Birds of Indiana. 1157 



the insects consisted of ants, fifteen per cent.; lepidoptera (butterflies, 

 moths, cut-worms, caterpillars, etc.), nineteen per cent.; beetles, thirty 

 per cent.; hemiptera, mostly predaceous, eight per cent.; grasshoppers, 

 eight per cent. (Bulletin No. 3, 111. State Lab. N. H., pp. 139, 130). 



In the fall they begin to be seen in northern Indiana, late in Sep- 

 tember. While the multitude passes through the early part of Octo- 

 ber, there are some that remain into November. The earliest and 

 latest dates where they have been observed are at Sedan, September 

 22, 1889, October 27, 1894; Brookville, October 11, 1887, October 22, 

 1894; Greensburg, October 22, 1893, October 27, 1894; Carrol] 

 County, October 5, 1878; Chicago, 111., October 6, 1893, November 11, 

 1895. 



The Hermit Thrush may be readily recognized by its bright, tawny 

 tail. It is the only thrush that has the tail brighter than the back. 



m. Genus MBRUtA Leach. 



*320. (761). Merula m^ratoria (Linn.). 



American Sobin. 



Synonym, Robin. 



Adult Male. — Above, head, black; eyelids and a spot in front of the 

 eye, white; wings, black; tail, blackish, the two outer feathers tipped 

 with white; other upper parts, slate-gray; below, throat, breast and 

 sides, deep rufous, or reddish; other lower parts, white, the erissum 

 tinged with dusky; biU, yellow. Adult Female. — Similar, but paler 

 and duller. Bill, less yellow. Immature. — Back, with black markings; 

 breast, sides and abdomen, pale rufous, thickly spotted with black. 



Length,- 9.00-10.00; wing, 4.90-5.40; tail, 4.10-4.50. 



Kange.- — Eastern North America, from eastern Mexico to Hudson 

 Bay and Alaska, west to Eocky Mountains. Breeds from Virginia and 

 southern Missouri north. Winters from Minnesota, Michigan and 

 southern New England south. 



Nest, preferably in fruit tree or shade tree; of twigs, grass, weeds, 

 strings, papers, fibres, with much mud; lined with fine grass. ]i!ggs, 

 4-6; greenish-blue; 1.18 by .81. Two broods. 



The Rabin is a common summer resident, abundant during the 

 migrations. It is an irregular winter resident throughout the State, 

 more regular and numerous southward. While almost every year they 

 are found the whole year round somewhere in the State, the prob- 

 ability is that the Eobins that breed with us are not the ones that 

 winter in the same locality. Usually the migrations begin near the 

 first of February in the vicinity of the Ohio River, and the birds be- 



