HERMIT THRUSH. 31 



Merula solitaria, Hermit Thrush, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 184. 

 Hermit Thrush, Turclus minor, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 303; vol. v. p. 445. 



Adult Male. 



Bill of ordinary length, nearly straight, compressed towards the end; 

 upper mandible with the dorsal outline a little convex, the tip slightly 

 decimate, the margins acute, inflected towards the end, slightly notched 

 close upon the tip; lower mandible slightly convex in its dorsal line, the tip 

 rather obtuse. Head of ordinary size; neck and body rather slender. Feet 

 rather long; tarsus longish, compressed, slender, anteriorly covered with a 

 few elongated, indistinct scutella, posteriorly edged, longer than the middle 

 toe; toes scutellate above, lateral ones almost equal, the outer connected as 

 far as the second joint. 



Plumage rather loose. A few longish bristles at the base of the upper 

 mandible. Wings of ordinary length, the third quill longest, the first very 

 short. Tail rather short, even, of twelve broad feathers, the shafts of which 

 project a little beyond the extremity of the webs, as is the case with the 

 outer primaries. 



Bill dark brown, yellowish towards the base of the lower mandible. Iris 

 hazel. Feet flesh-colour. The general colour of the upper parts is light 

 yellowish-brown, changing on the rump and tail into dull yellowish-red. 

 Quills dusky, margined externally with yellowish-brown. Primary coverts 

 yellowish-brown, dusky at the end; secondary coverts tipped with yellowish- 

 red. Under parts greyish-white, the neck and breast spotted with dark 

 brown. 



Length 7 inches, extent of wings 10^; bill along the ridge jj, along the 

 gap f; tarsus 1|. 

 Adult Female. 



The female differs only in having the spots on the breast somewhat larger, 

 and the tints of the upper parts rather deeper. 



The branches so thickly covered with dull red berries, and upon which 

 two Hermit Thrushes are seen, belong to a shrub which grows in the swampy 

 recesses preferred by these birds. Its leaves fall off at an early period, and 

 are of an ovato-lanceolate form, thin consistence, and deep green colour, 

 their under surface light grey. The common name of it is Robin Wood. 

 It seldom grows taller than from seven to eight feet, and all the branches, in 

 a favourable season, are thickly covered with the berries, on which many 

 birds, besides the Turclus migratorius, from which it seems to have derived 

 its common name, are seen to feed. 



