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- 



"3 



