WOODLAND SINGERS. 161 



which I shall point out in their breast coloring. 

 There are four species which we ought to know 

 apart : the wood, the hermit, Wilson's and Swainson's 

 thrush. 



The wood thrush is the largest as well as the best- 

 marked bird of the four ; as for his music, in my own 

 private opinion it is inferior to that of the hermit 

 thrush. But I dislike to make a descending com- 

 parison, I ought rather to say that the hermit's song 

 is a perfected form of the wood thrush's song. Al- 

 though the wood thrush delivers every note with 

 the utmost precision of pitch (a thing which birds 

 usually do not do), his tones are softer and less crys- 

 tal-clear than those of the hermit. The latter also 

 frequently indulges in a brilliant " cadenza " * (if I 

 may be allowed the use of the term), something 

 which is never present in the wood thrush's song. 

 Further on I have illustrated the nature of the ca- 

 denza, upon which we may wisely depend for the 

 identification of the hermit's song. 



The wood thrush sings as late as the first of 

 July,f morning and evening. He is not particular 

 about sticking to triplets ; often he indulges in groups 



* A cadenza is the embellished ending of a tune ; it usually 

 begins with a well-accented high note and subsides to the key- 

 note. 



f Sometimes much later in the hills of New Hampshire. 

 12 



