108 WAKE-ROBIN 



all we had undergone. It was the first thing in 

 order, — the worms were safe till after this morning 

 chorus. I judged that the birds roosted but a few 

 feet from the ground. In fact, a bird in all cases 

 roosts where it builds, and the wood thrush occu- 

 pies, as it were, the first story of the woods. 



There is something singular about the distribu- 

 tion of the wood thrushes. At an earlier stage of 

 my observations I should have been much surprised 

 at finding them in these woods. Indeed, I had stated 

 in print on two occasions that the wood thrush was 

 not found in the higher lands of the Catskills, but 

 that the hermit thrush and the veery, or Wilson's 

 thrush, were common. It turns out that this state- 

 ment is only half true. The wood thrush is found 

 also, but is much more rare and secluded in its hab- 

 its than either of the others, being seen only during 

 the breeding season on remote mountains, and then 

 only on their eastern and southern slopes. I have 

 never yet in this region found the bird spending 

 the season in the near and familiar woods, which is 

 directly contrary to observations I have made in 

 other parts of the State. So different are the hab- 

 its of birds in different localities. 



As soon as it was fairly light we were up and 

 ready to resume our march. A small bit of bread- 

 and-butter and a swallow or two of whiskey was* all 

 we had for breakfast that morning. Our supply of 

 each was very limited, and we were anxious to save 

 a little of both, to relieve the diet of trout to which 

 we looked forward. 



