220 THE INVITATION. 



* 



started up a thrush that was sitting on the ground. It 

 alighted on a branch a few yards off, and looked new to 

 me. I thought I had never before seen so long-legged 

 a thrush. I shot it, and saw that it was a new acquaint- 

 ance. Its peculiarities were its broad, square tail ; the 

 length of its legs, which were three and three quarters 

 inches from the end of the middle toe to the hip-joint ; 

 and the deep uniform olive-brown of the upper parts, 

 and the gray of the lower. It proved to be the gray- 

 cheeked thrush (Turdus alicia), named and first de- 

 scribed by Professor Baird. But little seems to be 

 known concerning it, except that it breeds in the far 

 North, even on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. I 

 would go a good way to hear its song. 



The present season I met with a pair of them near 

 Washington, as mentioned above. In size this bird 

 approaches the wood-thrush, being larger than either 

 the hermit or the veery ; unlike all other species, no 

 part of its plumage has a tawny or yellowish tinge. 

 The other specimen was the Northern or small 

 water-thrush, cousin-germ an to the oven-bird and half- 

 brother to the Louisiana water-thrush or wagtail. I 

 found it at the head of a remote mountain lake among 

 the sources of the Delaware, where it evidently had 

 a nest. It usually breeds much farther North. It has 

 a strong, clear warble, which at once suggests the 

 song of its congener. I have not been able to find any 

 account of this particular species in the books, though 

 it seems to be well known. 



