312 EEPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



departs September 20th. Absent from the southern part of New Jer- 

 sey May 30th to August 20th. 



As a migrant the Veery is simply one of the several smaller 

 Thrushes that pass silently through our woods twice a year, differing 

 from each other only in shade of color. 



As a summer resident, however, it is one of the leaders among our 

 famous songsters; The song is hard to describe; "weird" and "un- 

 earthly" gives some notion of its character, while the syllables, "twee- 

 le-ah, twee-le-ah, twee-la, twee-la," represent the notes, but the quality 

 is peculiar among bird music. At a distance it has something of the 

 tinkling of bells, or it has been likened to whistling down a gun barrel, 

 or to a series of chords instead of single notes. 



Occasionally, in south Jersey, I have heard late migrants indulge 

 in a low song,^ but usually it is reserved for the summer home, where 

 the Veery is constantly heard but seldom seen, since he frequents 

 thick woods and has a faculty for concealing himself. 



Mr. Babson^ has seen Veeries in June a short distance north of 

 Princeton and thinks they nest there; about Plainfield they breed 

 regularly (Miller), also at Summit (Callender and Holmes) and Lake 

 Hopatcong (Rhoads), South Orange (H. B. Bailey),^ Ridgewood 

 (Fowler), Paterson (Clark), Alpine (Rhoads), &c. 



757 Hylocichla alicise (Baird). 



Gray-cheeked Thrush. 



Adults. — Length, 7-7.75. Wing. 4- . Above, olive-brown, very slightly 

 browner on the tail ; below, white, tinged with buff on the breast and brown 

 on the sides of the body ; breast and sides of the throat spotted with blackish, 

 spots becoming paler towards the abdomen ; sides of face and cheeks, grayish- 

 brown. Very similar to the Olive-backed Thrush, but always distinguished by 

 the differently colored cheeks. 



Common transient visitant. Spring, May 3d (May 12th) to May 

 30th; autumn, September 20th to October 10th. 



Distinguished from the Olive-backed Thrush by the gray instead of 

 buff cheeks. Similar in habits. 



• Cf. Cassinia, 1905, p. 93; 1901, p. 49. 

 ^ Birds of Princeton, p. 81. 

 ' Auk, 1886, p. 489. 



