120 BIRDS OF THE PASTURE AND FOREST. 



different strains or those of the Wood-Thrush "finally 

 blend togetlier in impressive and soothing- harmony, be- 

 coming more mellow and sweet at every repetition." 

 Any one strain never follows another, without a full 

 pause between them. I think Nuttall has described the 

 song of the Veery, mistaking it for a part of that of the 

 Song-Thrush. One of the enunciations which he attrib- 

 utes to the Song-Thrush is equally remarkable and cor- 

 rect. I allude to " the sound of ai-ro-ee, peculiarly liquid, 

 and followed by a trill." The song invariably begins 

 with a clear fife sound, as too, too, tillere illere, rising 

 from the first about three musical tones to the second, 

 and making the third and fourth words rather sharp and 

 shrill. We seldom, however, hear more than one low 

 note in a strain, as too, tillere illere ; afterwards, beginning 

 with the low note too, follows the sound of ai-ro-ee, like 

 the notes of the common chord. The fourth bar is a lisp- 

 ing strain resembling the sounds made by shaking thin 

 metallic plates in the hand ; the fifth, a trilling like the 

 notes of the Veery, — tillillil, tillillil, tillillil. There are 

 several other bars consistin£[ of a ^li^ht variation of 

 some one of those I have described. I have not been 

 able to determine the order in which the several strains 

 succeed one another. I feel confident, however, that the 

 bird never repeats any one strain, save after two or three 

 others have intervened. 



The Wood-Thrush is a larger bird than the Hermit, 

 more common in our woods, ha^dng a similar song, con- 

 taining fewer strains, delivered with less precision and 

 moderation, and with shorter intervals betw^een the high 

 and the low notes. In their general habits the two spe- 

 cies differ very slightly. 



