494 THRUSHES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC. 



Veery is known only by his own strange, unearthly song. His notes 

 touch chords which no other bird's song reaches. The Water-Thrush 

 is inspiring, the Wood and Hermit Thrushes "serenely exalt the spirit," 

 but the Veery appeals to even higher feelings; all the wondrous myste- 

 ries of the woods find a voice in his song; he thrills us with emotions we 

 can not express. 



75 6a. H. . salicicola Ridgw. WILLOW THRUSH. Similar to the 

 preceding, but with the upperparts slightly darker. 



Range. W. N. Am., eastward in migration to Wise., Ills., Ind., and 

 Miss. 



Glen Ellyn, tolerably common T. V., May 3-June 4; Aug. 26-Sept. 17. 

 SE. Minn., common S. R., May 5. 



Nesting date, se. Minn., May 24. 



757. Hylocichla aliciae alicise (Baird). GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. 

 Ad. Upperparts uniform olive, practically no difference between the colors 

 of the back and tail; eye-ring whitish, lores grayish; middle of the throat and 

 middle of the belly white; sides of the throat and breast with a very faint 

 tinge of cream-buff (richer in the fall) ; the feathers of the sides of the 

 throat spotted with wedge-shaped marks, those of the breast with half- 

 round black marks; sides brownish gray or brownish ashy. L., 7'58; W., 

 4'09; T., 2'96; B., '55. 



Remarks. The uniform olive of the upperparts of this species at once 

 separates it from our other eastern Thrushes except its subspecies bicknelli 

 and the Olive-backed Thrush. From the latter it may be known by the com- 

 parative absence of buff on the breast and sides of the throat, by its whitish 

 eye-ring and grayish lores. 



Range. N. A. Breeds in Hudsonian zone in a narrow belt just s. of 

 tree limit from ne. Siberia to cen. Ungava, and N. F.; winters in S. A. 



Washington, rather common T. V., May 8-31; Sept. 15-Oct. 20. Ossin- 

 ing, tolerably common T. V., May 15-June 1; Sept. 20-Oct. 17. Cambridge, 

 uncommon T. V., May 18-28; Sept. 15-Oct. 9. N. Ohio, not common T. V., 

 Apl. 29-May 23. Glen Ellyn, common T. V., May 1-June 4; Aug. 26-Oct. 

 9. SE. Minn., common T. V., May 7- ; Sept. 8. 



Nest, of grasses, leaves, strips of fine bark, etc., lined with fine grasses, in 

 low trees or bushes. Eggs, 4, greenish blue, spotted with rusty brown, 

 92 x '67. Date, Ft. Yukon, Alaska, June 9. 



The Gray-cheeked and Bicknell's Thrushes differ more widely in 

 name than in anything else. As a matter of fact, they are representa- 

 tives of one and the same species which, in the northern parts of its 

 range, is somewhat larger than it is in the southern parts of its range. 

 But here the difference stops: the northern bird (alicice) resembling the 

 southern bird (bicknelli) in notes and habits; while the difference be- 

 tween them in size is so slight that during their migrations, where both 

 might be expected to occur together, it would be impossible to say 

 which bird was under observation. During the nesting season, however, 

 it will be safe to call any olive-backed, gray-cheeked Thrush found south 

 of the St. Lawrence, Bicknell's and all to the north of that river the 

 Gray-cheeked. 



The Olive-backed Thrush (swainsoni) may be distinguished in life 

 from the gray-cheeked bird (alicice and bicknelli) by its buff cheeks and 

 eye-ring; but the identification should be made under favorable con- 

 ditions and by one familiar with specimens of the birds. 



