ZOOLOGY. 171 



Family TURDIDAE. 

 Sub-Family TURDIXAE.— T h e Thrushes. 



TURDUS USTULATUS. Nut tall. 



Titrdus ustulatiis, Nuttali., Man. Orn. I, ('id ed.) 1340, 4110. Colanibia river ; (printed cestuhiuf by a t/poTraphioal 

 error.) — Baird, Gen. Rep. Birds, p. 215. 



Sp. Ch. — Third and fourth quit's longest ; second intermediate between fourth and fifih. Tail nearly even. Upper parts 

 uniform reddish brown, with a faint olivaceous tinge. Fore part of the breast tinged with brownish yellow, becominj paler to 

 the chin ; the remaining under parts are white. The sides of the throat and tha fore part of tlie breast, with smxll distinct 

 triangular spots of well-defined brown, much darker than the back ; the sides of the breast more obsoletely spotted, and the sides 

 of the body washed with olivaceous yellow brown. The tibire are yellowish brown. Nearly the while of the lower mandible, 

 except the rami, is brown. Length, 7.^.5 to 8 ; extent, 11.75 to li.io ; wing, 3.73 ; tail, 3.'J3 ; txrjus, 1.13. Iris, brjwn ; legs, 

 light brown ; bill, brown ; lower mandible, yellow at'base. 



llab. — Coast region of Oregon and Washington Territories. 



The " western tlu-iish" of Nuttali is one of the most coinraon summer residents in the wooded 

 part of the Territory, arriving in May and remaining until the beginning of September. It 

 closely resembles Wilson's in appearance and habits, but quite distinct. Its song is similar, 

 but shorter, and without the metallic ringing sound of that bird. It frequents the borders of 

 woods and bushes along streams, and, except just after its arrival, is not very shy. About the 

 middle of June I found its nests containing eggs built commonly on a small horizontal branch, 

 and very strongly constructed of twigs, grass roots, and leaves, sometimes covered outside 

 entirely with moss, which, in the damp climate near the coast, grows, and forms large masses. 

 It appears to raise two broods, as I have found a nest with eggs in it as late as July 13. The 

 eggs, unlike those of most thrushes, are white, spotted thickly with brown, and four or five in 

 number. This thrush sings most in the early morning and evening, when numbers may be 

 heard answering each other from all sides. They do not seek the darkness of thickets so much 

 as the hermit thrush, but often feed in gardens, <fec., in the sunshine. — C. 



This bird is quite abundant west of the Cascade mountains. In the neighborhood of Fort 

 Steilacoom, at the edges of the large forests and in the vicinity of swamps and damp lands, 

 this bird is found abundantly in spring and summer. It has a great faculty for hiding itself 

 securely, and, although very numerous, is diificult to obtain. Its voice is a low, soft, sad, lonely 

 whistle, generally confined to one note about three seconds in length, and repeated at very 

 regular intervals. One specimen, (No. 517,) shot August 2, 1856, at Fort Steilacoom, measured 

 7.62, 11. Another, a young bird, killed July 26, I find in my note book, had "the membrane 

 at angle of mouth le77ion yelloiv." — S. 



Note. — I have twice only seen a thrush resembling a hermit thrush in general appearance, 

 but quite differently colored. The first was brought to me December 4, with its tail pulled out, 

 having beeu caught in a house. It was of a very dark brown, icithout a tint of olive, and its breast 

 more thickly marked with spots of the same color, large and round. I afterwards saw another, 

 on Whitby's island, in March, but could not get a shot at it. I suppose, therefore, it is a 

 winter visitor only in tlio lower country. This seems to resemble T. soUlariiis of Wilson, (the 

 brown thrush of Pennant and Latham?) and T. minor of Swainson, which was probably 

 obtained far to the north. — C. 



