THRUSHES. 197 



Coloring of Back. 



The brown of the wood thrush is reddest on 

 head and shoulders. 



The brown of the hermit is reddest on the tail. 

 The tawny has a uniformly tawny back. 



Speckling of Breast. 



The wood is heavily speckled with large brown 

 spots, except on a plain middle area. 



The hermit, in keeping with his smaller size, 

 is less heavily marked, with smaller speckles, and 

 has a plain area underneath, as well as on his 

 neck and breast. 



The tawny is only lightly spotted on the sides 

 of his breast, and has a tawny chin and throat. 



Character of Song. 



The wood has a loud, rich, broken song. 



The hermit's resembles the wood's in quality, 

 but is much superior. It has a trill inserted in 

 each phrase. 



The tawny has a low sweet song consisting of 

 a succession of trills, in descending scale. 



In many places the wood thrush is found in 

 the most open ground, and the hermit in the 

 densest forest, but this is not always the case. 



The most remarkable of the groups of sweet- 

 voiced birds, the thrushes, are perhaps the most 

 completely protected, for they are not only incon- 

 spicuous in coloring and of quiet habits, but seek 

 the shelter of the forest for a home. 



