224 



(H. iistitlaia), Grey-cheeked {H. alicicr). These liinls in English 

 iioinenclatnre are all gronped nnder the genus Turdus. 



J. Dwight fittingly describes them as a whole as follows: 

 "In plumage the Thrushes are different shades of brown, the breast 

 " and underparts white with duskj' spotting: and often suffused witli 

 "buffs and grays. They moult but once in the year, but, as they dwell 

 "mostly in shaded seclusion, thej' do not fade as much as might be 

 " expected in the course of a twelvemonth." 



The Wood Thrush. Several specimens of this are now 

 to be seen at the London Zoo in the Western Aviary. They 

 may be roughly described as follows: Upper surface, tawuy- 

 browu ; lower surface, white, heavil}- spotted with black. It is 

 much larger than Wilson's Thrush, a specimen of which is in 

 the same aviary. Its range is Eastern North America. 



Wilson's Thrush. This is much smaller than the Wood 

 Thrush, less tawu}', and the spots of the under surface are 

 neither so large or dark in colour; nevertheless, it is a very 

 beautiful species. The species ranges farther South than the 

 preceding. It is also known as the Veery, so called from its 

 song, which is said to be somewhat monotonous, though con- 

 sisting of "sweet repetition of metallic whistled notes." 



OrjVK-B.A.CKED Thrushes, also known as Russet-backed, 

 area grouping three species : ustnlala, szcainsoni, and ahnonce. 

 Varying but little one from the other. They are sweet singers 

 and the quiet of evening is the time usually chosen for the 

 pouring forth of their melod\-. 



The Hermit Thrushes are a group of four species, 

 guttata, pallasi, auduboJii and nana : ranging along the :\Iaine 

 and Californian coasts and over Alleghanies and Southern 

 Rocky Mountains to an altitude of Sooo feet. It is more slug- 

 gish both as to movements and utterance of song than the 

 Olive-backs. 



"The Hermit Thrush bears the palm as the most gifted songster of 

 " North America, and his sweet, measured notes poured forth in many 

 "stanzas of different key.s have been the theme of poetic writers " 



The Grey-cheeked Thrush {Halicice). This species is 

 found in the most inhospitable Northern regions of the Con- 

 tinent, even building its nest in the stunted birches, willows, 

 etc., that fringe the Arctic Ocean. In size and plumage it 

 closelv resembles the Olive-backed, but the browns of its upper 



