ALASKA HERMIT THRUSH 123 



Casual records. — In October 1849 several specimens were taken in 

 Bermuda. One was noted on the Mazaruni River, British Guiana, 

 on March 1, 1916. There are three positive records of occurrence in 

 Colorado: a specimen fiom near Holly, Powers County, on May 12, 

 1913; two specimens from Dry "Willow Creek, Yuma County, on June 

 24, 1915; one from Boulder, on May 13, 1942, and several sight records. 



Egg dates. — Illinois: 39 records, May 3 to July 10; 20 records, May 

 22 to June 7, indicating the height of the season. Massachusetts: 

 33 records, May 14 to June 24; 16 records, May 26 to May 30. 



New Jersey: 45 records, May 20 to July 18; 26 records, May 23 to 

 May 30. 



West Virginia: 62 records, April 25 to May 24; 48 records, May 12 

 to May 21. 



HYLOCICHLA GUTTATA GUTTATA (Pallas) 

 ALASKA HERMIT THRUSH 

 HABITS 



This, the type race of the species and the first of the several races 

 to be named, is the form that breeds from the Mount McKinley region 

 in Alaska south to Cross Sound, Kodiak Island, and northern British 

 Columbia. It migrates south in winter to Cape San Lucas and 

 northern Mexico. 



All the western subspecies of the hermit thrush have the sides and 

 flanks grayish or olivaceous, rather than brown or buffy brown; the 

 bill is relatively smaller or more slender, the tail relatively longer, and 

 the feet relatively smaller thao in the eastern subspecies. The 

 Alaska hermit thrush is one of the two smaller races, and its coloration 

 is lighter than the other even smaller race, the dwarf hermit thrush. 



Spring. — In his notes made at Lake Crescent, western Washington, 

 for April 25 to 30, 1916, S. F. Rathbun (MS.) thus describes the be- 

 havior of the Alaska hermit thrush on its migration: "Each morning 

 at daybreak I hear the songs of several hermit thrushes, coming from 

 the thick fringe of shrubs and young growth along and near the shore 

 of the lake. This song is most delightful and continues for the space 

 of about an hour, with but little intermission; after that it is seldom 

 heard, and through the day not at all; but near sunset the birds sing 

 again for a short time, and the effect of this beautiful song, heard in 

 the waning light of day, is most pleasing. 



"These birds are of a retiring nature; they haunt the rather more 

 open forest, or its edges where there may be open spots, but they always 

 seem to remain in close proximity to the forest. In such a locality 

 one morning I had an opportunity to watch one of the hermits for 

 some time; it is a very quiet bird, and when in repose it is perfectly 

 motionless; from time to time it would rapidly move a short distance, 



