Olive-backed Thrush at Summer Home. 137 



he comes from the swales to the higher land with his entire 

 family, about the last of July. He calls all about the house 

 and grounds for a few days and then vanishes in the direc- 

 tion of the seacoast. Occasionally about a month later a few 

 migrants are heard around the spring. 



The Olive-backed Thrush remains until the wild fruits 

 grow scarce, near the last of September, and the Hermit, 

 the first to come, is the last to go. Rarely, he lingers into 

 November. 



General Summary. 



The Olive-backed Thrush comes to his northern breeding- 

 ground from the district between Mexico and South Amer- 

 ica, about the last of May, and departs near the middle of 

 September. 



The first of June and again the first of July, they construct 

 their statant increment nests, usually in an evergreen, any- 

 where from one to ten feet above the ground. Whether they 

 raise two broods or not during the season I have been unable 

 to determine. A clutch consists of from three to four green- 

 blue eggs, spotted with golden-brown. One egg is laid on 

 each consecutive day until the clutch is completed. The birds 

 spend from ten to thirteen days in incubation, and the young 

 remain in the nest from ten to twelve days. 



The Olive-backed Thrush is modestly but richly garbed, 

 gracefully proportioned, exquisitely light in motion, extremely 

 intelligent and tractable. They devour and feed to their 

 young an incredible number of our most injurious insect 

 pests. The male bird is one of our rarest musicians. While 

 not such a glorious singer as the Hermit or Veery, we could 

 ill spare his voice from our inimitable Thrush concerts. 



I would sum up the entire life of the Olive-backed Thrush, 

 as a poem of service to his brother — man — set to stirring 

 music. 



