Vol. XXI 

 ig04 



"I Snodgrass, Land Birds of Ceritral Was/ihigion. ^33 



observed elsewhere on the trip, although a House Wren occurs in the 

 eastern part of Whitman County. The three adult specimens are verj 

 pale grajish-brown above and, hence, probably belong to the variety 

 aztecus rather than tofarkmanii. 



56. Parus atricapillus occidentalis. Oregon Chickadee. — Coinmon 

 everywhere in trees and bushes along streams. Taken at North Yakima 

 and at Bolles. 



The specimens appear to belong to the variety occidentalis rather than 

 to sepientrionalis. The tail is equal to the wing or is slightly shorter. 

 Fall specimens taken at Pullman in Whitman County have the back a 

 brownish olive-gray, the sides and flanks widely and strongly shaded with 

 brownish, the white being reduced to a small median area on the breast 

 and upper part of the belly; tail feathers without whitish terminal mar- 

 gins. Compared with specimens of P. a. septentrionalis from Colorado 

 they are decidedly darker above and more fulvous on the sides. The 

 summer specimens are in poor and ragged plumage. 



57. Hylocichla ustulata. Russet-backed Thrush. — Excessively 

 abundant in the groves and thickets along the Yakima River near North 

 Yakima. Their clear, loud, ringing, metallic notes to be heard everywhere 

 and at all times from earh' in the morning until late in the evening. A 

 common song resembled r/iy a-cka-veel' -ya, rhy a-cha-veeV-ya. The bird 

 itself was much less frequently seen than heard. T^hey were extremely 

 wary and always kept themselves concealed in a thick bush or densely- 

 leaved tree. They seemed always to know just when they were discovered, 

 for invariably when one had just about located a bird after long looking 

 the latter would suddenly but quietly dart out of its concealment to some 

 other bush or tree some distance off. The same form occurs at Pullman 

 in eastern Whitman County, and this is probably the thrush commonly 

 met with in any part of the State. 



58. Merula migratoria propinqua. Western Robin. — Occurs every- 

 where except in desert regions. Common at North Yakima, especially 

 amongst the trees in town ; rather scarce in Walla Walla County. 



