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ington naturalist. It was then the early part of May, 

 and the first wave of bird-life was rushing in. In the 

 space of an hour's walk with the learned professor in 

 the Sillery wood, I was agreeably introduced by him to 

 a whole bevy of songsters, whose wild minstrelsy, each 

 day tinkled in my ears, but whose names were to me 

 unknown. He, it was, who pointed out to me the 

 difference in the song and plumage, between the Hermit 

 Thrush and Wilson's Thrush or Veery, both species 

 then making the tops of the Sillery Maples and Silver 

 Birch trees vocal with their " wood notes wild." 



Dr. Bryant said that he doubted whether the Wood 

 Thrush came so far east as Quebec, that the birds I heard, 

 were the Hermit and Wilson's Thrush ; that I could 

 easily see by comparing them with the specimens in my 

 collection that they had not on their .breast those dis- 

 tinct, dark, oval-shaped markings, but lines and paler 

 pencillings. The Ked-start and the Eed-eyed Fly- 

 catcher or Vireo came next under our notice : my old 

 friend Vireo, who sings incessantly from May to Sep- 

 tember. Ever since Dr. Bryant's visit, I have each 

 spring, about the 15th April, watched for the return of 

 the Hermit Thrush on my domain ; its liquid, flute-like 

 notes, especially before rain, were one of the sweetest 

 strains I have ever heard. In fact, I came then to the 

 conclusion that the Hermit Thrush was the musician 

 which the Canadian peasants styled La Flute, the flute, 

 whilst its congener went under the expressive name 

 Le Hautbois — the Oboe. Dr. Bryant then pointed out 

 to me the difference which existed in the general 

 plumage and the markings on the breast of both thrushes, 

 and Stearns in his New-England Bird- Life, in very 

 few words, shows how easily the four leading varieties 

 may be distinguished by the color of the upper parts 

 alone. 



" The Wood Thrush is tawny* turning to olive on the 

 rump. The Hermit is olive, turning to tawny on the 

 rump. The Olive-backed is entirely olive. The Veery 



