WILSON'S THRUSH. 



679 



surfnce, and was smoothly covered with green inoss, simihir to that growing around it. 

 So neatly was this done, that, although I noticed the log as it lay in my path, I never 

 should have ohserved the nest if the birfl had not flown from it as I came up. 



The eggs are generally laid the first week in June, but in the instance spoken of 

 above, although it was found as early as June 5th, the nest contained newly hatched 

 young. Mr. Allen and mj-self found the young fully fledged, and tlying about, at Hyannis, 

 on July 3d, 1869. A nest was taken at North Beverly, June 14th, by Mr. E. P. Eraerton, 

 and another was taken at Concord, the first week of the same month, by Mr. Brewster. 

 These instances go to prove that it does not breed any earlier in Massachusetts than in 

 Northern Maine. 



The male is very attentive to the female, not only before the time of nesting, when 

 he follows her everywhere, but during the time of incubation he sits on a branch above 

 her, and sings his incomparable song. During the northern migrations they associate, and 

 even while moving south they may be seen in pairs. 



They enter Massachusetts on their southern flight about the finst of October, and 

 although some remain in Maine and New Hampshire as late as the first week in Novem- 

 ber, the mass have left the north by the 20th of the former-named month. They linger in 

 Massachusetts in great numbers through October, frequenting the woods and thickets 

 everwhere. They are not at all sliy, even being so familiar as to enter the villages, and 

 flit through tlie gardens. Most of them disappear by the first of November, but a few re- 

 main somewhat later. Thus the Hermit comes to us in the fading glories of autumn, l)e- 

 comes associated with the falling leaves and ripening nuts, then leaves us with the first 

 icy blasts of winter. 



TURDUS FUSCESCENS. 

 Wilson's Thrush. 



Turdus fuscescens Stephens. Shaw's Zoology. Birds, X, I, 1817, 182. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Ch. Form, slender. Bill, not long and rather broad at base, 

 rather coarsely fringed for one-third of the terminal length 



Fig. 110. 

 son's Thrush. 



Head of adult Wil- 



Tongne, acuminate, bifid, and 

 It is bright yellow in color. Sternum, of about 

 the same proportions as that of T. swainsonii ; indeed, the sternums 

 of T. swainsonii, pullasii and fuscescens, which 1 have in my col- 

 lection, arc so nearly alike, in general proportions and size, that it is 

 impossible to determine from what species any particular one came, 

 without referring to the label. On an average, however, those from 

 T. fuscescens are stoutest and broadest, those from T. pallasii are 

 the slenderest, while those from T, swainsonii are intermediate ; but 

 those from M. migratorius are not only larger, but have deeper mar- 

 ginal indentations in proportion to the width. Color. Adult. 

 Above, light reddish brown, becoming slightly yellowish on the 

 rump. Beneath, pure white, with a pale buff tinge across the throat 

 and fore part of tlie breast : the throat and breast are also covered 

 with pale triangular spots, which on the fore part of the breast are 



