142 
SUMMER BIRDS. 
Slide Mountain, June i 5 , 1881, and two taken on the same mountain 
by Mr. Pearsall, June 7, 1882, are perfectly typical of the species and 
manifestly distinct from the preceding. In connection with the lat- 
ter their dimensions are of interest and are appended, in inches and 
hundredths : — 
Ad. $ June 7, ’82 — wing, 4. 1 5 ; tail, 3.10; tarsus, 1.03; middle toe, . 65 ; 
bill, culmen and from nostril, .49-.37. 
Ad. S June 7, ’82 — wing, 3.90; tail, 3.00; tarsus, 1 10; middle toe, .68; 
bill, .48-. 37. 
Ad. S June 1 5 , ’81 — wing, 3 85 ; tail, 2.87; length of this specimen in 
the flesh, 7.10. 
It is possible that the earlier taken of these specimens were late 
migrants representative of a more northern habitat; certainly they do 
not show the reduction from maximum specific size that we should 
expect to find in individuals from the southern limit of the breeding 
range of their species. But with this bird decrease of latitude seems 
to be nearly compensated by moderate increase in altitude, and a 
specimen from another locality at the southern breeding limit of the 
species is rather over than under the average size. This was taken 
by my brother (P. C. 13 .), in the western part of the State (Allegany 
County) at about the same latitude as the Catskills, and gives the 
measurements here recorded in the order previously followed : — 
Ad. S ? July 19, 1871 — 3.92, 3.00, 1.08, .68, . 5 1 — .37. 
I have elsewhere alluded to a Thrush’s nest taken at the top of 
Slide Mountain which, containing blue brown-speckled eggs, may 
have belonged either to H. ' Swainsoni or H. ' Bicknelli. Notwith- 
standing the uncertainty as to the identity of this nest a brief de- 
scription may be not without interest. It was built upon some 
lateral branches of a young balsam, close to the trunk, about seven 
feet from the ground. Moss had been largely used in the external 
construction with plant stems and some dead leaves, the interior be- 
ing finished with a lining of black rootlets. Several nests of the 
previous year were similar to this, both in position and construction. 
The three eggs were fresh and measured respectively; .82 x -63, 
,82 x- 64, .81 x- 65 . These dimensions appear to be much smaller than 
the average of those of H. ' Swwinsom, and smaller than any mini- 
mum measurements of those of either this species or of H. Alicice 
that I have seen. While one is nearly elliptical the others are more 
ovate in outline, and all differ in shade and markings; but from the 
uncertainty of their ownership further description is not called for. 
A nest, supposed to be of H. ' Swainsoni , was discovered near Slide 
Mountain by my brother (P. C. B.), on June 26, 1873, which was 
built about filteen feet from the ground in a small beech-tree, and 
