SPECIES 7. TURDUS AUROCAPILLUS. 



GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH. 



[Plate XIV. Fig. 2.] 



EDW. 252 LATH, in, 21. Lafiguiera tete d'or> Buiss. in, 504. 

 La Grivelette de St. Domingue, BUFF, in, 317. PL wJ. 398, 

 ./Ircf. Zool. p. 339, /Vo. 203. Turdus minimus, vertice Jlurio, 

 the least Golden-crown Thrush, BARTRAM, p. 290. PEALE'S 

 Museum, JVo. 7122. 



THOUGH the epithet golden-crowned, is not very suitable 

 for this bird, that part of the head being rather of a brownish 

 orange; yet, to avoid confusion, I have retained it. 



This is also a migratory species, arriving in Pennsylvania late 

 in April, and leaving us again late in September. It is altogeth- 

 er an inhabitant of the woods, runs along the ground like a lark, 

 and even along the horizontal branches, frequently moving its 

 tail in the manner of the Wagtails. It has no song; but a shrill, 

 energetic twitter, formed by the rapid reiteration of two notes, 

 peche, peche } peche, for a quarter of a minute at a time. It builds 

 a snug, somewhat singular nest, on the ground, in the woods, 

 generally on a declivity facing the south. This is formed of 

 leaves and dry grass, and lined with hair. Though sunk below 

 the surface, it is arched over, and only a small hole left for 

 entrance; the eggs are four, sometimes five, white, irregularly 

 spotted with reddish brown, chiefly near the great end. When 

 alarmed it escapes from the nest with great silence and rapidity, 

 running along the ground like a mouse, as if afraid to tread too 

 heavily on the leaves; if you stop to examine its nest, it also 

 stops, droops its wings, flutters and tumbles along, as if hardly 

 able to crawl, looking back now and then to see whether you 

 are taking notice of it. If you slowly follow, it leads you fifty 



