276 Trees, Stars, and Birds 



John Burroughs calls the song of the hermit thrush the 

 finest sound in nature. It seems to be the expression of 

 a deep peace and a solemn joy such as only the finest 

 souls may know. Have you ever heard one sing ? How 

 early does it arrive at your home? Why is it called 

 "hermit" thrush? 



Wilson's thrush, or veery. The back of this thrush is 

 a uniform cinnamon-brown. Its sides are whiter and its 

 breast less noticeably spotted than those of other 

 thrushes. Many veeries spend the summer as far south 

 as the North Carolina mountains. 



The olive-backed thrush. The olive-backed thrush 

 has a cream-buff eye ring and a strong tinge of this color 

 on the throat and breast. The upper parts are a uniform 

 olive-brown, the under parts light, with black spots. It 

 is likely to be seen in great numbers for three or four 

 weeks in May, when migrating North. In the latter 

 half of May it may be heard singing in the shade trees 

 before it departs for its summer home. 



The gray-cheeked thrush. The gray-cheeked thrush 

 resembles the olive-backed thrush so closely that few 

 persons can tell them apart. The most noticeable dif- 

 ference between them is that the gray-cheeked thrush 

 has a whitish instead of a buff eye ring and less buff color 

 on the throat and breast. It migrates at the same season 

 as the olive-backed thrush. Both are similar to the 

 russet-backed thrush, which is abundant in the Pacific 

 coast region. 



