OLIVE-BACKED THEUSH, 207 



low cluck or chirp. The nest is placed on the ground. The eggs are of 

 a uniform bluish -green color, and measure about .90 by .63 inch. 



TUEDUS BWAINSONI. Cab. 



Olive-bacl^ed ThirTisli, 



Tardus swainsoni, Wheaton, Oliio Agri. Rep. for 1860 (1861), 379 (probable) ; Reprint, 

 5; in Coues' Birds of N. W., 1874, 233: Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 

 1874 (1875), 562; Reprint, 2.— Langdon, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 3; Jour. Cin. Soo. 

 Nat. Hist., i, 1878, 111; Reprint, 2; Revised List, Joar. Cin. Soo. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 

 169 ; Reprint, 3. 



Turdus awainsonii, Cabanis, Fn. Peru, 1845-46, 187. 



Above uniform greenish olive. Below white, olive shaded on sides. Sides of head, 

 throat, neck and breast strongly tinged with buff; breast and throat thickly marked 

 with large dusky olive spots. Length about 7; wing 3i; tail 3. 



Habitat, Eastern North America. Ecuador. Brazil. 



Abundant. Migrant. The Olive backed Thrush is the most numer- 

 ous of our migrant thrushes. It arrives about the first of May, and may 

 be seen until the first of June. They frequent woodland, are less often 

 seen along the open banks of streams than the Hermit Thrush. They 

 usually appear in scattered flocks and search for food on the ground. 

 When disturbed they alight upon the lower branches of neighboring 

 trees, where they sit nearly motionless and are frequently quite success- 

 ful in concealing themselves. 



They make their appearance in the fall, about the middle of Septem- 

 ber, and the migl'ation continues about a month. At this period the 

 companies are more compact, and they are to be found in abundance 

 feeding upon poke- berries {Phytolacca) and other small fruits. In some 

 localities, I have noticed a variety of this bird which averages consider- 

 ably smaller, extreme individuals being only 6J inches in length, and 

 have the huffy tint emphasized, the back even being slightly suffused 

 with tawny, and the buff of breast continued as a median yellowish line to 

 the vent. These birds were confined to open, wet woodland with stumps 

 and piles of brush. They appeared to be more terrestrial in habit, re- 

 minding one somewhat of the Water Thushes. They were the last to 

 appear in the spring and remained later. In fall they were the first to 

 appear and to depart. I think they probably were of comparatively 

 southern or local breeding, not entited to be recognized as a distinct 

 variety. 



While with us the Olive-backed Thrush has no song, only the short low 

 note of alarm common to others of the genus. At its breeding-places, 

 which in the East are from Massachusetts and, perhaps, Connecticut 



