•rrRDID-E — TIIK THRISIIK.^. 



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in Mav and remaining until tlie l>ej;innin,i; of SeptemKu-. Tiiree spcciinens 

 ol' this thrush were obtained at Sitka, hy Mr. liisehotl". Mr. liid".;\vay met 

 with only a single specimen east of the Sierra Nevada, though on that range 

 lie found it an abundant summer bird. 



In its gener.d aj)j)earance it has a marked resemblance to Wilson's Thrush 

 (T.fttscfsrfu.'i), but its ha])its and notes, as Mell as its nest and eggs, clearly 

 ]>oiut its nearer atlinity to Swainson's Thrush (7' amtiusoni), its song l)eing 

 scarcely different from that « f the latter spn-ies. Like this species, it fre- 

 tiuents the thickets or brushwood along the mountain streams, and, except 

 just after its arrival, it is not at all shy. In crossing the Sierra Nevada in 

 Julv, 18G7, Mr. liidgway first met with this species. He describes it as an 

 exipiisite songster. At one of the canips, at an altitude of about r),()()() feet, 

 they were found unusually plentiful. He speaks of their song as consisting 

 of "ethereal warblings, — outbursts of wild meh)dy." " Altliough its carols 

 were heard everywhere in the depth of the ravine, scarcely one of the little 

 musicians could be seen." "The song of this thrush," he adds, "though 

 })0ssessing all the wild, solemn melody of that of the Wood Thrush {1\ 

 miistGlinm) is weaker, but of a much finer or more silvery tone, and more 

 methodical delivery. It is much like that of the T. sivaiusoni, but in the 

 qualities menticuied is even superior." 



Dr Coo})er found its nests with eggs about the middle of »Tune. These 

 were most usually built on a small horizontal branch, and were very strongly 

 constructed of twigs, grasses, roots, and leaves, usually covered on the outside 

 entirely with the bright green Hi/pnutn }^ :)sses peculiar to that region, wdiich 

 in the damp climate near the coast continue to grow in that position, and 

 form large masses. The nund>er of eggs is usually five. 



Dr. C'ooper states that these thrushes sing most in the early morning and 

 in the evening, when numbers may be heard answering one another on all 

 sides. They do not affect the darkest tliickets so much as the Hermit 

 Thrush, but are often seen feeding in the gfirdens in the oi>en sunshine. 



Dr. Suckley, who found them (juite abundant in the neighborhood of Fort 

 Steilacoom, on the edge of the forest, and in swam])y land, describes the song 

 as a low, soft, sad, and lively whistle, confined to one note, and repeateil at 

 regular intervals. Mr. Nuttall, the first to describe this form, speaks of 

 it as shy and retiring, and as in the habit of gathering insects from the 

 ground. His ear, so quick to appreciate the characteristics of the songs of 

 birds, which showed a close resemblance between the notes of this bird and 

 that of Wilson's Thrush {T. /I'sresiTUJi), enabled him to detect very distinct 

 and easily recognizable differences. It is nnich more inten-upted and is not 

 so prolonged. The warble of this bird he describes as resembling irit-icit 

 t'vi/lla, and wit-wit, t'viUia-t'villia. His call when surprised was wit-wit. 



All the nests of this sj^ecies that have fallen under my observation are 

 large, compact, strongly constructed, and neat. They measure alMuit 5 

 inches in their external diameter, with a depth externally of 3 ; the cavity 



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