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VEERY. 183 
brighter plumage, more striking voices, and more inter- 
esting habits, but there are none whose bearing is more dis- 
tinguished, whose songs are more spiritual. The brilliant 
Hummingbirds and Tanagers excite our admiration, but 
the gentle, retiring Thrushes appeal to our higher emo- — 
tions; their music gives voice to our noblest aspirations. 
Five of the true Thrushes of the genus 7urdus are 
found in eastern North America. Three of them may 
be mentioned here—the Veery, Wood Thrush, and Her- 
mit Thrush—a peerless trio of songsters. The Veery’s 
mysterious voice vibrates through the air in pulsating 
circles of song, like the strains of an olian harp. The ° 
Wood Thrush’s notes are ringing and bell-like; he sounds 
the matin and vesper chimes of day, while the Hermit’s 
hymn echoes through the woods like the swelling tones 
of an organ in some vast cathedral. 
But it is impossible to so describe these songs that 
their charm will be understood. Fortunately, all three 
birds are abundant, and a brief account of their haunts 
and habits will enable any one to find them. 
The Veery, or Wilson’s Thrush, winters in Central 
America, and nests from northern Illinois and northern 
Veery, New Jersey northward to Manitoba and 
Turdus fuscescens. Newfoundland and southward along the 
Plate LXXIUI A lleghanies to North Carolina. Itcomes 
to us in the spring, about May 1, and remains until Sep- 
tember 15. Near the middle of May it begins to build its 
nest, placing it on or near the ground. Its eggs are 
greenish blue, and resemble in color those of the Wood 
Thrush, but are slightly smaller. 
The Veery’s favorite haunts are low, damp woods 
with an abundant undergrowth. It is a more retiring 
bird than the Wood Thrush, and is rarely seen far from 
tracts of woodland. It is to be distinguished from our 
other Thrushes by the uniform cinnamon color of its 
