TURDID.E — THE THRUSHES. I7 



in May and remaining until the beginning of September. Three .specimen.^ 

 of this thru.sh were obtained at Sitka, by Mr. Bischoff. Mr. Ridgway met 

 with only a single specimen east of the Sierra Nevada, though on that range 

 he found it an abundant summer bird. 



In its general appearance it has a marked resemblance to Wilson's Tin-ush 

 {T. fuscescens), but its habits and notes, as well as its nest and eggs, clearly 

 point its nearer affinity to Swainson's Thrush {T. sicninsoni), its song being 

 scarcely different from that of the latter species. Like this species, it fre- 

 quents the thickets or lirushwood along the mountain streams, and, except 

 just after its arrival, it is not at all shy. In crossing the Sierra Nevada in 

 July, 1867, Mr. Eidgway first met with this species. He describes it as an 

 exquisite songster. At one of the camps, at an altitude of about 5,000 feet, 

 they were found unusually plentiful. He speaks of their song as consisting 

 of " ethereal warblings, — outliursts of wild melody." " Although its carols 

 were heard everywhere in the depth of the ravine, scarcely one of the little 

 musicians could be seen." " The song of this thru.sh," he adds, " though 

 possessing all the wild, solemn melody of that of the Wood Thrush {T. 

 ■muddinus) is weaker, but of a much finer or more silvery tone, and more 

 methodical delivery. It is much like that of the T. swainsoni, but in the 

 qualities mentioned is even superior." 



Dr Cooper found its nests with eggs about the middle of June. These 

 were most usually built on a small liorizontal branch, and were very strongly 

 constructed of twigs, grasses, roots, and leaves, usually covered on the outside 

 entirely with the bright green Hijpnuui mosses peculiar to that region, which 

 in the damp climate near the coast continue to grow in that position, and 

 form large masses. Tlie luimber of eggs is usually five. 



Dr. Cooper states that tliese thrushes sing most in the early morning and 

 in the evening, when numbers may be heard answering one another on all 

 sides. They do not affect the darkest thickets so nuich as the Hermit 

 Thrush, but are often seen feeding in the gardens in the open sunshine. 



Dr. Suckley, who found them quite abmidant in the neighborhood of Fort 

 Steilacoom, on the edge of the forest, and in swampy land, describes the song 

 as a low, soft, sad, and lively whistle, cnnfined to one note, and repeated at 

 regular intervals. Mr. Nuttall, tlie first to describe this form, speaks of 

 it as shy and retiring, and as in the habit of gathering insects from the 

 ground. His ear, so quick to appreciate the cliaracteri.stics of the songs of 

 birds, which showed a close resemblance between the notes of this bird and 

 that of Wilson's Thrush {T. fusceseenii), enabled him to detect very distinct 

 and easily recognizaljle differences. It is much more interrupted and is not 

 so prolonged. The warble of this bird he describes as resembling wit-wit 

 t'villia, and wit-wit, t'villia-t'villia. His call when surprised was wit-wit. 



All tlic nests of this species that have fallen under my observation are 

 large, conqiact, strongly constructed, and neat. They measure about 5 

 inches in their external diameter, with a depth externally of 3 ; the cavity 

 3 



