200 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



eggs near Yemassee. The nest was placed on a dead ash limb, 

 near a large cluster of vines, six feet from the ground, in swampy 

 woods. The eggs are greenish blue, without spots, measuring 

 1.05X-70, and three or four constitute a full complement. 



The Wood Thrush is a very shy bird and is much oftener heard 

 than seen. Its song is flutelike, exceedingly rich in tone and vol- 

 ume, and can be distinctly heard for at least a quarter of a mile 

 in the recesses of the great sombre swamps on calm days. The 

 food in spring and summer consists of insects and other animal 

 matter, and on this account the birds decompose shortly after 

 they are shot. 



The Wood Thrush winters in Cuba and Central America. 



303. Hylocichla fuscescens (Steph.) . Wilson's Thrush. 



Wilson's Thrush is a transient visitant, arriving in spring dur- 

 ing the first week of April and remaining until about May 10. 

 In autumn it arrives with great regularity, and I have noted the 

 first-comers on September 15, 1884, and September 14, 1895. 

 They remain until the middle of October. 



The birds inhabit deep, dark, gloomy swamps where there is 

 more or less water on the land. Like other forms of the genus 

 Hylocichla, this species delights in a well watered country where 

 the forest is of a deciduous growth, and it is rare to meet with 

 even a few individuals in open pine woods at the seasons of 

 migration, as the birds prefer dark places where the sun is ex- 

 cluded by dense foliage. During its passage in spring, its de- 

 lightful song can be frequently heard on calm days before and at 

 noon. It is insectivorous in spring, but in autumn feeds chiefly 

 upon various berries, principally those of the dogwood. While 

 all the thrushes search for food on or near the ground, they com- 

 monly resort in autumn to the tops of the tallest trees to obtain 

 berries. 



The breeding range in the Atlantic states extends from Penn- 

 sylvania to Newfoundland, but it also breeds in the higher moun- 

 tains of North Carolina. While a few are said to winter in south- 

 ern Florida, the great majority spend that season in the tropics. 

 It does not winter in any portion of South Carolina. 



304. Hylocichla aliciae (Baird) . Gray-cheeked Thrush. 

 This species is a transient visitant, arriving from the south by 

 the last week of April, but is not abundant until May 6. Some re- 



