206 SINGING BIRDS. 



weeks in the spring and fall. They arrive in this part of New- 

 England about the loth of April, and disperse to pass the 

 summer in the seclusion of the forest. They are often seen on 

 the ground in quest of their food, and frequent low and thick 

 copses, into which they commonly fly for concealment when 

 too attentively observed ; though when in small companies, in 

 the spring season, they do not appear very shy, but restless 

 from the unsettled state of their circumstances. When dis- 

 persed, they utter a low, chirping call, and for some time 

 continue to frequent the same secluded part of the forest 

 in society. At times, like the Wagtail, they keep this part of 

 their body in a slow, vertical motion. In manners they strongly 

 resemble the following species, but their song seems to be 

 unusually lively and varied. 



The Hermit is a common bird in the Maritime Provinces and 

 Quebec, and nests from about latitude 44° northward. It is com- 

 mon on Anticosti and along the north shore of the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence, and has been taken at Lake Mistassini. In Ontario it 

 occurs chiefly as a migrant, though breeding in the Muskoka 

 district. In New England also it is principally known as a 

 migrant, breeding in numbers only along the northern border and 

 on the higher hills of Connecticut and Massachusetts. The nest 

 has been taken in Ohio and in southern Michigan. 



The opinions expressed by Nuttall that the Hermit Thrush is a 

 peculiarly shy and solitary bird, and that its favorite resorts are 

 amid the deep forests, are, I think, somewhat misleading ; at least 

 my observations in New Brunswick led me to form quite different 

 opinions. I did find these birds courting retirement and appar- 

 ently destitute of either vanity or curiosity; but they always dis- 

 played a calm self-possession that is inconsistent with shyness. 

 Nor were they peculiarly solitary, for though it was unusual to see 

 a number of them in close companionship, it was not unusual to 

 meet with half a dozen in as many minutes, or to find as many 

 nests within a small area. 



Like all woodland birds, they prefer the groves to the open fields, 

 and they enjoy a cool shade in a moist valley; but they build 

 their nests near the settlements, and rarely go into the denser for- 

 ests. This is their habit in New Brunswick, though of course when 

 farther north they must resort to the timber districts; there are 

 few settlements to attract them. 



