BIRDS OF THE CAMBRIDGE REGION. 387 



Other evergreens or where the ground is deeply carpeted with fallen leaves, among 

 which they search industriously for worms and the larva; of insects. In autumn, 

 when they subsist largely on berries, they are found oftenest in dense, moist 

 thickets, such as those in the Fresh Pond Swamps, where they eat the fruit of 

 the cornels and of the deadly nightshade. They may also be seen along country 

 roads and lanes bordered by woodland, where they feed on the berries of the bar- 

 berry, spice-bush, wild grape, woodbine and poison ivy. When met with in 

 retired places they are almost invariably silent and so shy that it is difficult to 

 approach them closely ; but in our garden, where they occur very regularly late 

 in May and more or less frequently in October, and where they often linger 

 for days in succession, they soon become accustomed to our presence and 

 comparatively tame. Indeed we often see them hopping about over the flower- 

 beds, along the garden walks, and on the turf under the trees, almost as 

 boldly and familiarly as the Robins. In this garden, moreover, they sometimes 

 sing a little, usually at morning or evening, or during rainy weather. 



245. Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni (Cab.). 

 Olive-backed Thrush. Olive-back. Swainson's Thrush. 



Common transient visitor in spring and autumn. 



SEASONAL OCCURRENCE. 



May 9, 1895, one seen, Belmont, R. Hoffmann. 



May 12 — 28. 

 June 5, 1888, one male seen, singing, Waverley, W. Faxon. 



September 9, 1870, "first seen today," Fresh Pond Swamps, H. W, Henshaw. 



September 15 — October 5. 

 October 15, 1878, one female' taken, Belmont, H. M. Spelman. 



During its migratory visits to the Cambridge Region the Olive-backed 

 Thrush frequents much the same places as do the Gray-cheeked and Bicknell's 

 Thrushes ; indeed all three birds may be sometimes found together in the same 

 thicket. Their habits, also, are essentially similar, but the Olive-back is decid- 

 edly tamer than either of the other two and there is seldom any difficulty in 

 getting sufficiently near it to make out its chief distinguishing markings — the 

 light ring around the eye and the deep buffy ground color of the throat and 



1 No. 19, collection of H. M. Spelman. 



