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HE ORNITHOLOGIST. 



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VOL. 1 



TWIN BLUFFS, WIS., MAY, 1885. 



No. l 



Family Turd/dee: Thrushes. 



The thrush has a bill of medium 

 size, straight, the upper mandible 

 convex, its point compressed, notch- 

 ed, and slightly curved downwards, 

 the gape furnished with a few hairs; 

 the nostrils near the base of the bill, 

 oval, partly closed by a naked mem- 

 brane; the first feather of the wing- 

 very short, the third and fourth 

 longest; the tarsus longer than the 

 middle toe, the outer toe connected 

 with the middle toe at base. 



The species are numerous and 

 widely distributed, some of them 

 inhabiting temperate and even cold 

 countries, and some only found in. 

 tropical regions. Most of the 

 thrushes are migratory. 



1. HYLOCTCHLA MUSTELIXA. 



In summer the wood thrush is 

 abundant, in Eastern North Amer- 

 ica, as far north as Hudson's Bay, 

 retiring to tropical and subtropical 

 regions in winter. During the 

 breeding season its clear but simple 

 song is to be heard among the osier 

 and alder thickets, which embrace 

 the winding streams of our low deep 

 woods, but during the fall and spring 

 more open woods are visited by it. 

 The upper parts of the wood thrush 

 are brownish red, the breast and 

 belly white, thickly interspersed 

 with round black spots. 



The nest is usually placed in a 

 low bush or tree, in the situations 

 already mentioned, a few feet from 

 the ground, and is composed of 

 leaves and grass, with a layer of 

 mud, and then a lining of fine root- 

 lets. The eggs four or five in num- 

 ber are greenish blue like those of 

 the robin, but smaller, being 1.00 by 

 .75 inches in size. 



2. HYLOCICHLA FUSCESCESTS. 



The haunts and habits of Wilson's 

 Thrush are similar to those of the 

 wood thrush, and like the latter 

 feeds on insects and berries. 



The nest is usually built in low 

 shrubs, sometimes on the ground, 

 "and is composed of leaves, dried 

 grass and weeds, lined with fine 

 roots, strips of bark, and often hair." 



The four or five eggs usually laid 

 are oval, but vary slightly in shape, 

 and are bluish gi-een in color, a lit- 

 tle darker than those of the blue 

 bird, and lighter than those of the 

 catbird. Size .94 by .64 inches. 



11. MIMUS POLYGLOTTUS. 



The mockingbird has a more el- 

 ongated form than the true thrushes, 

 a longer tail, shorter wings, and the 

 upper mandible more curved at the 

 tips; a little larger than the wood- 

 thrush; the upper parts of a dark 

 brownish ash color, the wings and 

 tail nearly black, the under parts 

 brownish white. 



The mocking bird is common in 

 almost all parts of America from 

 southern New England to Brazil, 

 but north of 35° is only a summer 

 resident, Avhile in more southern 

 districts it is common at all seasons. 



During the breeding period the 

 mocking bird sings almost inces- 

 santly, by night as well as day; 

 through the day it is generally imi- 

 tative, excelling all other birds in 

 its powers of imitation, by night its 

 song is for the most part natural. 



The nest, usually found in thick- 

 ets and low bushes, is composed of 

 sticks, straws, then a lining of horse 

 dung, and inside of that horse hairs, 

 string, wool &c. 



The four to six greenish blue eggs, 

 marked with blotches of yellowish 



