80 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part I. 



THE THRUSHES. 



THE WARBLERS. 



ish white color and pretty thickly sprink- 

 led towards the largo end with two shades 

 of reddish brown. The specimen from 

 which the above description was made 

 was obtained, with its nest aVid eg^s, in 

 Burlington, in June, 1840. This bird from 

 its preference to neighborhoods of water 

 is sometimes called the .Aquatic Thrush. 



THE GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH. 

 Turdus aurocapillus. — Wilson. 



Description. — Color above rich yel- 

 low-olive ; the tips of the wings and in- 

 ner vanes of the quills dusky brown ; the 

 3 first primaries nearly equal; a dusky 

 line from the nostril to the hind head; 

 crown brownish orange ; beneath white ; 

 the breast covered with deep brown pen- 

 cil-sliapcd spots ; legs pale flesh-color ; 

 bill dusky above, l)elow whitish. Crown 

 of the ffinale paler. Length 6, spread U. 

 JS'uUall. 



ILsTORV — Tliis bird is pretty common 

 in nearly all parts of tlic United States, 

 but is shy and retiring, and found only in 

 the thickets cf the forests. Its oven sha- 

 ped nest is placed in the side of a dry and 

 mossy bank and is constructed with great 

 neatness. It is formed of grass and cov- 

 ered with leaves and sticks, having the 

 place of entrance upon the side. The eggs 

 are 4 or 5, whitisii, irregularly spotted 

 with reddish brown. The food of this 

 bird consists wholly of insects and their 

 larva.'. 



THE HERMIT THRUSH. 

 Turdus solitarius. — Wilson. 



Description. — Color above plain deep 

 olive-brown, below dull white; upper 

 part of the breast and throat cream color ; 

 the dusky brown pencillateil spots carried 

 over the breast and under the wings 

 where the sides are pale olive ; tail and 

 coverts as well as the wings strongly tin- 

 ged with rufous; legs pale flesli color; 

 bill short black above, flesh-colored below; 

 iris large and nearly black ; tail short and 

 emarginate ; 3d primary longest. The 

 female darker, with the spots on tlie 

 breast larger and more dusky. Length 

 7^; spread lO.V— .V«f«. 



History. — The Hermit Thrush is said 

 to inhabit every part of tlie United States. 

 It is a solitary bird living wholly in the 

 woods, iind is saidby Nuttall to be scarce- 

 ly inferior to the Nightingale in its pow- 

 ers of song. Its nest according to Audu- 

 bon is placed upon the limbs of trees a 

 few feet from the ground, and is compos- 

 ed of dry weeds and leaves, and neatly 

 lined within with fine grass. The eggs, 



from 4to 6, are of a light blue color, sprink- 

 led with blotches towards the large end. 



Genus Svlvia. — Latham. 

 Generic Characters. — Bill straight, slender, 

 awl-shaped, higher tliaii wide at the base, and us- 

 ually furnished with scattered bristles ; lower 

 mandible straight, ti[)|ier sometimes notched ; nos- 

 trils lateral, oval, situated at the base of the bill, 

 and [lartly covered by a membrane ; tarsus longer 

 than the middle toe; inner toe free; hind nail 

 shorter than the toe ; wings short. 



THE YELLOW-CROWNED WARBLER. 

 Sylvia coronata. — Latham. 



Description. — Back dark ash, spotted 

 or striped with black ; crown, sides of the 

 breast and rump bright 3'ellow ; wings 

 and tail black, with the outer vanes of the 

 feathers margined with white or light ash ; 

 wing coverts tipped with white, forming 

 two white bars across each wing; outer 

 tail feathers on each side with a large 

 white spot on their inner vane ; breast 

 white, spotted with black ; btilly and vent 

 white ; bill black, straight, slightly bent 

 at the jjoint and rounded above and be- 

 low ; legs and feet black ; tail forked ; 

 the yd, '.id and 4th primaries nearly equal ; 

 1st but little shorter. Winter dress and 

 that of the young i)aler, and of an oliva- 

 cious hue. Length of the specimen be- 

 fore me G^ inches ; spread of the wings 

 7i inches. 



HisTORV. — The Yellow-crowned War- 

 bler, or Myrtle Bird, as it is sometimes 

 called, is common in Vermont, and I 

 am informed by Dr. Brewer that they 

 breed in the north part of the state. The 

 nest, according to Audubon, is placed up- 

 on the horizontal branch of a fir or other 

 evergreen. It is compactly built of sticks 

 and strips of bark, and lined with hair, 

 feathers and down. The eggs are of a 

 rosy tint, thinly spotted with reddish 

 brown towards the large end. Their food 

 is insects and caterpillars in summer 

 and they feed upon seeds, and myrtle 

 and other berries during the winter. 



THE YELLOW RED-POLL WARBLER. 



Sylvia petechia. — Lath. 



Description. — Male with the crown 

 deep brownish red ; upper parts yellow 

 olive streaked with brown ; rump green- 

 ish yellow without streaks ; wings and tail 

 dusky brown with the feathers edged with 

 whitish or j-ellowish ; a bright yellow 

 streak from the nostril over the eye ; low- 

 er parts yellow ; the sides of the neck, its 



