THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. 153 



sides of the throat and fore part of the breast with sub-rounded spots of well-defined 

 brown, darker than the back; the rest of the breast (except medially) with rather 

 less distinct spots that are more olivaceous ; tibias yellowish-brown ; broad ring round 

 the eye; loral region, and a general tinge on the side of the head, clear reddish-buff. 



Length, seven inches; wing, four and fifteen one-hundredths; tail, three and 

 ten one-hundredths inches; tarsus, one and ten one-hundredths. 



Hob. — Eastern North America to the Black Hills, south to Mexico and Peru, 

 north to Greenland. Accidental in Europe and Siberia. 



This species is at once distinguished from the others by the perfectly uniform and 

 pure dull-olivaceous shade of its upper parts, most strongly marked and appreciable 

 on the rump and tail. The throat and breast are perhaps more reddish than in any 

 of our species, and the tinge in the marking on the side of the head is very much 

 more decided than in any other. The spots on the breast larger than in T. ustulatus, 

 and rather more numerous than in pallasii. 



This species is the least common of all the New-England 

 thrushes. It is rarely observed in its passage through the 

 southern portions of these States, and only begins to choose 

 a home for the summer on arriving at the northern districts. 

 I have looked for it repeatedly, but have not been able to 

 find it south of the latitude of Lake Umbagog, in the breed- 

 ing season ; and even there it is not often met with. It 

 arrives in the localities where it breeds about the first week 

 in June. In common with the Hermit Thrush, it is called 

 the " Swamp Robin," and can hardly be distinguished from 

 that bird, either by its song, which is beautiful, or by its 

 breeding habits or nests. The eggs are different, being of a 

 deeper green color : they are always (so far as my experi- 

 ence goes) thinly spotted with dots and blotches of reddish 

 and brown. The following are the dimensions of four eggs 

 that I found in a nest near Wilson's Mills, Me., on the 16th 

 of June, 1864 : .93 by .64 inch, .93 by .63 inch, .92 by .60 

 inch, .90 by .61 inch. 



The only difference in the habits of this species from those 

 of the Hermit Thrush is, that, while the latter is most usually 

 found in swampy localities, the other is most often seen in 

 dry, scrubby woods, where it is almost always busily engaged 

 in the pursuit of its favorite insect food. 



J. A. Allen, in his paper on the birds of Springfield, 

 Mass., before referred to, is of the opinion that this species 



