THE TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE. 225 
of sight around the cliff on which I stood. I hastened forward to the furthest 
outstanding point which gave a partial view of the wall’s face. No bird was 
in sight. ‘Then I tossed pebbles against the cliff-side, and from beneath the 
second summons fluttered the frightened Pipit. Five beautiful eggs, of a 
warm weathered oak, rather than “mahogany” shade, lay in a niche of rock. 
A tussock of grass clung just below, and a dwarf shrub afforded a touch of 
drapery above; while from the outstretched hand a flint-flake might have 
fallen clean of the wall to the ice, a hundred feet below. ‘The male bird con- 
tinued his outcries from the distant cliff, but the female at no time reappeared. 
With the advance of summer, the Pipits lead their broods about the 
disrobed peaks, even to the very summits, as do the noble Leucostictes. 
Knowing this, we may readily excuse any little eccentricities which appear 
in our friends during the duller seasons. The Pipit has redeemed himself. 
No. 91. 
TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE. 
A. O. U. No. 754. Myadestes townsendi (Aud.). 
Synonyms.—TownseENp’s FrycatcHiInc THRUSH. ‘TOWNSEND’s THRUSH. 
TOWNSEND'S FLYCATCHER. 
Description.—Adults: General color smoky gray, lighter below, bleaching 
on throat, lower belly and under tail-coverts; a prominent white orbital ring; 
wings and tail dusky; wing quills crossed by extensive tawny area originating at 
base of innermost secondary and passing obliquely backward—this appears in 
the closed wing as a spot at the base of the exposed primaries but does not reach 
nearer the edge of the wing than the fifth or sixth primary; another obscure 
tawny or whitish patch formed by subterminal edging on outer webs of seventh 
and eighth (sometimes ninth) primaries; greater coverts and tertials tipped with 
white of varying prominence; a blotch of white on each side of tail involving 
distal third of half of outermost rectrix, tip of second and sometimes tip of third. 
Bill and feet black; irides brown. Young birds are heavily spotted with buff 
above and below (showing thereby ‘Turdine affinities )—above, each feather has a 
single large spot (rhomboidal in some, heart-shaped in others) of buff, centrally, 
and is edged with blackish, thus producing a scaled appearance; below, the ground 
color is a pale buff or buffy gray with blackish edgings to feathers. Length about 
8.00 (203.2) ; wing 4.60 (117); tail 4.05 (103); bill .49 (12.4) ; tarsus .79 (20). 
Recognition Marks.—Chewink size; brownish gray coloration with spots of 
white (or pale tawny) on tail and wings. No black, as compared with a Shrike. 
Nesting.—Nest: in hollow under bank, cranny or rock wall or in upturned 
roots of tree, of sticks, coarse weeds and trash, lined with rootlets. Eggs: 4, 
grayish white spotted with pale brown, chiefly about larger end. Av. size, 
.96x .70 (24.4x 17.8). Season: May or June; one brood. 
General Range.—Western North America, breeding chiefly in mountainous 
districts, from northwestern Mexico to Alaska and Yukon Territory, wintering 
