LAND BIRDS. 717 



her scattering brood" (Auk, XXI, 1904, 63). According to Bicknell, 

 the song of the OHve-back as compared with that of the Gray-cheeked 

 Thrush is "louder, more spontaneous and lyrical. Almost the first note 

 is the loudest and most hquid, after which the melody becomes rapidly 

 finer, seeming to dissolve upon the air like the spent vibration of a stringed 

 instrument." 



Mr. Stewart Edward White gives a minute description of the singing 

 of this bird as observed on Mackinac Island, Lake Huron, in the summers 

 of 1889, 1890 and 1891. He says "The song begins low and ascends 

 by two regular steps of two notes each and ends with several sharp notes. 

 The first note of each step is higher than the second and the second of the 

 next is about the same as the first note of the first step. Occasionally 

 the whole is preceded by a sharp chuck. The notes have the swelling 

 beauty of all thrush songs, while the metallic ending rings like a little belL 

 The song always says to me, gurgle gurgle ting, che che che. As far as 

 my experience goes this thrush never sings steadily except in his chosen 

 tree, * * * jje sings on an average nine and a half times a minute 

 with extreme regularity." From observations during the summer of 

 1891 Mr. White found that one Olive-back began on an average at 3:15 

 a. m. and sang steadily about ten times a minute until about 9 a. m. ; 

 then he was nearly silent until noon, after which he sang occasionally for 

 a minute or so. About 4:30 he began again and only ceased, to retire 

 for the night, about 7:30 p. m. "Allowing but eight times a minute for 

 his songs, we have for one day, the time consumed in song periods, about 

 eight hours and forty-five minutes, and in occasional song, at least twenty 

 minutes, according to which there would be a total of 4,360 songs per day. 

 His song ceased entirely about July 25, although for five days before that 

 but half the time was employed. Certainly it would not be unfair to 

 allow him at the very least six weeks of song, 42 days at 4,000 per day, 

 in all 168,000 songs in a season. The above facts have been many times 

 verified" (Auk, X, 1893, 230). 



The nest is said to vary much in character according to location, 

 but is placed at a height of six to twenty feet from the ground, and in 

 Michigan is usually in an evergreen tree and not infrequently on a horizontal 

 branch. It is built largely of twigs, moss, and strips of bark, but leaves 

 sometimes enter into the construction and fine rootlets are used almost 

 invariably for the lining. Mud has never been reported and probably 

 is not used. The eggs are commonly three or four and are light greenish- 

 blue, spotted with rusty brown, and average .90 by .65 inches. They are 

 of a lighter blue than those of the Gray-cheeked Thrush and the spots 

 are usually rather numerous and perfectly distinct. But one brood appears 

 to be reared in the season. 



The food is simihir to that of the other small thrushes and the larger 

 part of the animal food at least, comes from the ground, where the birds 

 search l)usily for it, turning over fallen leaves, proljing the moss and de- 

 cayed vegetation and picking up worms, snails and insects of various kinds, 

 paiticularly beetles and ants. Six specimens, taken in Illinois in April 

 and May, were examined by Prof. S. A. Forbes, who found 22 percent of 

 crane-flies, 28 percent of ants, 5 percent of predaceous beetles, several 

 curculios, and in one stomach a mass of short-horned borers, Scolytufi 

 muticm, (Trans. 111. State Hort. Soc. Vol. 13, 1879, p. 138). The Olive- 

 back is fond of wild fi'uits of all kinds and eats large quantities of bei'ries 

 in their season. Being an inhabitant of woodlands rather than orchards 



