306 LAND BIRDS 



closed over the scene, but the next morning the entire 

 family of Holitaires had vanished utterly from the vicin- 

 ity, so far as any trace of them could be found. 



758. RUSSET-BACKED THRUSH. ~ HylocicMa ustulata. 



1''amily • The Thrushes, Solitaires, Bluebirds, etc. 



Length: 6.10-1 M. 



Adults : Upjier parts olive-brown, brownest on tail ; conspicuous light 



yellow eye-ring ; sides of head washed with reddish brown ; chest pale 



buif, with wedge-shaped spots of dark brown ; belly white, washed 



with olive on sides. 

 Geographical Distribution : Pacific coast from California north through 



British Columbia; south in winter to Lower California, Mexico, and 



Guatemala. 

 Breeding Range : From Northern California to Alaska, chiefly in Boreal 



zone. 

 Breeding Season : May and June. 

 Nest : Compact and bulky ; of plant fibre, shreds of bark, and moss ; 



placed in saplings or bushes. 

 Eggs: 4 or 5 ; pale turfjuoLse blue. Size 0.94 X 0.65. 



The Russet-backed Thrush is a common species along 

 the Pacific coast from latitude 37° northward, remaining 

 through the summer in the foot-hills and lower moun- 

 tains, and occurring southward during migration. It is 

 a lover of dense thickets, retiring and unsociable, protest- 

 ing against intrusion with a sharp " chuck, chuck," and 

 dodging into impenetrable tangles when aware that it is 

 discovered. Only at twilight and in the earliest dawn 

 may one hpar the rich sweet song of this shy singer. As 

 the first full notes float out from the quiet woodland, the 

 bird-lover knows that a thrush and no other is the song- 

 ster. The music is less spirituelle in quality than the 



