SOLITAIRE. 205 



As far as I know, the food of the Solitaire is 

 exclusively berries: I have never found an insect 

 in the stomachs of many that I have dissected. 

 Mr. Hill found in one, the berries of a mountain 

 Rubus, like the blackberry. In the Autumn, I 

 have detected those of the misseltoe, but more 

 commonly those called glass-eye berries, from their 

 constituting the chief food of the Merle of that 

 name. In February, the pimento groves, which 

 cover the mountain-brow are loaded with fruit, not 

 soft and sweet and black, as when ripe, but hard 

 and green, and in the very state in which it is 

 picked to be dried for commerce. The temptation 

 of these berries draws the Solitaires from their 

 seclusion, and we not only hear their clear notes 

 trilled from every part of the groves, but see them 

 familiarly eating, at the edges of the pastures, and 

 by the roadsides. It is worthy of remark that 

 their companions in retirement, the Glass-eyes, ac- 

 company them also in these feeding excursions, 

 and partake of the feast. I found the stomachs of 

 both species at this season, loaded with the green 

 pimento. 



The two specimens which first came into my 

 hands, early in October, manifested signs of a sea- 

 sonal change of plumage. One had the head pret- 

 tily covered with pale rusty spots, each feather 

 being thus tipped : several of the body feathers 

 were similarly tipped. This was moulting, and I 

 perceived that it was the old feathers which were 

 tipped, the new ones being uniformly grey, whence 

 I infer the spotted character to be that of the 



