20 
COMMON BIRDS : SECOND SERIES. 
on a smaller-twig. The ordinary note of the bird is a loud nasal 
ank, a?ik, and the spring song is a rapid repetition of this note in a 
modified form ; it may be likened to the tooting of a little trumpet. 
Veery, or Wilson's Thrush. 25. 
[hylocichla fuscescens.] 
The Veery, or Wilson’s Thrush, is the commonest of the genus 
in the greater part of eastern North America. It inhabits every 
piece of wet woodland and wooded swamp. It is shy, like all its 
kind, but may often be seen feeding in the paths or shaded roads, 
running and pulling up in the manner of Robins. Its food con¬ 
sists of insects, small snails, and berries. The song of the Veery 
is less fine than that of either the Wood Thrush or the Hermit, 
but it has a peculiar charm. It consists of a series of ringing- 
phrases, each lower in the scale than the preceding, and resem¬ 
bling somewhat the syllables vee-u-ry , vee-u-ry , vee-u-ry; the last 
notes often ring with a fine metallic quaver. The gloom of the 
woods, the general quiet, and the invisibility of the singer, all 
heighten the charm of the performance. The ordinary call of the 
Veery is a harsh pheu, which is modified to various melancholy or 
angry tones. The arrival of the Veery in early May is not heralded 
by its song. It is often a week after its arrival before it sings. 
The nest is placed on or near the ground, in some moist or swampy 
woodland, and is composed of grasses, leaves, and bits of bark, lined 
within with roots and fine grass. The eggs are four, light blue with 
a greenish tint. The Veeries, like the Wood Thrushes, cease to sing 
in July, and are rarely seen after the middle of August. They 
winter beyond the limits of the United States. 
