422 THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. 



In the trees and tall bushes along Lacloche Creek, which 

 has a rapid and noisy run of about half a mile from a lake 

 in the mountains to the bay, I hear the song and notes of 

 swainsoni quite commonly; but, except in the migrations, 

 when it spends much time on the ground, it keeps for the 

 most part p-retty well up in the trees and bushes, and is so 

 shy that only occasionally can one get a glimpse of it. In 

 this locality the similarity of its song to that of the Wood 

 Thrush can be well studied, for they both sing very com- 

 monly in closely adjoining haunts, and were it not for the 

 greater brilliancy and marvelous expression of sentiment in 

 the performance of the latter, the Olive-back would rank as 

 no mean artist. 



For two successive years Mr. Frank H. Lattin, of Gaines, 

 Orleans Co., N. Y., has found the nest and eggs of the 

 Olive-backed Thrush within a short distance of his residence, 

 thus proving a remarkably southern extension of its breed- 

 ing habitat. One found on the 2d of June, 1880, contain- 

 ing 4 fresh eggs, was about 4 feet from the ground, in a 

 small elm sapling standing near the woods in a bushy field. 

 Another taken June 1st, 1881, near the same spot, and hav- 

 ing 3 fresh eggs, with one of the Cow Blackbird's, was in a 

 slim maple sapling, and about 10 feet from the ground. 

 One of these nests, now before me, is composed of dried 

 w^eeds and grasses, and lined with rootlets. It is frail and 

 loose, resembling that of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak or 

 Scarlet Tanager. Had it not been so well identified, I 

 should doubt its genuineness; for the nest of the Olive-back 

 is generally more bulky and substantial, and very well lined, 

 though it contains no mud. The eggs, some .90 or .92 X .62, 

 are green, finely specked and spotted with several shades of 

 brown. 



Concerning that variety of the above species called Alice's 



