14 ALICE’S THRUSH. 
Olive-back—are very amiable and noble birds, they are also very peaceable and get 
along well with other birds, though they never delight us with their full song in an 
aviary. In order to enjoy their song fully it is necessary to give them a roomy cage 
and to tend them carefully. Then these little Thrushes, which belong to the finest song- 
sters of all birds, become the most grateful companions the bird-fancier can possess. 
NAMES: VeERy, Witson’s Torus, Tawny Thrush, “Nightingale.”—Germ. Rételdrossel, Fuchsdrossel, “‘Viry”’. 
SCIENTIFIC NAMES: TURDUS FUSCESCENS Svrepu. (1817), Turdus mustelinus Wils. (1812), T. wilsonii 
Bonap. (1824), Merula wilsonii Brewer (1844), Hylocichla fuscescens Baird. 
DESCRIPTION: Upper parts light tawny browu with a faint olivaceous tint; below creamy white, ‘marked 
with brownish spots and streaks. Sexes do not differ in color. Length 7 to 7.50 inches.—Nest on or 
near the ground, built without mud. Eggs 4 to 5 (.85x.66) plain greenish-blue. 
Recently Prof. R. Ridgway described a new variety (T- fuscescens salicicolus Ridgw.) from the 
Rocky Mountain region. See his ‘Manual of North American Birds” p. 574. 
GRAY~CHEEKED, OR ALICE’S I KRUSH. 
Turdus aliciae Bairp. 
LTHOUGH this Thrush bears a strong resemblance to the Olive-back, it is never- 
(theless a good species. It seems to be a more northern bird than the last 
named, breeding abundantly within the Arctic Circle, especially near the mouth of the 
Mackenzie River, and in the woods bordering the Anderson River and Great Slave Lake. 
Dr. Elliott Coues found it nesting commonly in Labrador. So far our incomplete in- 
formation does not enable us to state how far south it ranges during the breeding 
season. It is, however, not known to breed anywhere in the northern part of the 
Union. Here it is represented by a variety, Turdus aliciae bicknelli Ripcw., which is 
confined to the Alpine regions of the Eastern States. 
McFarlane collected near the mouth of the Mackenzie River and the Coppermine 
a large number of nests and eggs and sent them to the Smithsonian Institution. Almost 
all the nests found by various collectors were placed in low bushes two to seven feet 
from the ground. A few were discovered even on the ground. The structure is usually 
composed of mosses, bark-strips, old leaves, grass, and the stems of some species of 
Equisetaceae. The eggs are greenish blue, spotted with light brown. 
During migration in autumn and spring the Gray-cheeked Thrush is a common 
bird in our woodlands. In northern Illinois it makes its appearance late in September 
and passes southward without long delay. In spring it usually arrives during the last 
days of April and then often lingers several weeks. At this time you may hear its 
really beautiful, delicious song. It is unlike the song of all the other smaller Thrushes, 
but is nearest that of the Hermit, It differs, however, in being exactly inverse, for 
