April 
but as a noble member of a most distin- 
guished family. This is a text on which every 
bird-lover delights to discourse, for the thrush 
among the birds is like the rose among the flow- 
ers—a masterpiece of its kind. In organiza- 
tion and vocal gifts it has a conceded pre-emi- 
nence, and the three species (wood, Wilson, and 
hermit) are the prima-donnas of the forest. 
The hermit is only a migrant, and is commonly 
silent till he reaches home in northern New 
England and Canada; but in full song his 
voice is rich and sonorous; and a softer tone, 
which I heard soon after his arrival, was like 
the finest thread of pure gold. 
The plumage of this species is called in the 
books an olive-brown, but it has an indescrib- 
able softness of tone, and a quiet elegance that 
makes the ‘‘ belle of the winter ’’ (the cardinal), 
look simply gaudy, while in form and move- 
ment the bird betrays a subtle and unconscious 
evidence of high-breeding, and that natural 
touch of exclusiveness which any such creature 
must inevitably have; like the delicate but im- 
penetrable atmosphere surrounding every finely 
grained individual. ‘This is attributing a good 
deal to the hermit thrush, but the testimony of 
those who have felt the influence of this mysti- 
113 
