228 THE TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE. 



"We followed <li)\vn the ri\er in the buttcim of the canon; all day the 

 gorge was filled with a chorus of sweet soimds from himdreds and thousands 

 of these birds, which from their monotonous color, and their haliit of sitting 

 on the branch of a tree projecting into the void above the stream, or hanging 

 from some beetling crag, and flying out in narrow circles after insects precisely 

 in the manner of the Flycatchers I was disposed to associate with them. 



"Two days afterward in the canon of Psuc-see-cjue Creek, of wdiich the 

 terraced banks were sparsely set with low trees of the western cedar (J. occi- 

 dentalis), I found these birds numerous. * * * With the first dawn of day 

 they began their songs, and at sunrise the valley was perfectly vocal with their 

 notes. Never, anywhere, have I heard a more delightful chorus of bird music. 

 Their song is not greatly varied, but all the notes are particularly clear and 

 sweet, atid the strain of pure gushing melody is as spontaneous and inspiring 

 as that of the Song Sparrow. At this time, September 30, these birds were 

 feeding on the berries of the cedar: they were very shy, and could only be ob- 

 tained by lying concealed in the vicinity of the trees which they frecjuented." 



Mr. T. M. Tri])pe, speaking for the Clear Creek Canon in Colorado, says^ : 

 "In summer and fall its voice is rarely heard; but as winter conies on, and the 

 woods are well-nigli deserted by all save a few Titmice and Nuthatches, it be- 

 gins to utter occasir)nallv a single bell-like note that can be heard at a great dis- 

 tance. The bird is now very shy; and the author of the clear, loud call, that I 

 heard nearly every morning from the valley of Clear Creek, was long a mys- 

 terv to me. Toward the middle and latter part of winter, as the snow begins 

 to fall, the Flvcatching Thrush delights to sing, clujosing for its rostrum a pine 

 tree in some ele\'ated position, high up above the valleys; and not all the fields 

 and groves, and hills and valleys of the Eastern States, can boast a more ex- 

 quisite song; a song in which the notes of the Purple Finch, the Wood Thrush, 

 and the Winter Wren are blended into a silvery cascade of melody, that rip]iles 

 and dances down the mountain sides as clear and sjiarkling as the m(~iuntain 

 brook, filling the woods and valleys witli ringing music. At first it sings only 

 on bright clear mornings ; but once fairly in the mood, it sings at all hours and 

 during the most inclement weather. Often while travelling over the narrow, 

 winding mountain roads, toward the close of winter, I have been overtaken and 

 half-blinded fiv sudden, furious storms of wind and snow, and compelled to 

 seek the nearest tree or [jrojecting r(ick for shelter. In such situations I have 

 frequently listened to the song of this bird, and forgot tlie cold and wet in its 

 enjoyment. Toward spring, as soon as the other birds begin to sing, it be- 

 comes silent as tho disdainful nf ii lining the common chorus, and commences 

 building its nest in Mav, earlier than almost any other bird. During this season 

 it deserts the valleys, and confines itself to partially wooded hill-tops." 



a. Coues, Birds of the Northwest (1874), pp. 95, 96. 



