AUDUBON'S HERMIT THRUSH 141 



Nesting. — I can find no record of Audubon's hermit thrush nesting 

 on the ground, as is the common habit of the eastern hermit thrush. 

 The nearest approach to a ground nest is that described in the data 

 for a set in my collection, taken for Frederick M. Dille in Estes Park, 

 Colo.; this was placed in what he called a "ground pine" and not 6 

 inches from the ground. 



In New Mexico, according to Mrs. Bailey (1928), the nest is placed 

 "in bushes or low trees usually in pine or spruce, but also in oak sap- 

 lings, 3 to 10 feet from the ground; bulky, made almost wholly of bark 

 and coarse grasses, outside covered with moss." Dr. Edgar A. 

 Mearns (1890) tells of a nest that was built near his camp in the moun- 

 tains of Arizona. " The nest was saddled on to the middle of the lowest 

 limb of a large spruce, and the birds gathered material for its construc- 

 tion close about my tent with perfect freedom from shyness, accepting 

 proffered bits of cotton for its completion." 



William L. Sclater (1912) has this to say about nests in Colorado: 



Gale's notes contain the record of a large number of nests found by him at 

 various elevations, from about 6,000 to 11,000 feet; they were placed almost 

 exclusively on spruce trees from about three to ten feet from the ground, generally 

 in a spot near a mountain stream or close to a spring. 



Nests were constiucted of various materials, such as rotten wood, mosses, 

 grasses and plant stems, and lined with rootlets, horsehair or fine grasses. All 

 these materials have been found in the nests, though by no means in every nest. 

 The construction varied considerably, but no clay or mud is used. The nests 

 were very quickly completed; one begun on June 6th was finished on the 13th, 

 and the first clutch of eggs laid by the 18th. 



The nests of this thrush seem to be quite large and well built. 

 D. D. Stone (1884) describes such a Colorado nest as follows: "Nest 

 in small pine, five feet from ground, a few feet from edge of heavy 

 timber. Parent glided off the nest and out of sight without a note. 

 Nest, a slight base, and sides of twigs and coarse grass stems, within a 

 compact wall % inch thick, of green moss woven in with fine straw 

 and rootlets. It is the most solid nest I ever saw, for one made with- 

 out mud. Outer diameter 5% inches, height 3}i inches, inner diameter 

 2% inches, depth 2 inches." 



Eggs. — Except for an average difference in size, the eggs of Audu- 

 bon's hermit thrush are similar to those of other races of the species. 

 Four is probably the commonest number, but sets of three or five 

 have been found. The color is light greenish blue, or "Nile blue." 



The measurements of 40 eggs in the United States National Museum 

 average 22.8 by 17.2 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes 

 measure 24.6 by 15.3, 21.6 by 18.5, 21.1 by 18.1, and 22.9 by 15.2 

 millimeters. 



Food. — The vegetable food consists largely of wild fruit or waste 



