632 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



the effect seemed quite as pleasing as when listened to 

 under the conditions to be described. Imagine if you can a 

 scene in among the islands of Penobscot Bay at sunset. It is 

 the last of June and a party of pleasure seekers are preparing 

 their supper on a small schooner which is becalmed with the sails 

 idly flapping, and not a breath of air stirs the surface of the 

 water. Wooded islands dot the bay, one only a few hundred 

 feet away, others more distant, and the wooded mainland perhaps 

 two miles away. From the island near at hand arises the 

 carolling of the Hermit Thrush, answered by another not far 

 away, here arises the voice of the Olive-backed, likewise answered 

 by the Hermit's voice or by that of his own species, and the 

 song is answered and re-answered by the voices of other chor- 

 isters from islands more distant and yet more distant, and even 

 from the mainland far away the carols are quite plainly heard. 

 Sound travels far over the waters in a calm, softened by distance 

 and the songs of these two species of Thrush are listened to 

 by all our party with feelings of pleasure and something deeper 

 than mere pleasure, and even after darkness has settled over 

 the scene the songs of the birds were heard until finally a 

 breeze arose and took us on our way. Several times since I 

 have had the pleasure of hearing the songs of these birds under 

 similar conditions and always with the same feelings. 



Generally the song is repeated over two or three times in a 

 higher pitched tone each time, often ending with a break as if 

 the songster had tried to reach a note beyond his range. The 

 song of the Hermit Thrush is uttered deliberately, a slight 

 pause between each drawn out note, as if for effect, and with 

 a range of higher and lower modulations, and in a far sweeter, 

 purer, more flute-like tone than is the song of the Olive-backed 

 Thrush, and yet I am free to confess that occasionally I hear 

 a song which I hesitate to refer to one species or the other. 

 My experience has been that the Hermit practically always 

 sings from the ground or from a low bush, while the Olive- 

 back sings from the trees, generally from a perch quite well up. 



