THRUSHES, SOLITAIRES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC. 471 



758c. H. U. almse Oberh. ALMA THRUSH. 



Similar to swainsoni, but grayer, especially on rump and upper tail cov- 

 erts ; the upper parts hair brown, only lightly tinged with green instead 

 of being clear olive, and the tail partly clear brown and partly uniform 

 with back. 



Distribution. Yukon Basin south to the Rocky Mountain region of the 

 United States, west to Utah and eastern Nevada ; in winter south to Mex- 

 ico. 



759. Hylocichla guttata (Pallas). ALASKA HERMIT THRUSH.! 



Upper parts dark grayish brown, more olive in winter, tail deep rufous ; 

 chest thickly marked with broad, wedge-shaped spots. Length : 6-7, wing 

 3.25-3.80, tail 2.60-3.00, bill .45-.52. 



Remarks. The Alaska hermit thrush can be distinguished from the 

 Audubon hermit by its smaller size and darker coloration. 



Distribution. Northwest coast region from Alaska to southern British 

 Columbia, and southward in winter. 



Nest. On ground in damp or swampy woods, composed largely of dead 

 leaves and dried grasses. Eggs : 4 or 5, plain greenish blue, paler than 

 in the wood and willow thrushes. 



Food. Flies, weevils, ants, caterpillars, moths, pepper berries, and 

 small fruits. 



The hermit thrushes have a marked habit of raising and lowering 

 their reddish tails, and their call-note is a single chuck. As a group 

 their songs rank as the best of the rare thrush songs. 



759a. H. g. auduboni (Baird). AUDUBON HERMIT THRUSH. 



Similar to guttata, but larger, and upper parts lighter, grayer, with rufous 

 of tail much lighter (fulvous). Length: 7.50-8.25, wing 3.65-4.35, tail 

 2.95-3.45, bill .53-.60. 



Distribution. Rocky Mountain region, from near the northern border 

 of the United States south to Guatemala ; east to Texas and west to the 

 mountains of Arizona and southern Sierra Nevada in California. 



Nest. In bushes or low trees, 3 to 10 feet from the ground ; partly 

 made with moss. 



Food. Flies, ants, weevils, and other insects and berries. 



As you travel through the spire-pointed fir forests of the western 

 mountains, you know the thrush as a voice, a bell-like sublimated 

 voice, which, like the tolling of the Angelus, arrests toil and earthly 

 thought. Its phrases can be expressed in the words Mr. Burroughs 

 has given to the eastern hermit, ' Oh, spheral, spheral! oh, holy, 

 holy !' and the first strain arouses emotions which the regularly fall- 

 ing cadences carry to a perfect close. The fine spirituality of the 

 song, its serene uplifting quality, make it fittingly associated with 

 nature's most exalted moods, and it is generally heard in the solemn 

 stillness of sunrise, when the dark fir forest is tipped with gold, or 



1 Hylocichla guttata slevini Grinnell. MONTEREY HERMIT THRUSH. 



A pale ashy form ; upper parts hair brown ; upper tail coverts and tail Isabella color ; 

 spots on breast few and small. 



Distribution. Breeds in humid coast belt of California from southern Monterey 

 County to Sonoma County. (The Auk, xviii. 259.) 



