sufficient similarity in their food habits to warrant our considering 

 them here. They are closely allied to the famous Mocking Bird of the south, and 

 their musical powers are not very much inferior to that splendid songster. They 

 do not, however, so frequently exercise their power of mimicry. The peculiar 

 mewing note uttered by the Catbird has caused a certain amount of prejudice to 

 exist against it, and has made it subject to persecution at the hands of most boys ; 

 but apart from the unpleasant note the Catbird is one of the most accomplished 

 musicians we have, and it is more to be admired because it does not retire into soli- 



