THRUSHES 



231 



that iif tlie V'eery, though it is somewhat thinner. 

 Mr. liot'tnian expresses it in the following 

 syllables ; tc-dcc. dc-ca. tc-dcc-cc. adding that 

 there is a shirring elTeet on all nf the long 

 syllables. The call-note is a sharp, inijiatient 

 fi\'-a. often repeated in an ascending pitch. 



During its spring sojourn this bird feeds 

 chiefly on insects, but in the fall it prefers wild 

 fruits and berries, such as sour gum, dogwood, 

 poke berries, and frost grapes. Three stomachs 



of the Gray-cheeked Thrush taken in .\la\- con- 

 tained sawflv larv;e. ants, catei'piilars, AIa\ tiies, 

 ground beetles, weeviU, anil scarali;eid beetles. 



A smaller form of this bird, called Ricknell's 

 Thrusli ( HylocichUi aliciiC bickiuili ) , is often seen 

 in the higher Catskills and in the dwarfed conif- 

 erous timber high on the mountains of northern 

 New England. This Thrush was discovered on 

 Slide Mountain .and it is often called the Slide 

 Mountain Thrush. 



RUSSET-BACKED THRUSH 

 Hylocichla ustulata ustulata 1 Xiitlall) 



\ II r. Xumbcr -:S 



Other Name. — Russet-back. 



General Description. — Length, yl^ inches. Upper 

 parts, olive-brown; under parts, white and buff with 

 spots of olive-brown. Bill, about 'j length of head, 

 slender, gradually and increasingly curved downward 

 toward the tip ; wings, rather long and pointed ; tail, 

 not more than ^4 length of wing, slightly notched, the 

 feathers slightly sharpened at the extreme tip ; legs, 

 lon.g and slender. 



Color. — Above, plain olive-brown, a coiist'ii'iiiiiis rvc- 

 ring; lores, pale huff, the latter obscured with olive- 

 brownish, especially near central portion; sides of lieail. 

 olive-brown, with narrow shaft-streaks of pale bufi 

 or huffy-whitish ; cheeks, buffy, streaked with olive- 

 brownish ; chin, throat, and chest, buff, the chin and 

 throat sometimes buffy-white. the sides of lower throat 

 and whole chest with triangular marks of deep olive- 

 brown, these markings narrower and more wed.ge- 

 sliaped in front, broader behind, those on central por- 

 tion of chest darker, sometimes approaching a sooty 



hue; a streak below cheek of olive-brown along each 

 side of throat; breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts. 

 white, the upper portion of the first (especially on 

 lateral portions) transversely spotted with light olive- 

 brown ; sides and flanks, pale olive-brown ; under wing- 

 coverts, pale buffy, suffused with pale brownish ; bill 

 dusky brown or blackish, the basal half pale dull fleshy 

 below ; iris, deep brown. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nkst : In bushes, saplings, or 

 thickets, usually within a few feet of the grounfl and 

 near water; a large compact structure of twigs, bark 

 strips, mosses, grass, and leaves. Ei;i;s; 4 or 5. light 

 greenish-blue, spotted witli li.gbt lirown. chiefly around 

 large end. 



Distribution. — Breeding in Pacific coast district of 

 United States. British Columbia, and southern Alaska, 

 from southern California, probably also northern Lower 

 California, to Juneau, Alaska; during mi.gration. south- 

 ward, western Mexico. Guatemala. Costa Rica, to 

 eastern Ecuador and British Guiana. 



" If we take the quality of melody as a test." 

 says John Btirroughs. " the Wood Thrush, the 

 Hermit Thrush and the Veery Thrush stand at 

 the head of oitr list of songsters." Yet it is often 

 difficult til sav whether the song of one bird sur- 

 passes that of another, because bird songs are 

 largely matters of association anrl suggestion. 

 The song of the Russet-back is best late in the 

 day after all other birds have ceased singing. 

 It comes just before dttsk fnim the shaded 

 canons or from the firs on m\- hillside jtist .above 

 the river. It is a vesper hymn I love better than 

 all others. 



Every year T find two or three p;iirs of 

 Russet-backed Thrushes nesting on our ten 



acres. One can alw;iys tell the nest of this 

 bird by its position and by the material used. 

 As a rule, it is in among the dark foliage or a 

 dark clump of bushes not far from the ground. 

 The nest is made almost entirelv of moss and 

 leaves. After the foundation of the home is 

 built, the Thrush seeks some leaves from the 

 damp ground. These she flattens otit and molds 

 into the bottom of the home with her breast. 

 She collects moss for the walls and when the 

 home is completed, it often looks like a ball of 

 moss fastened in the briers or braitches. 



The Thrush is so different from the Robin. 

 When I go out to the Robin's nest in the orchard, 

 the owners are so angry they dash around yell- 



