716 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



Lake Superior, are June G, 1894, September 3 and 5, 1889 and September 

 13, 1890. There is also a record from Marquette Light, Lake Superior, 

 May 22, 1886, and another from Grand Lsland Light, Lake Superior, 

 September 16, 1890. 



Occasionally the Olive-back appears in large numbers in spring and 

 lingers for two or three weeks, frequenting the edges of woods, parks, and 

 gardens, and being very familiar and unsuspicious. At such times its 

 song is frequently heard, especially toward the latter part of its stay, but 

 apparently it never reaches the perfection shown on its breeding grounds. 

 The species has been confounded so frequently with the other small thrushes 

 that many of our reports of its nesting are likely to be incorrect, yet it is 

 certain that the bird nests not infrequently in the higher parts of the 

 Lower Peninsula and more regularly in many parts of the Upper Peninsula. 



We have a nest and four eggs in the College collection taken in Wexford 

 county, in July 1875, by J. H. Deming, and Dr. W. H. Dunham reports 

 finding a nest with three fresh eggs June 5, 1899, on the north branch of 

 the ]\Ianistee River, in Kalkaska county. Dr. Gibbs reports a nest of 

 three eggs taken May 25, 1887, at Groverton, Houghton county, and the 

 University of Michigan expedition found a nest of two eggs in Ontonagon 

 county July 26, 1904. Mr. T. B. Wyman reports a nest of three fresh 

 eggs taken at Negaunee, Marquette county, July 10, 1905, and E. A. 

 Doolittle found it nesting freely on Grand Island, Alger county in 1906. 

 Tn Dickinson county during the summer of 1895, Mr. E. E. Brewster, of 

 Iron Mountain, found four or five nests, but failed to secure eggs, as they 

 were invariably destroyed before the completion of the sets. Mr. Stewart 

 Edward White states that the species was a common summer resident 

 on Mackinac Island in the summers of 1889, 1890 and 1891, and nested. 

 Max M. Peet gives the following account of its nesting on Isle Roj^ale 

 in the summer of 1905: "July 8 a nest was found at Rock Harbor on 

 a horizontal spruce limb about five feet from the ground. It was about 

 four feet from the tree trunk and was quite conspicuous. The tree stood 

 at the edge of a small rock opening. The nest was composed principally 

 of dead grasses with moss and the long thread-like tree lichens woven in. 

 Rootlets and leaves formed the lining. It contained three very young 

 birds" (Adams Rep. Mich. Geol. Surv., 1908, p. 334). 



These records show that the species has a wide distribution in the northern 

 half of the state during the nesting season, but the southern limit of this 

 nesting range has not been properly defined. We have records of the 

 nest near Ann Arbor and also in Kalamazoo county, but in both cases 

 there was possibility of mistake, since the parent birds were not taken. 



This species lays spotted eggs and invariably nests in bushes or trees, 

 while it is assumed that neither the AVilson's nor Hermit Thrush nests 

 in trees nor lays spotted eggs. Instances are recorded, however, in which 

 both the last named species have nested in bushes and trees, and occasion- 

 ally spotted eggs are laid. It seems, therefore, not improbable that 

 abnormal nests of some other species may have been mistaken in these 

 two instances for those of the Olive-back. 



According to Spencer Trotter: "The song of the Olive-backed Thrush 

 seemed to me [in Nova'^Scotia] to be inferior to that of the Hermit Thrush; 

 it starts out well, but is finished in a series of squeaky notes. * * * 

 When disturbed it utters a metallic note, short, sharp, often ending in a 

 curious, rolling, querulous call. * * * j have several times mistaken 

 these short, pucking notes for the alarm calls of the Ruffed Grouse to 



