496 
THRUSHES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC. 
nw. Alaska, to s. Ungava, and N. F., s. to Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, e. Ore., 
Nev., Utah, Colo., n. Mich., N. Y., and in mts. from Mass, to Pa., and W. 
Va. ; winters from s. Mex. to S. A. 
Washington, common T. V., Apl. 19-June 2; Sept. 2-Nov. 1. Ossining, 
tolerably common T. V., May 2-30; Sept. 19-Oct. 22. Cambridge, common 
T. V., May 12-28; Sept. 15-Oct. 5. N. Ohio, common T. V., Apl. 22-June 
13; Sept. 2-Oct. 24. Glen Ellyn, common T. V., Apl. 23-June 6; Aug. 16- 
Oct. 24. SE. Minn., common T. V., May 1- ; Sept. 25- . 
Nest, of coarse grasses, moss, rootlets, leaves and bark, lined with root- 
lets and grasses, in bushes or small trees, about 4 feet up. Eggs, 3-4, greenish 
blue, more or less spotted and speckled with cinnamon-brown or rufous, 
*90 X ’64. Date, Upton, Maine, June 4. 
Passing northward in the spring, in small, silent bands, scattered 
through the woodland undergrowth, whence they quietly slip away, if 
disturbed, often to the higher branches of the trees, these birds easily 
escape observation. In late September or early October their loud, 
metallic call-notes may be recognized overhead at night, and during 
the day the birds themselves may be found on the edges of the woods 
or along tangled hedgerows, associated with Sparrows and other 
migrants. Their summer home is in the coniferous forest of the North, 
although they do not confine themselves strictly to the evergreen 
woods, and, avoiding its depths, seek rather the vicinity of clearings 
well grown up with firs and spruces. Here, day after day, the same 
musician may be seen pouring forth his ringing song from some com- 
manding elevation — preferably a dead tree top. If approached, he 
promptly dives down into the underbrush, where he is very likely 
joined by his mate, and both proceed to scold, in a mild way, the 
chance intruder. Little is ever seen of these shy birds, but fortunately 
their notes are quite characteristic, and the sole obstacle in distinguish- 
ing them from those of the Hermit Thrush, a bird frequenting the 
same localities, lies in the difficulty of tracing them to their source. 
The effect of its loud and beautiful song is much enhanced by the 
evening hush in which it is most often heard. It lacks the leisurely 
sweetness of the Hermit Thrush’s outpourings, nor is there pause, but 
in lower key and with greater energy it bubbles on rapidly to a close 
rather than fading out with the soft melody of its renowned rival. 
There are also a variety of other notes, the most frequent being a 
puk of alarm, pitched higher than a corresponding cluck of the Hermit 
Thrush. J. Dwight, Jr. 
759b. Hyloeiehla guttata pallasi (Cab.). Hermit Thrush. Ad . — • 
Upperparts olive-brown, sometimes cinnamon-brown; tail pale rufous, of a 
distinctly different color from the back; throat and breast with a slight buffy 
tinge; feathers of the sides of the throat with wedge-shaped black spots 
at their tips; those of the breast with large, rounded spots; middle of the 
belly white; sides brownish gray or brownish ashy. L., 7°17; W., 3*56 ; T., 
274; B., *51. 
Remarks. — The Hermit Thrush may always be easily identified by its 
rufous tail. It is the only one of our Thrushes which has the tail brighter 
than the back. 
Range. — N. and e. N. A. Breeds in Canadian and Transition zones 
from s. Yukon, to n. Que., s. to cen. Alberta, s. Sask., cen. Minn., n. Mich., 
