308 LAND BIRDS 



California Breeding PMnge : Breeds sparingly and locally in the Boreal 

 zone of the Sierra Nevada, from Mt. Shasta south to Owen's Lake. 



Breeding Season : May and June. 



Nest : Composed of twigs, straws, rootlets, coarse grass, and moss ; 

 placed in bushes. 



Eggs: Usually 4; greenish blue. Size 0.86 X 0.64. 



Of the Sierra Hermit Thrush, Mr. Ljman Belding, 

 who first discovered the subspecies and named it, writes : 

 " It is the finest song bird of the Pacific Coast, breed- 

 ing in many localities in the sierras on both slopes, 

 usually choosing damp, densely wooded localities for a 

 summer home. It begins to sing about the middle of 

 May at 5,000 feet altitude, below which it is seldom 

 found in summer, and sings until about the first of Sep- 

 tember, when it leaves for warmer regions. Altogether 

 I have found seven nests of this bird ; all of them were 

 within a few feet of paths. They were mostly well 

 concealed, but one was the reverse, having been saddled 

 on a fallen, dead, barkless fir sapling, with nothing to 

 hide it except a few dead and leafless twigs. This nest 

 contained four young, which were quite fit to leave the 

 nest about the middle of June. Three of the nests were 

 in yew trees, one was in a hazel bush, and two were in 

 deer brush. The highest was about ten feet from the 

 ground and the lowest about three feet. There was 

 more or less moss used in all, though the materials 

 used in them varied considerably." 



