ZOOLOGY. 
171 
Family TURDIDAE. 
Sub-Family TURDINAE.—T h e T brushes. 
TUEDUS USTULATUS, Nut tall. 
Turdus ustulatus, Ndttalt,, Man. Orn. I, (2d ed.) 1840,400. Columbia river ; (printed ccstulatus by a typographical 
error.)— Baird, Gen. Rep. Birds, p. 215. 
Sp. Cii.—T hird and fourth quills longest; second intermediate between fourth and fifth. Tail nearly even. Upper parts 
uniform reddish brown, with a faint olivaceous tinge. Fore part of the breast tinged with brownish yellow, becoming paler to 
the chin ; the remaining under parts are white. The sides of the throat and the fore part of the breast, with small distinct 
triangular spots of well-defined brown, much darker than the back ; the sides of the breast more obsoletely spotted, and the sides 
of the body washed with olivaceous yellow brown. The tibi® are yellowish brown. Nearly the whole of the lower mandible, 
except the rami, is brown. Length, 7.25 to 8 ; extent, 11.75 to 12.25 ; wing, 3.75 ; tail, 3.00 ; tarsus, 1.12. Iris, brown ; legs, 
light brown ; bill, brown ; lower mandible, yellow at base. 
Hob. —Coast region of Oregon and Washington Territories. 
The “western thrush” of Nuttall is one of the most common summer residents in the wooded 
part of the Territory, arriving in May and remaining until the beginning of September. It 
closely resembles Wilson’s in appearance and habits, but quite distinct. Its song is similar, 
but shorter, and without the metallic ringing sound of that bird. It frequents the borders of 
woods and bushes along streams, and, except just after its arrival, is not very shy. About the 
middle of June I found its nests containing eggs built commonly on a small horizontal branch, 
and very strongly constructed of twigs, grass roots, and leaves, sometimes covered outside 
entirely with moss, which, in the damp climate near the coast, grows, and forms large masses. 
It appears to raise two broods, as I have found a nest with eggs in it as late as July 13. The 
eggs, unlike those of most thrushes, are white, spotted thickly with brown, and four or five in 
number. This thrush sings most in the early morning and evening, when numbers may be 
heard answering each other from all sides. They do not seek the darkness of thickets so much 
as the hermit thrush, but often feed in gardens, &c., in the sunshine.—C. 
This bird is quite abundant west of the Cascade mountains. In the neighborhood of Fort 
Steilacoom, at the edges of the large forests and in the vicinity of swamps and damp lands, 
this bird is found abundantly in spring and summer. It has a great faculty for hiding itself 
securely, and, although very numerous, is difficult to obtain. Its voice is a low, soft, sad, lonely 
whistle, generally confined to one note about three seconds in length, and repeated at very 
regular intervals. One specimen, (No. 517,) shot August 2, 1856, at Fort Steilacoom, measured 
7.62, 11. Another, a young bird, killed July 26, I find in my note book, had “the membrane 
at angle of mouth lemon yellow .”—S. 
Note. —I have twice only seen a thrush resembling a hermit thrush in general appearance, 
but quite differently colored. The first was brought to me December 4, with its tail pulled out, 
having been caught in a house. It was of a very dark brown, without a tint of olive, and its breast 
more thickly marked with spots of the same color, large and round. I afterwards saw another, 
on Whitby’s island, in March, but could not get a shot at it. I suppose, therefore, it is a 
winter visitor only in the lower country. This seems to resemble T. solilarius of Wilson, (the 
brown thrush of Pennant and Latham?) and T. minor of Swainson, which was probably 
obtained far to the north.—C. 
