422 THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. 



In the trees and tall bushes along Lacloche Creek, which 

 has a rapid and noisy run of about half a mile from a lake 

 in the mountains to the bay, I hear the song and notes of 

 swainsoni quite commonly; but, except in the migrations, 

 when it spends much time on the ground, it keeps for the 

 most part pretty well up in the trees and bushes, and is so 

 shy that only occasionally can one get a glimpse of it. In 

 this locality the similarity of its song to that of the Wood 

 Thrush can be well studied, for they both sing very com- 

 monly in closely adjoining haunts, and were it not for the 

 greater brilliancy and marvelous expression of sentiment in 

 the performance of the latter, the Olive-back would rank as 

 no mean artist. 



For two successive years Mr. Frank H. Lattin, of Gaines, 

 Orleans Co., N. Y., has found the nest and eggs of the 

 Olive-backed Thrush within a short distance of his residence, 

 thus proving a remarkably southern extension of its breed- 

 ing habitat. One found on the 2d of June, 1880, contain- 

 ing 4 fresh eggs, was about 4 feet from the ground, in a 

 small elm sapling standing near the woods in a bushy field. 

 Another taken June 1st, 1881, near the -same spot, and hav- 

 ing 3 fresh eggs, with one of the Cow Blackbird's, was in a 

 slim maple sapling, and about 10 feet from the ground. 

 One of these nests, now before me, is composed of dried 

 weeds and grasses, and lined with rootlets. It is frail and 

 loose, resembling that of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak or 

 Scarlet Tanager. Had it not been so well identified, I 

 should doubt its genuineness; for the nest of the Olive-back 

 is generally more bulky and substantial, and very well lined, 

 though it contains no mud. The eggs, some .90 or .92 X .62, 

 are green, finely specked and spotted with several shades of 

 brown. 



Concerning that variety of the above species called Alice's 



