202 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



spotted ; but lay examples of each side by 

 side and it will prove that the Tawny was 

 correctly named, tor his russet plumes have a 

 reddish tint in marked contrast with the 

 greenish shade of the Olive-backed, while the 

 Hermit is distinguished by his tawny tail 

 which changes to olive above the rump. But 

 the actions of these birds are more nearly 

 identical than either form or color, for whether 

 seen hopping along the ground or perched 

 upon a tree, feeding or flying, it is impossible 

 to detect any difference in them. 



Much has beeit written about these same 

 manners that is not warranted by what is 

 observed of them during their visit to this 

 country. While here they appear neither 

 timid nor shy, and I doubt if they ever yield 

 to such plebian weaknesses. These birds ate 

 patricians, the premier genus of the arian 

 aristocracy on Mr. Ridgway's roll, and true to 

 the instincts and traditions of " the first 

 families " are modest and retiring, and prefer 

 Jie calm repose of the forest to the glare and 

 bustle of the field and roadside. They are 

 courageous and composed under excitement, 

 but never quarrelsome, and are happy without 

 being noisy. In short, they display the good 

 breeding and refined manners of the thorough- 

 breds that they are. They cannot be called 

 gregarious but they are not solitary— Hermit 

 Thrush is a positive misnomer. They do not 

 commingle as socially as do the species of 

 some other families ; indeed, they never 

 appear as companions, yet it is not unusual 

 to find a number of the same species frequent- 

 ing one grove. I have seen as many as thirty 

 Hermits within an area of a hundred yards 

 square. In nidification our three species 

 exhibit a marked difference; the nests are 

 differently constructed and placed in different 

 situations. Their eggs also differ in shape, 

 size and color, and their songs differ— differ in 

 tone, compass, volume, theme and duration. 



The Tawny and the Hermit always build on 

 the ground in this country, and though their 

 nests and its location are quite similar yet 

 they are not identical ; both nests are loosely 

 and roughly put together, but Veery's is the 

 most compact and the neatest. They are 

 usually placed in an indenture, either natural 

 or formed by the birds, and screened by an 

 overhanging branch, but while the Veery 

 prefers a dry knoll in a damp spot, within a 

 wood, the Hermit usually selects the margin 

 of a grove or a patch of trees in a dry and 

 partially overgrown open ; neither build in a 



dense thicket of trees or shrubbery. Under 

 the nest is placed a cushion or platform com- 

 posed of dried grass or moss. The nest proper 

 is built of dried grass and small twigs, un- 

 mixed with mud, and is lined with fine grass; 

 sometimes fine fibrous roots and vines are 

 added to the lining. 



The Olive-backed builds in a tree, and, like 

 all tree-builders, makes a substantial structure. 

 It is usually placed in the crotch of a limb 

 some six or eight feet from the ground, 

 generally in a moist place, and occasionally in 

 a really wet swamp. In a specimen of this 

 nest before me coarse grass is the predominat- 

 ing material in the external parts, but in the 

 walls twigs of spruce, bits of lichens and dried 

 leaves are mixed with the grass and all are 

 woven into a solid mass, very firm and strong. 

 The lining is formed by a layer of fine grass 

 interwoven with pieces of a black, vine-like 

 root, all neatly laid ; over these, at the bottom, 

 is a layer of skeleton leaves. The measure- 

 ments are: Depth, inside, If inches; width 

 at mouth, 2| inches ; outside the diameter is 

 irregular, varying from 4J to 5 inches. Mr. 

 J W. Banks tells me that of some fifty nests 

 of the Olive-backed Thrush that he has 

 examined all were lined with skeleton leaves; 

 but Mr. Harold Gilbert found one in 1878 that 

 was lined with moose hair. This nest was 

 built in a garden, in the suburbs of St. John, 

 within twenty feet of the house and but an 

 arms-length from one of the main walks. The 

 moose hair was furnished by a tame animal 

 kept on the grounds. The three species 

 usually lay four eggs, but it is Mr. Banks' 

 opinion that in extremely wet or cold seasons 

 three more frequently complete the clutch. 

 So eminent and excellent an authority as Dr. 

 Coues gives four and five as the number of 

 eggs, but we have never seen more than four 

 in any nest obtained in this country. 



The Tawny and the Hermit lay immaculate 

 eggs of a greenish-blue color, but the eggs of 

 the Hermit are much the paler and are also 

 the longer and more pear-shaped. The eggs 

 of the Olive-backed are of a bright greenish- 

 blue ground color, not so daric as the Veery's 

 and irregularly marked with purplish-brown 

 spots. In some examples these spots are so 

 large and numerous they almost entirely hide 

 the ground color. The average measurements 

 of the eggs are: Tawny, .86X.67; Olive- 

 backed, .92X.69; Hermit, .89X.64. Few of 

 our country-people are acquainted with the 

 appearance of these birds but are familiar with 



