ZOOLOGY. 
171 
Family TIIR D ID A E. 
Sub-Family TURD1NAE.—T he Thrushes. 
TURDUS USTULATUS, Nut tall. 
Turdus ustulatus, Nuttall, Man. Orn. I, (2d ed.) 1840, 400. Columbia river; (printed cestulaius by a typograkical 
error.)-— Baird, Gen. Rep. Birds, p. 215. 
Sp. Ch. —Third 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 tibiae 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. 
Hab .—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 twiggs, 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 the 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. solitarius of Wilson, 
(the brown thrush of Pennant and Latham?) and T. nmior of Swainson, which was probably 
obtained far to the north.—C. 
