FAMILY Turdidsc. 



all else, and ready to believe that the little song is not of 

 earth, but a wandering strain from the skies." John 

 Burroughs, in Wake, Robin, calls it " golden and 

 leisurely." Certainly one is hypnotized by such music 

 as that, and even circumspect Mr. Torrey is captured 

 and writes admiringly about the surprising " drop to 

 a deep contralto," calls it "the most glorious bit of vocal- 

 ism to be heard in our woods," and records, apparently 

 with the delight of a musician, " the tinkle or spray 

 of bell-like tones at the other extreme of the gamut"*; 

 and for my own part I think the rest of us must agree 

 with him! 



Veery. Wll- This Thrush is very easily distinguished 



Ta" ^Th^sh from al1 the others by the uni( l ue charac- 

 // focichia ^ er ^ ^ it coloring and song; the 

 fuscescens former is a peculiar tan-brown, the latter 

 L. 7.40 inches is a strange combination of slurred over- 

 May loth tones. The bird is shy and has been popu- 

 larly dubbed " the skulking Veery." His markings as 

 well as his colors are in strong contrast with those of the 

 Wood Thrush. Upper parts including wings and tail a 

 light golden brown like raw sienna; under parts inclu- 

 ding the throat white, with a delicate tinge of buff on 

 the sides of both throat and breast; small wedge-shaped 

 sienna spots also define the borders of throat, and are 

 sprinkled over the upper breast; sides white with a light 

 tint of gray. Female similarly marked. Nest on or very 

 near the ground; it is built of dead leaves, shreds of 

 bark, and roots, and lined with finer rootlets and dried 

 grasses. Egg like that of the Wood Thrush, light green- 

 blue. This bird is common in eastern North America as 

 far north as Newfoundland and Manitoba; it breeds 

 from northern New Jersey northward, and southward 

 along the Alleghanies to North Carolina; it winters in 

 Central America. The situations preferred by the Veery 

 are the thick damp woods beside the river's brink, and 

 the dense undergrowth of low woodlands; sometimes 

 the bird chooses a high, wooded knoll, but it is generally 

 very near the water. 



* Vide, Footing it in Franconia, page 118 

 244 



