122 
TURDUS WILSONII. 
former, with which it never associates, it is impossible 
not to conclude it to be a distinct and separate species, 
however near it may approach to that of the former. 
Its food, and the country it inhabits, for half the year, 
being* the same, neither could have produced those 
differences ; and we must believe it to be now, what it 
ever has, and ever will be, a distinct connecting link 
in the great chain of this part of animated nature ; all 
the sublime reasoning of certain theoretical closet 
philosophers to the contrary notwithstanding. 
Length of the hermit thrush, seven inches ; extent, 
ten inches and a half; upper parts, plain deep olive 
brown ; lower, dull white ; upper part of the breast 
and throat, dull cream colour, deepest where the 
plumage falls over the shoulders of the wing, and 
marked with large dark brown pointed spots ; ear, 
feathers, and line over the eye, cream, the former 
mottled with olive ; edges of the wings, lighter, tips, 
dusky ; tail coverts and tail, inclining to a reddish fox 
colour. In the wood thrush, these parts incline to 
greenish olive. Tail, slightly forked ; legs, dusky ; bill, 
black above and at the tip, whitish below ; iris, black, 
and very full ; chin, whitish. 
The female differs very little, — chiefly in being 
generally darker in the tints, and having the spots on 
the breast larger and more dusky. 
95. TURDUS WILSONII, BONAP TURDUS MUSTELINUS, WILS. 
Wilson’s thrush. — tawny thrush. 
WILSON, PLATE XLIII. FIG. III. 
This species makes its appearance in Pennsylvania 
from the south, regularly about the beginning of May, 
stays with us a week or two, and passes on to the north 
and to the high mountainous districts to breed. It has 
no song, but a sharp chuck. About the 20th of May 
I met with numbers of them in the Great Pine swamp, 
near Pocano ; and on the 25th of September, in the same 
year, I shot several of them in the neighbourhood of 
Mr Par tram’s place. I have examined many of these j 
