256 WOOD THRUSH. 



upper parts, faintly spotted breast, and particularly by 

 its notes. 



The Veery's characteristic calls are a clearly whistled 

 whee-o or wfiee-you, the first note the higher, and a some- 

 what softer tdo-whee or teiueu, in which the first note is 

 the lower. Its song is one of the most mysterious and 

 thrilling sounds to be heard in tlie woods. Elsewhere I 

 have described it as "a weird, ringing monotone of 

 blended alto and soprano tones. ... It has neither 

 break nor pause, and seems to emanate from no one 

 place. If you can imagine the syllables vee-r-r-hu [or 

 vee-ry] repeated eight or nine times around a series of 

 intertwining circles, the descripti(ju may enable you to 

 recognize the Veery's song." 



The Wood Thrush is a more southern bird than the 

 Veery, breeding from as far south as Florida, north- 

 Wood TliruBh ward to southern Vermont and Minne- 

 Turdiis musteUmis. sota. It winters in Central America 

 Plate Lxxiv. j^j^j reaches us in the spring, about April 

 3(>, and remains until October 1. Its nest is liuilt al)out 

 the middle of May, and is generally placed in a sapling 

 some eight feet from the ground. The eggs are greenish 

 blue. 



The Wood Thrush is not such a recluse as the Vecry. 

 He is, it is true, a wood lover, and shares with the Veery 

 his secluded haunts, but he seems ecpially at home in 

 maples and elms about our houses, or even in the more 

 quiet village streets. He is therefore more often heard 

 than his mysterious relative, and, as a voice, is familiar to 

 many wlio do not know the singer's name. 



The call-notes of the Wood Thrush are a li(piid quirt 

 and sharp pit-pit. The latter is an alarm note, which, 

 when the bird fears for the safety of its young, is uttered 

 with much increased force and rapidity. It can be closely 

 imitated by striking two large pebbles together. 



