236 THE ALASKA HERMIT THRUSH. 
THE more open woods and more abundant suns of eastern Washington 
effect that reduction of color in the “burnt”? Thrush, which henceforth charac- 
terizes the species clear thru to the Atlantic. It would be idle to trace in detail 
all accompanying changes of manner and habit, but we can hardly fail to note 
the improved quality of the Olive-back’s song. This is most nearly compar- 
able to that of the Willow Thrush and has something of the same rolling 
vibrant quality. It is, however, less prolonged and less vehement. It may or 
may not retain the liquid l’s, but it discards outright the rich r’s, which the 
Veery rolls under his tongue like sweet morsels; and the pitch of the whole 
rises slightly, perhaps a musical third, as the volume of sound diminishes 
toward the end: /JVe-c-0, we-e-0, we-o we-o weee. A song heard some years 
ago at the head of Lake Chelan, weeloo weeloo weelooce looec, seemed to have 
all the music of perfected swaimsonii in it, yet it was not till the season of 
1908 that Mr. Bowles established the fact of the Olive-back’s presence and the 
Russet-back’s absence from the Stehekin Valley. On the other hand, Ridg- 
way finds that both forms sometimes occur together, even during the breeding 
season; so we are not yet prepared to make generalizations as to the relative 
distribution of these birds in Washington. 
No. 95. 
ALASKA HERMIT THRUSH. 
A. O. U. No. 759. Hylocichla guttata (Pallas). 
Synonym.—Kapiak Dwarr THrusH (Ridgw.). 
Description.—A dult: Upperparts plain grayish brown (hair brown to near 
broccoli brown) changing on rumps to dull cinnamon-brown of upper tail-coverts 
and tail; a prominent whitish orbital ring; sides of head mingled grayish brown 
and dull whitish; underparts dull white, clear only on belly—throat and breast 
tinged with pale creamy buff; sides and flanks washed with pale grayish brown; 
throat in confluent chain on side and lower throat, chest and upper breast— 
spotted with dusky or sooty, the spots narrow and wedge-shaped on lower throat, 
broadening and deepening on chest, fading and becoming rounded on breast. 
3ill drab brown paling on mandible basally ; feet and legs brown; iris dark brown. 
Winter specimens are brighter and more strongly colored thruout. Young birds 
are streaked with buffy above and the spotting of underparts inclines to bars on 
breast and sides. Length 6.30-7.40 (160-188) ; wing 3.46 (88); tail 2.52 (64); 
bill .50 (12.7); tarsus 1.14 (29). 
Recognition Marks.—Sparrow size; cinnamon of tail (and upper-coverts ) 
contrasting more or less with duller brown of remaining upperparts. 
Nesting.—Does not breed in Washington. Nest and Eggs as in H. g. 
sSequotensis. 
General Range.—Coast district of Alaska breeding northward and westward 
