THRUSHES. 37 



d. Their ordinary note is a single low, and perhaps to 

 some ears rather melancholy whistle, " wheu." As to their 

 other notes I am uncertain, and I have never heard their 

 song, but Dr. Brewer, in " North American Birds," says that it 

 is totally different " from that of all our other Wood Thrushes. 

 It most resembles the song of T. pallasii, but differs from it 

 in being its exact inverse, for whereas the latter begins with its 

 lowest and proceeds on an ascending scale, the former begins 

 with its highest and concludes with its lowest note. The song 

 of the T. swainsoniii on the other hand, exhibits much less 

 variation in the scale, all the notes being of nearly the same 

 altitude." 



(MERULA.) 



F. MIGRATORIA. (American) Robin. An extremely 

 common summer resident in Massachusetts, where a few pass 

 the winter.* 



a. 9-10 inches long. Above, dark (olive) gray; head 

 and tail almost black, both with white spots. Breast of a 

 peculiar ruddy red or orange-brown, in pale specimens merely 

 dun-colored. Chin, under tail-coverts, etc., white, more or 

 less black-streaked. Bill generally yellow. 



b. The Robins build their nests in bushes, vines, the larger 

 garden-shrubs, or most often in trees; evergreens, particu- 

 larly pines and spruces, being preferred to all others. Where 

 these latter are wanting, they often build their nests in orchard- 

 trees, or in those which shade the streets ; occasionally, how- 

 ever, placing them about some building. The nest is " sad- 

 dled " to a bough or placed in a fork, from three to fifty feet 

 above the ground, and is a very firm though rather rude struc- 

 ture, consisting chiefly of mud, and of dry grass or its equiv- 

 alent. 



* An abundant summer resident of they often appear suddenly in large 



the whole of New England, frequently flocks. These winter birds are proba- 



spending the entire winter, also, in shel- bly summer residents of the far north, 



tered places where food abounds, even Our own summer birds doubtless come 



as far north as the White Mountains, with the great spring flight, which an- 



As a rule, however, few Robins are seen nually begins early in March and lasts 



between December 15 and January 20. well into April. W. B. 

 Late in January or early in February 



