358 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



but not SO shy as most of the other thrushes. In its northern 

 home it is famed for its wonderful song, and both Brown and 

 Saunders speak of hearing the song occasionally in Alabama 

 in spring. Its alarm note is a low, soft chiick, in harmony 

 with iiie bird's quiet, unassuming character. Wayne states 

 that the hermit thrush can not endure sudden changes of 

 weather and that hundreds have been known to perish in 

 South Carolina during severe weather in January and 

 February.J 



Food habits. — During the winter this thrush feeds largely 

 on wild fruits and berries, which constitute more than a fourth 

 of its total food and include upwards of 40 different varieties. 

 Sumac seeds, including those of poison ivy and poison oak, are 

 a faivorite article of this bird's diet, having been found in 49 

 of the 551 stomachs examined. Other fruits and seeds most 

 often eaten are dogwood berries, pokeberries, service berries, 

 holly berries, blueberries, and seeds of the greenbrier and Vir- 

 ginia creeper. Insects compose more than half of the food, 

 the greater number being eaten in summer. Those most 

 frequently taken are beetles, ants, bees, wasps, caterpillars, 

 bugs, flies, and crickets.** 



ROBIN: Turdus migratorius migratorius Linnaeus.f 



State records. — The robin is a common winter resident in 

 Alabama from about the middle of October to the middle of 

 April. It is usually most abundant from the last of November 

 to the last of March, and few are seen even later. It ranges 

 into the mountain valleys as well as the lowlands and is some- 

 times seen even on the summits. McCormack has noted the 

 earliest arrivals in fall at Leighton on October 7 (1889) and 

 the latest in spring were seen April 29 (1890). Avery ob- 

 served the first ones in fall at Greensboro on October 19 

 (1890) and Golsan saw the first at Autaugaville, October 22 

 (1911). At Bayou Labatre, a few were seen November 19 

 (1915), and on the 22d they appeared in large numbers. At 

 the same locality and at Orange Beach I found robins only 

 moderately numerous in January and February, 1912. On 



tWayne, A. T., Birds of South Carolina, p. 202, 1910. 

 •♦Beal, F. E. L., Bull. 280, U. S. Dept. Agr., pp. 18-23, 1915. 



tPlaneatiens mUrratorios migratorias of the A. O. U. Check-liEt; for change of name 

 eee Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 34, p. 105, 1821. 



