NotAB on Some Winter R«eidenfc8 of 

 Hudson Valley. B.A.Mearns. 



2. Turdus pallasi. Hermit Thrush.- — A few sometimes winter 

 along the Hudson. In the Highlands, during the severe winter of 1874 - 75, 

 when birds of the Canadian Fauna, such as Pinicola enucleator, Loxia leu- 

 coptera, L. cwvirostra var. americana, yEgiothtis tinaria, Chrysomiiris pinus, 

 and Plectrophanes nivalis, were very numerous, the Hermit Thrushes were 

 frequently observed or shot. They were found only in the cedar groves by 

 the river, and were very shy and silent ; only occasionally uttering, in a low 

 tone, their customary chuck. These wintering birds remained until the 

 middle of March, and the regular migrants began to arrive April 2. No 

 Hermits were seen here during the past extremely mild winter (187 7 -78) ; 

 but " Mr. A. J. Huyler, a competent observer, told Mr. Ernest Inger- 

 soll, on several occasions, that he had seen Turdus pallasi at Tenafly, 

 N. J. [opposite Kiverdale, N. Y.], during each month of the past winter, 

 — of course not in any great numbers." * Mr. Huyler since writes me that 

 he " took a specimen of T. pallasi during the past winter, about the mid- 

 dle of February." Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, of Riverdale, N. Y. (to 

 whom I am indebted for many valuable notes on our winter birds), writes 

 me : " The extremes of early arrival and late departure of this species 

 are April 11 and November 20, both dates being in 1875; though on 

 February 28 (same year) I saw one in a grove of pine-trees, feeding on 

 the dried berries of sumach (Rhus), and appearing quite at home. I 

 again observed it (doubtless the same bird) at the .same place, on March 

 28." * I have observed a great irregularity in the migrations of this species, 

 both as to abundance and time of arrival. 



BoU. N.O.O. 4, Jan. . 1679, p.SS 



* There is a notice in "Forest and Stream" newspaper of the occurrence 

 of a Hermit Thrush, at St. John, N. B., on January 11, 1878 ; and there are 

 numerous records of its capture, in winter, in Southern New England. 



Hermit Tuwiw (Hylocichla guttata fallasii).— N&xy scarce during 

 their usual migration dates. For some unaccountable reason their move- 

 ments to the south seem to have been postponed so long that, by the advent 

 of severe weather, many of them came to grief. A single specimen was 

 noted on Nov. 13, 19031 next seen on Dec. 26, and again on Dec. 31. 

 The weather was then very cold, the ground covered with snow, and the 

 specimens were in an emaciated condition. The last chapter in the 

 tragedy was revealed by a specimen found under the edge of a sheltering 

 embankment, frozen to death, on January 5, 1904. The ground was then 

 covered with snow, about a foot deep on the level, and traveling was very 

 hard, so that I covered only a small section of country during my obser- 

 vations, but, judging by the several instances in which I noted the birds, 

 many hundreds must have perished, in the aggregate.— Willis W. 

 WoRTHi.NtGTON, Shelter Island Heights. N. V. „c- T 



Auk, Ixi, Apr. , 1904. ^.^^7 



35. Hylocichla guttata pallasii. Hermit Thrush.— Given only as a 

 common transient visitant, which would be my verdict. Mr. Miller,"how- 

 ever, found it breeding commonly at Peterboro. 

 /?y Wlil^^^ . V^iT^ycm, Auk, XX. .laly, 190S, p 



