396 THRUSHES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC. 



it resembles the sound produced by striking large pebbles together, 

 quite unlike the whistled wheeu of the Veery. The Wood Thrush is a 

 lovable bird, with a voice suited to his gentle disposition, but when his 

 young are in real or fancied danger his sharp alarm-note gives painful 

 evidence of his fear and anxiety. 



The songs of the Wood and Hermit Thrushes are of the same char- 

 acter, but, while the Hermit is the more gifted performer, the Wood 

 Thrush does not .suffer by the comparison. His calm, restful song 

 rings through the woods like a hymn of praise rising pure and clear 

 from a thankful heart. It is a message of hope and good cheer in 

 the morning, a benediction at the close of day : 



The flutelike opening notes are an invitation p N ■ 1^ ^ ^ 



to his haunts ; a call from Nature to yield our- [: ~~^~^ ~^^{ZZZIJ. 

 selves to the ennobling influences of the forest. Come tome. 



756. Turdus fiiscescens Steph. Wilson's Thrush; Veery. Ad. 

 — Upper parts, wings, and tail nearly uniform cinnamon-brown, not so bright 

 as in the Wood Thrush; center of the throat white ; sides of the throat and 

 breast Avith a delicate tinge of cream-buff, spotted with small wedge-shaped 

 spots of nearly the same color as the back ; belly white ; sides white, with ordy 

 a faint tinge of grayish. L., 7-52 ; W., 3-84: ; T., 2-87 ; B., -53. 



Remarhs. — The Veery 's distinguishing characters are (1) its uniform cin- 

 namon-brown upper parts; (2) its delicately marked breast; and (3) particu- 

 larly its almost white sides. The Wood Thrush lias the sides heavily spotted, 

 and the other Thrushes have tliis part more or less strongly washed with 

 grayish or brownish. 



Range. — Eastern North America; breeds from northern Illinois and Penn- 

 sylvania to Manitoba and Newfoundland, and southward along the Allegha- 

 nies to North Carolina ; winters in Central America. 



Washington, common T. V., Apl. 26 to May 28 ; Aug. 20 to Sept. 30. Sing 

 Sing, common S. R., Apl. 29 to Sept. 5. Cambridge, very common S. E., May 

 10 to Sept. 8. 



Nest., of strips of bark, rootlets, and leaves, wrapped with leaves and lined 

 with rootlets, on or near the ground. Eggs., three to five, greenish blue, of the 

 same shade as those of the Wood Thrush, -88 x -65. 



The Veery's home is in low, wet, rather densely undergrown wood- 

 lands. He is a shyer, more retiring bird than the Wood Thrush ; he 

 lives nearer the ground and is less likely to leave the cover of his 

 haunts. For this reason, even in localities where both are equally 

 common, the Wood Thrush is more frequently observed. 



The Veery's usual call-note is a clearly whistled ivheeii, which can 

 be closely imitated ; his song is a weird, ringing monotone of blended 

 alto and soprano tones. Neither notes nor letters can tell one of its 

 peculiar quality ; it has neither break nor pause, and seems to emanate 

 from no one place. If you can imagine the syllables vee-r-r-ku re- 



