THRUSHES, SOLITAIRES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC. 471 
758c. H. u. almae Oberh. Alma Thrush. 
Similar to swainsoni , but grayer, especially on rump and upper tail cov¬ 
erts; the upper parts hair brown, only lightly tinged with green instead 
of being clear olive, and the tail partly clear brown and partly uniform 
with back. 
Distribution. Yukon Basin south to the Rocky Mountain region of the 
United States, west to Utah and eastern Nevada ; in winter south to Mex¬ 
ico. 
759. Hylocichla guttata (Pallas). Alaska Hermit Thrush . 1 
Upper parts dark grayish brown , more olive in winter, tail deep rufous; 
chest thickly marked with broad, wedge-shaped spots. Lenqth: 6-7, wine- 
6.25-3.80, tail 2.00-3.00, bill .4S-.52. 
Remarks. — The Alaska hermit thrush can be distinguished from the 
Audubon hermit by its smaller size and darker coloration. 
Distribution. — Northwest coast region from Alaska to southern British 
Columbia, and southward in winter. 
Nest. — On ground in damp or swampy woods, composed largely of dead 
leaves and dried grasses. Eggs: 4 or 5, plain greenish blue, paler than 
in the wood and willow thrushes. 
Food. — Flies, weevils, ants, caterpillars, moths, pepper berries, and 
small fruits. 
The hermit thrushes have a marked habit of raising and lowering 
their reddish tails, and their call-note is a single chuck. As a group 
their songs rank as the best of the rare thrush songs. 
769a. H. g. auduboni (Baird). Audubon Hermit Thrush. 
Similar to guttata , but larger, and upper parts lighter, grayer, with rufous 
of tail much lighter (fulvous). Length: 7.50-8.25, wing 3.65-4.35, tail 
2.95-3.45, bill .53-.60. 
Distribution. —Rocky Mountain region, from near the northern border 
of the United States south to Guatemala; east to Texas and west to the 
mountains of Arizona and southern Sierra Nevada in California. 
Nest. — In bushes or low trees, 3 to 10 feet from the ground; partly 
made with moss. 
Food. — Flies, ants, weevils, and other insects and berries. 
As you travel through the spire-pointed fir forests of the western 
mountains, you know the thrush as a voice, a bell-like sublimated 
voice, which, like the tolling of the Angelus, arrests toil and earthly 
thought. Its phrases can be expressed in the words Mr. Burroughs 
has given to the eastern hermit, ‘ Oh, spheral , spheral! oh, holy, 
holy /’ and the first strain arouses emotions which the regularly fall¬ 
ing cadences carry to a perfect close. The fine spirituality of the 
song, its serene uplifting quality, make it fittingly associated with 
nature’s most exalted moods, and it is generally heard in the solemn 
stillness of sunrise, when the dark fir forest is tipped with gold, or 
1 Hylocichla guttata slevini Grinnell. Monterey Hermit Thrush. 
A pale ashy form; upper parts hair brown ; upper tail coverts and tail isabella color; 
spots on breast few and small. 
Distribution. — Breeds in humid coast belt of California from southern Monterey 
County to Sonoma County. (The Auk , xviii. 259.) 
