372 BULLETIN 195, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Here, its call-notes are seldom heard. In the dense hammock woods of Florida, 

 it is one of the most abundant winter birds. These woods usually consist 

 of large deciduous and evergreen trees, with an undergrowth of low saw-pal- 

 mettos» sparklebei-ry bushes, hollies, smilax, Carolina jasmine, and a host of 

 other tropical species. 



DISTRIBUITON 



Range. — Southern Canada and the United States. 



Breeding range. — The brown thrasher breeds north to southeastern 

 Alberta (Red Deer region and Rossyth) ; southern Saskatchewan 

 (Wiseton and Quill Lake) ; southern Manitoba (Brandon, Portage la 

 Prairie, and Shoal Lake) ; southern Ontario (Lake Nipissing and 

 Ottawa) ; southern Quebec, probably (has bred at Montreal, recorded 

 from Blue Sea Lake) ; and southwestern Maine (Waterville; has oc- 

 curred at Dover) . East to southwestern Maine (Waterville and Port- 

 land) ; and throughout the Atlantic Coast States to southern Florida 

 (Miami and Cutler). South to southern Florida (Cutler and Fort 

 Myers) ; and the Gulf coast to southeastern Texas (Houston). West 

 to eastern Texas (Houston, Weatherford, Vernon, and Canadian) ; 

 eastern Colorado (Colorado Springs, Denver, Loveland, and 

 Walden) ; eastern Wyoming (Wheatland and Douglas) ; eastern 

 Montana (Kirby, Billings, and Great Falls) ; and southeastern 

 Alberta (Warner and Red Deer). 



Winter range. — The brown thrasher withdraws in winter to the 

 southern part of its range. At that time it is found north to north- 

 eastern Texas (Decatur) ; eastern Oklahoma, rarely (Oklahoma City 

 and Tulsa) ; Arkansas (Van Buren and Tillar) ; western Tennessee 

 (Memphis and Nashville, rarely) ; northern Georgia (Atlanta and 

 Athens) ; northern South Carolina (Greenwood and Spartanburg) ; 

 eastern North Carolina (Raleigh and Louisburg) ; and southeastern 

 Virginia (Bowers Hill, Norfolk County). The species also migrates 

 somewhat southwestward in Texas, reaching Victoria, San Antonio, 

 Kerrville, Austin, and Waco. 



Individual birds sometimes spend the winter well north of the nor- 

 mal winter range of the species, and have been found at that season 

 as far north as Laramie, Wyo., southern Michigan, southern Ontario, 

 Montreal, Quebec, and Massachusetts. 



The above ranges as outlined apply to the whole species, which has 

 been divided into two subspecies or geographic races. The eastern 

 brown thrasher ( T. r. rufum) breeds west to Manitoba, eastern Kansas, 

 and Texas ; the western brown thrasher {T. r. longicauda) breeds from 

 Alberta and Saskatchewan to Colorado and western Kansas. 



Migration. — Some early dates of spring arrival are: North Caro- 

 lina — Hendersonville, March 21. Virginia — Lynchburg, March 20. 

 West Virginia — French Creek, April 7. District of Columbia — Wash- 



