206 SINGING BIRDS. 
weeks in the spring and fall. They arrive in this part of New 
England about the roth of April, and disperse to pass the 
summer in the seclusion of the forest. They are often seen on 
the ground in quest of their food, and frequent low and thick 
copses, into which they commonly fly for concealment when 
too attentively observed ; though when in small companies, in 
the spring season, they do not appear very shy, but restless 
from the unsettled state of their circumstances. When dis- 
persed, they utter a low, chirping call, and for some time 
continue to frequent the same secluded part of the forest 
in society. At times, like the Wagtail, they keep this part of 
their body in a slow, vertical motion. In manners they strongly 
resemble the following species, but their song seems to be 
unusually lively and varied. 
The Hermit is a common bird in the Maritime Provinces and 
Quebec, and nests from about latitude 44° northward. It is com- 
mon on Anticosti and along the north shore of the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence, and has been taken at Lake Mistassini. In Ontario it 
occurs chiefly as a migrant, though breeding in the Muskoka 
district. In New England also it is principally known as a 
migrant, breeding in numbers only along the northern border and 
on the higher hills of Connecticut and Massachusetts. The nest 
has been taken in Ohio and in southern Michigan. 
The opinions expressed by Nuttall that the Hermit Thrush is a 
peculiarly shy and solitary bird, and that its favorite resorts are 
amid the deep forests, are, I think, somewhat misleading; at least 
my observations in New Brunswick led me to form quite different 
opinions. I did find these birds courting retirement and appar- 
ently destitute of either vanity or curiosity; but they always dis- 
played a calm self-possession that is inconsistent with shyness. 
Nor were they peculiarly solitary, for though it was unusual to see 
a number of them in close companionship, it was not unusual to 
meet with half a dozen in as many minutes, or to find as many 
nests within a small area. 
Like all woodland birds, they prefer the groves to the open fields, 
and they enjoy a cool shade in a moist valley; but they build 
their nests near the settlements, and rarely go into the denser for- 
ests. This is their habit in New Brunswick, though of course when 
farther north they must resort to the timber districts; there are 
few settlements to attract them. 
