16 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. 



thrushes are given to recluse ways ; for of our four the veery is 

 the most hermit-like, and to him the name of "swamp robin" is 

 the most truly applicable. Yet even his love for the deep shades 

 and dark valleys has been exaggerated. These birds are not always 

 found in such places, indeed, I think their presence there is largely 

 a matter of individual inclination or is determined by other con- 

 ditions of environment. I have found several nests in open 

 pastures and on hill-sides, in just such places as the robins build. 



Of our four brown thrushes, Wilson's has the widest distribution. 

 It is almost abundant in summer throughout Ontario and Quebec, 

 and is fairly common in the Maritime Provinces, though in the more 

 northern sections of its habitat it occurs in favored localities only. 

 It has been found on Anticosti and Newfoundland and is abundant 

 in Manitoba. 



The present species is usually described as the smallest of our 

 thrushes, but when measvired, the hermit, the olive-backed and 

 Wilson's prove to be much the same size, about seven inches long. 

 Still the veery does seem rather smaller than the others, though this 

 may arise from a slimness of figure, caused by the contour feathers 

 lying close to the body, not loose and flufiy. The plumage of this 

 bird differs in shades only from that of its congeners. On the 

 upper parts the russet, which is the general ground color, has a 

 decided tinge of rufous. On the belly the color is silver white, but 

 the breast is cream-colored with a slight tinge of pink, and upon 

 this are pale russet spots of arrow-head shape, arranged in 

 geometric lines, the points upward. The chin is unspotted, but 

 is bordered by a line of small arrow-head markings. The immaculate 

 chin is a characteristic feature of this group of birds, though it 

 is less pronounced in the other species than in the veery. 



The nest is a typical thrush nest — a roughly constructed affair o* 

 leaves and grass. It is usually placed on the ground or upon a cushion 

 of leaves, though nests have been found upon the branches of a low 

 bush. Sometimes it is hidden in a clump of grass, or near the base 

 of a tree, but often it has little protection, the bird apparently 

 depending upon its own neutral tints for escr^pe from observation. 



The eggs, three or four in number, are of the typical thrush color, 

 greenish blue, but are of a rather paler tint than the eggs of other 

 species and are unspotted. 



