ThruBii WESTERN BIRDS 



GENUS IXOREUS: NORTHERN 

 VARIED THRUSH. 



Northern Varied Thrush: Ixoreus neevius 

 meruloides. 



FAMILY— THRUSHES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC. 



A SUBSPECIES of the Varied Thrush breeds in the north- 

 west, being found in the mountains as far south as 

 northwestern Montana and northeastern Oregon; winter- 

 ing mainly in the interior of California south to Los 

 Angeles County. They differ from the preceding in 

 being paler and grayer. 



In their southern range they are rare enough to make 

 one feel a thrill of joy when coming upon them. Only 

 a few times has it been my privilege to do so. The first 

 time a friend and I were resting under a live oak tree 

 on the densely-shaded hillside which bordered a body of 

 water. It was Februarj' and we had been enjoying the 

 Pipits that were flying over the fields, or skirting the 

 edge of the water, and had thought ourselves favored 

 when a Dwarf Hermit Thrush had paid us a call. All 

 at once, without any warning, two of these large northern 

 birds appeared under a tree close beside us. Though we 

 scarcely breathed in our effort to obliterate ourselves, the 

 birds only stayed a few minutes, running quickly about 

 and gradually working themselves out of our sight. 

 They gave no notes and we saw them only the once. 

 At another time two of them were seen in the bare 

 sycamore trees near the bank of the arroyo, where we 

 were obliged to be satisfied with watching them through 

 our glasses. 



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