1S84.] BiCKNELL on tlic Singing of Birds. I^I 



The song of the Gray-chcckcd 'riinish commences low and 

 reaches its loudest, and I think its highest, part a little heyond 

 half its continuance. It is throughout much fainter and of less 

 forcible delivery than the song of the Olive-backed species. 



Turdus nanus. Hermit TjiRusfi. 



Though this little Thrush is always to be found with us during 

 its migrations, it was only after some years of observation that I 

 discovered that it ever sang near the sea-coast in this latitude. 

 Either it is very furtive-voiced while it is with us, or singing is 

 exceptional. Twice only have I heard its song away from its 

 summer home, — on April 36, 1S78, and April 29, 1S79. In both 

 cases the songs were faint and of an unfinished character, and 

 positive identification only satisfied me that they were of this spe- 

 cies. It is probable that this Thrush sings occasionally in the 

 autumn ; for there is little doubt that I heard it on October 18, 

 1880. It was in the dusk of the earl}' morning, and the song, 

 though several times repeated, was not clearly heard. It was, 

 however, from a Hylocichla., and sounded most like that of the 

 Hermit Thrush, the only one of the smaller Thrushes which 

 was present at the time in any numbers. 



The call-note of the Hermit Thrush is very different from that 

 of any other species of its group which occurs with us. It is a 

 low chuck., suggestive of the note of a distant Blackbird. The 

 Hermit Thrush possesses the singular habit of demurely raising 

 its tail and allowing it to fall back slowly to its natural position ; 

 this strange movement recurs at intervals and often follows the 

 act of perching. Does it bear any relation to the characteristic 

 caudal activity of the Water-thrushes and some of the Warblers.'' 



Mimus polyglottus. Mockingbird. 



I observed a Mockingbird by the Harlem River on October 

 TO, 18S0, my attention being attracted to it by a few notes of its 

 song, which would doubtless have been continued had not the bird 

 been startled. The species is of casual occurrence in the locality 

 of my observations, but on no other occasion have I heard any 

 sound from it save a sharp alarm note. 



