Henshaw on the Hermit Thrush. ]35 



It is the purpose of the present paper to discuss briefly the Her- 

 mit Thrush (7\ pallasi) in relation to its two ascribed varieties, the 

 Dwarf and Audubon's Thrushes (nanus et auduboni)."' 



Prior to Mr. Allen's paper + the three birds had generally been 

 considered distinct species, and they were so treated by Professor 

 Baird in the ninth volume of the " Pacific Railroad Reports," who, 

 however, did not fail to call attention to their close relationship. 



In his paper Mr. Allen reviewed the subject somewhat fully, and, 

 indorsing the opinion of Dr. Gambel, formally reduced the two 

 Western names to synonyms of pallasi. The treatment adopted 

 by Mr. Allen has been considerably modified by most authors who 

 have had occasion to refer to the birds since, and the two West- 

 ern birds have been allowed place as geographical varieties of pal- 

 lasi. 



In his most recent work, "Birds of the Colorado Valley," Dr. 

 Cones appears to reopen the question, and makes the following 

 statement : " Among the Western Hylocichlw of the pallasi type, 

 there are a larger and a smaller race, both intergrading completely 

 with the dimensions of Eastern pallasi, their respective avei'ages be- 

 ing at about the maxima and minima of pallasi proper. The differ- 

 ence in size between them is more noticeable than that between either 

 of them and T. pallasi, and appears to be preserved with much .con- 

 stancy. I am unable to appreciate any of the differences in colora- 

 tion which have been ascribed ; at any rate, these differences are 

 fully within the normal range of variation of typical pallasi. These 

 subspecies are less strongly indicated than either of those of the 

 swainsoni type, and little violence woidd be done by declining 

 to recognize them by name. Nanus, in particular, is positively 

 indistinguishable from some small specimens of Eastern pallasi. 



* The current names for the three forms will he adopted in the present paper. 

 It well illustrates the uncertainties of our nomenclature that Auduhon's name 

 nanus should have been allowed to stand so long for the Dwarf Thrush. His 

 nanus was unquestionably based upon a small specimen of the Eastern pallasi 

 proper, the locality of his bird being alone sufficient evidence of the fact. 

 It, hence, properly should become a simple synonym of the latter, leaving a name 

 for the small Western form, if it be deemed necessary to recognize it, to besought 

 for among the earlier authors. The guttata of Pallas applies throughout to one 

 of the Hermit Thrushes] and as his locality, Kodiak, is now known to be the 

 home of the true Dwarf Thrush, and of no other, it would appear that the accept- 

 ance of his name is scarcely to be avoided. 



t Mammals and Winter Birds of East Florida, 1871, pp. 254-256. 



