BICKNELL'S THRUSH. 



BY REV. J. H. LANGILLE. 



Off tl.e south-west end of Nova Scotia, opposite Yarmouth 

 and Shelburn Counties, is a large number of islands -one for 

 every day in the year, they say. On leaving the harbor of the 

 city of Yarmouth, off to the westward and well out at sea are 

 Green Island and Garneet Rock. Then comes the Tuske't Is- 

 lands, many m n.maber, and of varied size, form and appear- 

 ance ; some being partly cultivated, some wholly wooded and the 

 outermost almost as smooth as a lawn ; these last are called the 

 Bald Tuskets. Farthest out at sea, and very nearly on an extend- 



ed line between the two counties mentioned, are the Mud Islands 

 and Seal Islands. These are almost entirely covered with 

 a low growth of evergreens — black spruce and balsam fir. 

 Except the Robin, the Song Sparrow, the Snowbird, and a few 

 Redstarts' and Winter Wrens, almost the only small land-birds 

 breeding here are the Black-poll Warbler and Bicknell's Thrush 

 — the last two being very abundant. 



This Thrush (the Black-poll I have described) was wholly 

 new to me. My attention was first arrested by its call or alarm 

 note, which sounded like cree-e-e-e-eefi, or guee-a, or cree-e-e-ee, 

 on a rather fine, high key. It had some resemblance to the call 

 of Wilson's Thrush, but was unmistakably different; and as Mr. 

 Brewster has noted (Bull. N. O. Club, Vol. VIII, p. 12), is 

 very particularly different from the sharp \iqu\d pip ox feenk of 

 the typical Olive-back. The song, Tsiderea, tsiderea, tsidirea, 

 sometimes tsidirea, rea, tsiderea, or some other modulation 

 of the same theme, is similar in tone to that of Wilson's Thrush, 

 but more slender and wirey, and therefore not nearly so musical 

 and grand. In the solitude of its evergreen islands, however, this 

 bird is by no means an inferior songster, the sibilant tones of its 

 voice being finely relieved by certain more prolonged and liquid 

 vibrations. A careful examination satisfied me that the bird 

 was Bicknell's Thrush, lately identified in the Catskill and in the 

 White Mountains, and named in honor of its discoverer. It was 

 so abundant, and not particularly shy for a Thrush, that I had 

 the most ample opportunity for the study of its habits ; and sev- 

 eral specimens were secured and retained. Next to its lesser 

 size, in structural peculiarity, is its slender, depressed, and finely 

 curved bill, compared with which that of the typical Olive-back 

 seems thick and clumsy. While singing, which occurred through- 

 out the day, but more especially in the evening twilight and early 

 morning, the bird delighted to perch in the top of the evergreens, 

 often on the very tip, where its bright, brown figure, with 

 elevated head, was quite conspicuous. On the ground and in 

 taking its food, its habits were precisely like those of other 

 Thrushes. 



To find the nest of this species was my great desideratum ; and 

 though the bird was so numerous, it was by no means an easy 

 task Many an hour did I thread my way through almost im- 

 penetrable evergreen thickets before I could secure the mucli 



