282 THRUSHES. 



2. HERMIT THRUSH, H. TALLASII. 7.00 ; tawny above, 

 decidedly reddish on tail ; white beneath, tinged with creamy 

 on breast; spots, triangular, not extending on sides; eye 

 ring, creamy, fig. 378. Breeds in eastern IS". A. from Mass. 

 (Barnstable, Plymouth, Worcester Counties, westward, and 

 irregularly elsewhere), northern Alleghanies, and northern 

 Mich, northward; winters from Northern States southward; 

 north in April ; south in Oct. Song, the finest of all our birds ; 

 there are four strains ; 1, "O/i twee ttvee twee" clear and high ; 

 2, "E twter twter twter" lower but pure; 3, "Oh phera phera 

 phera" lower in tone, almost pathetic in terminal note, all 

 prolonged ; 4, "J che te wete" softly given, often almost in a 

 whisper ; method of giving song very varied ; all of the four 

 Fig. 379. 



CC, W, a, 3. 



strains are seldom given successively, and while 1 i-s almost 

 always given first, this may be followed by any of the others, 

 from 2 to 4, thus the song may consist of from two (very 

 rarely) to four strains, but I have never heard any note giv- 

 en in advance of one which should follow it; thus the com- 

 binations of notes are limited to seven, all of which I have 

 beard given by a single bird on my own place in Barnstable; 



