TURDID^E — THE THRUSHES. H 



When incubation has commenced, the female is rehictant to leave her nest. 

 If driven off she utters no complaint, but remain.s close at hand and returns 

 at the first opportunity. 



Tliey construct their nest early in May, and the young are hatched in the 

 latter part of that month, or tJie first of June. They raise two broods in the 

 season. The nest, even more loosely put together than that of the Ground 

 Swam J) Eobin (T. imUasi), is often with difficulty kept complete. It is 

 about 3 inclies in height, 4| in diameter, with a cavity 1| inches deep and 

 3 in width, and composed of dry bark, dead leaves, stems, and woody fibres, 

 intermingled with grasses, caricas, sedges, etc., and lined with soft skeleton 

 leaves. A nest from Wisconsin was composed entirely of a coarse species of 

 Sparganeiim ; the dead stalks and leaves of which were interwoven with a 

 very striking effect. 



The eggs, usually four, sometimes five in number, are of a uniform green 

 color, with a slight tinge of blue, and average .94 by .66 of an inch in 

 diameter. 



Turdus alicise, Baird. 



GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH; ALICE'S THRUSH. 



Tardus alicicc, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 217, plate 81, f. 2. — Ib. Review Ain. Birds, I, 

 1864, 21. — CouEs, Pr. Ac. N. Sc. Aug. 18(51, 217 (Labrador). —I b. Catal. Birds of 

 Washington. — Guxplach, Repertorio, 1865, 229 (Cuba). — Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Lye. 

 IX, 91 (Costa Rica). — Dall and Baxxlster, Birds Alaska. — Ridgway, Report. 



Sp. Char. Above nearly pure dark olive-green ; sides of the head ash-gray ; the chin, 

 throat, and under parts white ; purest behind. Sides of throat and across the breast with 

 arrow-shaped spots of dark plumbeous-brown. Sides of body and axillaries dull grayish- 

 olivaceous. Tibiae plumbeous ; legs brown. Length, nearly 8 inches ; wing, 4.20 ;, tail, 

 3.20 ; tarsus. 1.15. 



Hab. Eastern North America to shores of Arctic Ocean, and along northern coast from 

 Labrador to Kodiak, breeding in immense numbers between the mouths of Mackenzie and 

 Coppermine. West to Fort Yukon and Missouri River States. Winters south to Costa 

 Rica. Chiriqui, Salvin ; Cuba, Gundlach. 



As originally described, this species differs from sioainsoni in larger 

 size, longer bill, feet, and wings especially, straighter and narrower bill. 

 Tlie back is of a greener olive. The breast and sides of the head are 

 entirely destitute of the buff tinge, or at best this is very faintly indicated 

 (ju the upper part of the breast. The most characteristic features are seen 

 on the side of the head. Here there is no indication whatever of the liolit 

 line from nostril to eye, and scarcely any of a light ring round the eye, — 

 the whole region being grayish-olive, relieved slightly by whitish shaft- 

 streaks on the ear coverts. The sides of body, axillars, and tibiiie are 

 olivaceous-gray, without any of the fuh-ous tinge seen in moainsoni. 

 The bill measures .40 from tip to nostril, sometimes more ; tarsi, 1.21 ; 



