THE TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE. 225 



of sight around the cHff on whicli I stood. I hastened forward to the furthest 

 outstanding point which gave a partial view of the wall's face. No bird was 

 ill sight. Then I tossed pebbles against the cliff-side, and from beneath the 

 second summons fluttered the frightened Pipit. Five beautiful eggs, of a 

 warm weathered oak, rather than "mahogany" shade, lay in a niche of rock. 

 A tussock of grass clung just below, and a dwarf shrub afforded a touch of 

 drapery above; while from the outstretched hand a flint-flake might have 

 fallen clean of the wall to the ice, a hundred feet below. The male bird con- 

 tinued his outcries from the distant cliff', but the female at no time reappeared. 

 With the advance of summer, the Pipits lead their broods about the 

 disrobed peaks, even to the very summits, as do the noble Leucostictes. 

 Knowing this, we may readily excuse any little eccentricities which appear 

 in our friends during the duller seasons. The Pipit has redeemed himself. 



No. 91. 



TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. 



A. O. U. No. 754. Myadestes townsendi (Aud.). 



Synonyms. — TowNsExn's Flycatciiing Thrush. Townsend's Thrush. 

 Townsen'd's Flycatcher. 



Description. — Adults: General color smoky gray, lighter below, bleaching 

 on throat, lower belly and under tail-coverts ; a prominent white orbital ring ; 

 wings and tail dusky ; wing quills crossed by extensive tawny area originating at 

 base of innermost secondary and passing obliquely backward — this appears in 

 the closed wing as a spot at the base of the exposed primaries but does not reach 

 nearer the edge of the wing than the fifth or sixth primary; another obscure 

 tawny or whitish patch formed by subterminal edging on outer webs of seventh 

 and eighth (sometimes ninth) primaries; greater coverts and tertials tipped with 

 white of varying prominence ; a blotch of white on each side of tail involving 

 distal third of half of outermost rectrix, tip of second and sometimes tip of third. 

 Bill and feet black ; irides brown. Young birds are heavily spotted with buff 

 above and below (showing thereby Turdine affinities), — above, each feather has a 

 single large spot (rhomboidal in some, heart-shaped in others) of buff, centrally, 

 and is edged with blackish, thus producing a scaled appearance ; below, the ground 

 color is a pale buff" or buft'y gray with blackish edgings to feathers. Length about 

 8.00 (203.2 ) ; wing 4.60 (117) ; tail 4.05 (103) ; bill .49 (12.4) ; tarsus .79 (20). 



Recognition Marks. — Chewink size ; brownish gray coloration with spots of 

 white (or pale tawny) on tail and wings. No black, as compared with a Shrike. 



Nesting. — Nest: in hollow under bank, cranny or rock wall or in upturned 

 roots of tree, of sticks, coarse weeds and trash, lined with rootlets. Eggs: 4, 

 grayish white spotted with pale brown, chiefly about larger end. Av. size, 

 .96 X .70 (24.4 X 17.8). Season: ]\Iay or June : one brood. 



General Range. — Western North America, breeding chiefly in mountainous 

 districts, from northwestern Mexico to Alaska and Yukon Territory, wintering 



