BiCKXEl.L 071 Hylocichla aUcicc bicknelli. 1 55 



The clamor of a pai"t\- oi Blue Jays occasionally arose and tiled 

 away in the forest, but here, in this mountain solitude, their 

 screams seemed more subdued than in less primitive regions, and 

 lacked that suggestion of consciousness which individuals con- 

 stantly within human hearing, seem to accjuire. Busily roaming 

 Chickadees (^Par//s atricapilhis) at times came about our path, 

 and the Snowbird ( Jitnco /lyemal/s) was present with its simple 

 song. Olive-backed Thrushes {Hylocichla ustidata szvain- 

 soni) too, were constantly to be heard, and iinalh'. guided bv its 

 near song, one was followed up and secured. A moment later 

 another Thrush darted across the path, and disappearing through 

 a young balsam growth, immediately began to sing a few rods 

 off. The song was different from that of the bird which had just 

 been shot, so much so, in fact, as to be remarked even by my 

 guide. It seemed to be more uniform in character, with less 

 variation and definition of the notes : as I wrote in my note-book 

 at the time— more suggesti\e of the song of //. fuscescois. A 

 conspicuous point of diflerence was that it was more subdued in 

 tone, in fact of a somewhat ^•entriloquous nature. On examining 

 the bird, in hand, although 1 had thought myself familiar with 

 all our eastern JJylocicJihr. I must confess to having been puz- 

 zled. It was obviously neither the Olive-backed nor the Hermit 

 Thrush, the only species of our own smaller Thrushes which from 

 the distribution of their group (as then understood) could possibly 

 be expected to occur. 1 at once noted its general resemblance to 

 the Gray-cheeked Thrush, but it seemed impossible that this Hud- 

 sonian bird could be tbimd so far south at this season ; and though 

 a second specimen pointed more sti'ongly towaid it. it was not 

 until I had reached home and made actual comparisons, that I 

 could feel satisfied that its true relationship was w'ith that species. 

 I had long noticed certain somewhat constant diflei'ences between 

 examples of a//c/<? occurring at New York on their migrations, 

 and incited by these specimens went carefully over mv series of 

 se\'enteen examples and found them separable into two forms, 

 characterized by slight ditierences in coloration and a notable dif- 

 ference in size. The examples from the Catskills were more 

 closelv allied to the smaller of the two forms, and these, with, 

 subsequenth'. my entire series, were submitted to Mr. Ridgway, 

 the result being the recognition of a new bird, belonging to our 

 eastern fauna. 



