THRUSH COUSINS 



Thrush, the only diflPerence being that it averages a 

 little brighter and smaller than the Alice's Thrush, 

 Both these two species have upper parts dark olive 

 brown and light but spotted under-parts; they differ 

 mainly in that the Alice's Thrush has the light color 

 of the under-parts, throat, sides of head, and eye-ring, 

 pure white, while in the Olive-backed Thrush these 

 parts have a buffy suffusion. 



If the bird student can bear these points of the 

 thrushes in mind, there will be little trouble in identify- 

 ing them, if one can only get a good view of the birds. 

 But, "aye, there's the rub." The thrushes, all except 

 the Robin and Bluebird, are timid, retiring creatures, 

 fond of deep woods or swampy woodland solitudes. 

 The latter are especially the Veery's choice, and we 

 can oftener hear than see him, as he utters his ordinary 

 "whee-u" call, or chants his simple "veery-veery-veery" 

 lay. All the thrushes are good singers, with flute-like 

 tones, and more continuous and elaborate songs than 

 most birds. The Hermit Thrush is the finest singer 

 of them all, with the Wood Thrush as a close second, 

 and honorable mention for the efforts of the Olive- 

 backed and Alice's Thrushes. The Robin's familiar 

 outpourings have a homely beauty and strike a re- 

 sponsive chord in all hearts, while few sounds of 

 Nature delight us more than the ethereal aeolian harp 

 of the Bluebird, especially as heard from the skies in 

 March mingling with the sighing of the cool northwest 

 wind — our harbinger of spring. 



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