TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. 85 
It appears to feed mostly upon the berries of the cedar, and its abundance is to be 
determined, in a measure, by the presence of these trees. All our ornithologists who 
have had an opportunity of studying the western birds, agree in the statement that 
the Clarino is a resident throughout the entire year in its mountain home. 
As Iam not able to give my own personal observations, I will gather from the 
published records of other observers some items of its life history. Dr. J. S. Newberry 
has given a very interesting account of the bird. Noticing its occurrence in the Des 
Chutes Basin, he continues: “It does not inhabit dense forests, or prairies entirely des- 
titute of trees, but chooses surfaces covered with a scattered growth of pine and cedar. 
We first met with it in the cafion of Mptolyas River, at the base of Mt. Jefferson. As 
we picked our way with infinite difficulty down the side of this gorge, my attention 
was attracted by the delightful song of, to me, a new bird, of which a few were sitting 
in the pines and cedars which, by a precarious tenure, held a footing on the craggy face 
of the cliff. The song, so clear, full, and melodious, seemed that of a Mockingbird; of 
the bird I could not see enough to judge of its affinities. The next day, we followed 
down the river in the bottom of the cafion; all day the deep gorge was filled with a 
chorus of sweet sounds from hundreds and thousands of these birds, which, from their 
monotonous color, and their habit of sitting on a branch of a tree projecting into the 
void above the stream, or hanging from some heetling crag, and flying out in narrow 
circles after insects, precisely in the manner of Flycatchers, I was disposed to associate 
with them. Two days afterward, in the cafion of Psuc-see-que creek, of which the ter- 
raced banks were sparsely set with low trees of the western cedar (Juniperus occiden- 
talis) I found these birds numerous, and had every opportunity of hearing and seeing 
them, watching them for hours while feeding and singing. With the first dawn of day 
they began their songs, and at sunrise the valley was perfectly vocal with their notes. 
Never, anywhere, have I heard a more delightful chorus of bird music. Their song is 
not greatly varied, but all the notes are particularly clear and sweet, and the strain of 
pure, gushing melody is as spontaneous and inspiring as that of the Song Sparrow. At 
this time, September 30, these birds were feeding on the berries of the cedar; they were 
very shy, and could only be obtained by lying concealed in the vicinity of the trees 
which they frequented: I could deteét no difference in the plumage of the sexes.” 
Dr. Cooper adds his testimony to that of Dr. Newberry respecting the bird’s vocal 
powers: ‘‘The scarcity of the juniper on the western slope of the mountains, toward 
the north, seems to be the reason why this bird is not more frequent there; as, accord- 
ing to all accounts, they are found wherever that tree grows in abundance, especially 
on the mountain ranges of the great interior basin, and their extensions to the north and 
south. Althougl plain in plumage and retiring in habits, this bird is one of the most 
interesting in the western country; for, like its not distant relative, the European Night- 
ingale, it compensates by its delightful melody for its deficiencies in beauty. Having 
seen them in the Rocky Mountains, where they seemed merely plain and silent Fly- 
catchers, my astonishment, when I first heard one sing in the Sierra Nevada, was indeed 
great.... Their song can be compared to nothing uttered by any other bird I have 
heard in the United States, for it excels that of the Mockingbird in sweetness, besides 
being entirely original. It has the melancholy slowness, but without the interruptions, 
