OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH AT NEST 



Two Thrushes 



By THOMAS A. TAPER, Lake Linden, Mich. 

 With Photographs by the Author 



THE summer is the time of the year when the lover of nature hears and 

 heeds the call of the Thrush, and nowhere else is that call more inviting 

 than in the woods of birch, maple, and conifer of the Keweenaw Penin- 

 sula in northern Michigan. The word forest suggests delightful shade, acquaint- 

 ance with multitudinous sights and sounds, an opportunity to fall in tune with 

 nature's moods, and, moreover, some leisure to philosophize. As one passes 

 by the last farmhouse one hears the enthusiastic gushing song of the little 

 House Wren; as one enters either by sylvan path or woodland road, one is at 

 once refreshed by the cool air and delicate fragrance, and finds an inviting log 

 on which to sit and rest awhile. A group of barefooted boys now approaches; 

 their countenances are aglow; they are returning from a morning inspection of 

 their traps. One of the boys has a box in which there is a live red squirrel, 

 destined to become a house-pet; all of the others have deadly missiles in the 

 form of stones for 'slingshots.' So here is an opportunity for a friendly warn- 

 ing to the boys not to kill the feathered songsters. There is a better way to 

 hunt birds, and that is with the camera. The walk in the woods is continued 

 and the desired spot is reached — the nest of the Olive-backed Thrush. 



The nest of this Thrush was built in a birch sapling which was growing on 

 the side of a wide ravine, and it was fairly well shaded from the sun. It was 

 constructed with twigs and birch bark and was lined with small roots and 

 dead grass. It contained two young birds about four days old. The camera 

 was placed about 28 inches from the nest. A fishline was attached to the 



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