24 HISTORY OF THE HYLOCICHLiE 



Thrush with sufficient accuracy, though his plate accompany- 

 ing rather indicates the Olive-backed Thrush. He gave it the * 

 appropriate name of Turdus solitarius, which has been adopted 

 by many ornithologists, but which, unfortunately, cannot stand, 

 there being already a Turdus solitarius of Linnaeus. 



The next original name bestowed upon the Hermit Thrush 

 was Turdus nanus, applied by Audubon in 1839, used almost 

 without exception, of late years, for the Western variety. The 

 name antedates Cabanis's pMasii by several years ; the de- 

 scription is evidently that of the Dwarf Thrush, for the main 

 point Audubon makes is the smaller size of his bird; and Dr. 

 Brewer has recently contended that the name should replace 

 that of pallasi. It has been supposed that Audubon intended 

 only to signalize the Western Hermit, or Dwarf Thrush, in 

 bestowing the name nanus. But reference to his original de- 

 scription will show the contrary; Audubon having first noted 

 the bird from the Atlantic States. " It is extremely rare in our 

 Atlantic districts, where, however, Lhave procured a few indi- 

 viduals. Indeed, the first intimation which 1 received respect- 

 ing it was from my friend Charles Pickering of Philadelphia, 

 who, having procured one, had kept its wings and head, the 

 smallness of which struck me at once. I was then far from 

 imagining that its native haunts were the valleys of the Colum- 

 bia River",,«&c. Since the Dwarf Thrush, as understood by 

 modern ornithologists, is confined to the West, the Eastern 

 specimens Audubon procured must have been only unusually 

 small examples of the common Hermit Thrush, in which a dif- 

 ference of an inch in length is not seldom found. It is thus 

 evident that the name nanus includes both the Hermit Thrush 

 proper, T. pallasi of most late authors, and the Western 

 variety, or Dwarf Thrush ; and I really do not see how Dr. 

 Brewer's conclusion, that we should reverse our usual nomencla' 

 ture, make the Dwarf Thrush the original species, and write 

 T. nanus var. pallasi instead of T. pallasi var. nanus, can be 

 gainsaid. It will, however, tend to prevent further misunder- 

 standing of a matter already sufficiently involved to accept 

 the identification of the names made by Professor Baird in 1858. 



The name of Turdus minor Gmelin has been applied by 

 Bonaparte to this species, and his example has been followed 

 by several writers ; the name, therefore, requires examination 

 in this connection. Referring to Gmelin, it will be found that 

 his Turdus minor is not available for use in any connection. 



