WOOD THRUSH. 5 
Alleghanian fauna, It is found chiefly in low damp woodlands which are thickly covered 
with undergrowth, and prefers for settlement the shady interior to the noisy and busy 
neighborhood of man. It loves the deep half-darkness of the forest-solitude with its peace 
and quietness. Here one can hear the wonderful, harmonious, fiute-like song from early 
dawn till the fall of the evening twilight. Although usually selecting low woods for its 
home, it seems to love equally well high mountain regions. In the mountains of North 
Carolina and elsewhere it loves to nest in the grand evergreen Rhododendrons (R. Cataw- 
biense, R. punctatum). 
I found it most abundant in the woods bordering the streams and creeks of 
northern Illinois. There it prefers for its breeding-place pieces of woodland containing 
masses of dense thickets. In my native State—Wisconsin—the Wood Thrush is a 
somewhat shy bird, which regularly breeds in deep forest recesses, but in northern Illinois 
it departs considerably from such habits, and although not breeding in gardens near to 
man, I occasionally found nests in woods close to an orchard. In the East nests have 
been found repeatedly in gardens, and my friend Mr. O. Widmann informs me, that 
this bird often nests even within the city limits of St. Louis. 
The Wood Thrush rarely appears in its northern home before the middle of May 
—often some days later—at the time when the first flower-buds open upon the apple- 
trees. It usually remains for the first few days after its arrival in the dense under- 
growth. Were it not for hearing repeatedly the far-sounding, delightful ‘Eolie’ or 
“Hallolee,” one would hardly know that this famous vocalist had returned home again. 
Besides this common song-like call it utters a low ‘“‘tuck” or “tack” and a quickly 
reiterated ‘“tucktucktucktuck,’’ which is especially frequent after its arrival and is per- 
haps intended as a love-call to its mate. Only when it sings does it perch on a tree- 
top and pour forth its exquisite song. Usually it selects such a seat at a considerable 
distance from the nest, and returns to it very often. When disturbed it suddenly dives 
into the underwood. 
Formerly this Thrush nested very abundantly in the woods along the Calumet 
and Des Plaines River near Chicago. These woods consist mostly of oaks, tall elms, 
lindens, black walnut and ash trees.: Dense hawthorn bushes, intertwined with wild 
grape vines and virgin’s bower (Clematis virginica), Juneberry trees, dogwood, elder, 
black haw, hazel-copses and beautiful wild crab-trees make up the underwood, which 
stands in clustered masses, forming dense thickets with sunny openings here and there, 
In these rather damp places our vocalist choses his regular domicile. 
In their northern habitat these birds commence nestbuilding usually in the first 
week of June. All the nests I found were from four to six, more rarely as high as 
fifteen feet from the ground. The first and only nest near a human dwelling I found 
June 17th, 1876, at River Forest (Illinois), about a quarter of a mile from Des Plaines 
River. It was placed in a wild crab-tree' growing on the edge of the woods right 
back of an orchard, and was about thirteen feet from the ground. All the other nests 
discovered by me were more in the depths of the woods. In the following year I found 
the nests particularly numerous in that part of the forest (then called Hase’s Park) 
traversed by the Desplaines River. It was a beautiful piece of woodland, since con- 
1 Pyrus coronaria. 
