Painted

1910

Published

1929

Volume

12

Plate

759b

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Hermit Thrush

Hylocichla guttata pallasi

DESCRIPTION

Late one October afternoon I took the ax from its concealed nook in the work shop (it is a one-man ax and I wouldn't lend the keen blade to Diana herself even if she pleaded for it kneeling — ten years ago a flaunt of her copper tresses and I'd have given her a carload but now the fire has sunk to embers like the leaves along the woodroad where I walked hillward). I had no intention of using it — just took it along for company, as naturally as I'd slip on an old coat.

I sat down and leaned back against the barkless trunk of a great chestnut, dead many years, looking thru the contorted limbs into a pale cadmium western sky.

A clear bell rang, remotely intoned as infinity. The opening note of the HERMIT'S song! Here in October! Never had I heard them sing in Autumn. Would he finish? — I waited, tense and eager but the single tone was all and after that the silence seemed deeper, more poignant. The note focused my wandering thots: I was back on the border of a nameless lake in the far hills of Maine, tranquil in the placid light of approaching sunset. Jo was busy at the fire before a ruff shack he used on his winter trap line and a faint familiar perfume from his pan mingled with the odors of spruce and pine. From the forest-darkened hills emanated that mysterious sense of quiet expectancy with which they accept the dramatic changes of day and night. Slowly, rose tint overlaid the gold. The sun was gone, leaving a bewildering chaos of iridescence — crimson, flame, orange, pale transparent greens near shore, in sky and lake. Voicing it all were Hermits singing from darkening aisles. The elusive colors merged into purples and Night stood over those ancient hills like an old god, the dark mountains a cloak on his shoulders. Still the Hermit Thrushes sang. . . . .

"You hungry?"

Life would be as fleeting as Art if we didn't eat, so I joined Jo at the slab table. Desultory performers continued the concert and the last thing I remember of that night was a burst of exquisite music coming thru the open door as the minstrels called up the June moon.

Doctor Dwight writes as follows:

The range of the Hermit Thrush coincides very closely with that of the Oliveback, altho its distribution is slightly more southern except it does not entirely desert the lower border of the United States in winter. It dwells in the same coniferous forests with perhaps a preference for the deciduous bits scattered thru it. In song and manner it is more sluggish than the Oliveback. Nevertheless it bears the palm as the most gifted songster of North America and his sweet measured notes poured forth in many stanzas of different keys have been the theme of poetic writers.

The Hermit is less tidy in appearance than the Oliveback, becoming more frayed and worn in plumage because of its terrestrial habits. This may be why so many subspecies have been described, but in my opinion four races is the limit of recognizable variation. This conclusion may not meet with general favor, not being in complete accord with commonly-accepted ideas. The deduction is made from facts derived from personal examination of a large number of specimens. I am satisfied that recognition of more races will simply mean that all winter specimens will be named by guesswork. Light and dark, large and small may be sorted into series to which names may be applied but no one can feel sure by this process of matching that some of the birds in different rows did not come originally from the same nest!

To which I add a hearty Just so! Amen!

BREEDING

NEST on ground usually under low bushes in open, swampy places. Built of leaves, dried plant stems, twigs and lined with fine grass and bark strips.

EGGS, 3 to 5, uniform pale greenish blue.

RANGE

Northern and eastern North America. Breeds from latitude 60 east 65 west southeasterly to about latitude 43. Locally in mountains of Pennsylvania and Maryland and on Long Island. Winters from Massachusetts (rarely) and lower Delaware and Ohio vallies to Texas and Florida.

Glaucous Willow

Salix discolor

DESCRIPTION

A tree rarely more than 25 feet high, distributed widely along stream and lake banks, from Nova Scotia to Manitoba, southern Delaware, Indiana, Illinois and northeastern Missouri.

‍

hermit-thrush
cactus-wren-bryant-cactus-wren-san-lucas-cactus-wren
Cactus Wren, Bryant Cactus Wren, San Lucas Cactus Wren
713-713a-713b
rock-wren-san-nicolas-rock-wren-guadalupe-rock-wren
Rock Wren, San Nicolas Rock Wren, Guadalupe Rock Wren
715-715a-715b
white-throated-wren-canyon-wren-dotted-canyon-wren
White-Throated Wren, Canyon Wren, Dotted Canyon Wren
717-717a-717b
carolina-wren-florida-wren-lomita-wren
Carolina Wren, Florida Wren, Lomita Wren
718-718a-718b
bewick-wren-vigor-wren-baird-wren
Bewick Wren, Vigor Wren, Baird Wren
719-719a-719b
san-clemente-wren-guadalupe-wren
San Clemente Wren, Guadalupe Wren
719.1-720
texas-wren-san-diego-wren-seattle-wren
Texas Wren, San Diego Wren, Seattle Wren
719c-719d-719e
house-wren-western-house-wren
House Wren, Western House Wren
721-721a
winter-wren-western-winter-wren-kadiak-winter-wren
Winter Wren, Western Winter Wren, Kadiak Winter Wren
722-722a-722b
alaska-wren-aleutain-wren
Alaska Wren, Aleutian Wren
723-723.1
short-billed-marsh-wren
Short-Billed Marsh Wren
724
long-billed-marsh-wren-tule-wren
Long-Billed Marsh Wren, Tule Wren
725-725a
worthington-marsh-wren-western-marsh-wren-prairie-marsh-wren-marian-marsh-wren
Worthington Marsh Wren, Western Marsh Wren, Prairie Marsh Wren, Marian Marsh Wren
725b-725c-725d-725e
brown-creeper-mexican-creeper
Brown Creeper, Mexican Creeper
726-726a
rocky-mountain-creeper-california-creepeer-sierra-creeper
Rocky Mountain Creeper, California Creeper, Sierra Creeper
726b-726c-726d
white-breasted-nuthatch-slender-billed-nuthatch-florida-white-breasted-nuthatch
White-Breasted Nuthatch, Slender-Billed Nuthatch, Florida White-Breasted Nuthatch
727-727a-727b
rocky-mountain-nuthatch-san-lucas-nuthatch
Rocky Mountain Nuthatch, San Lucas Nuthatch
727c-727d
red-breasted-nuthatch
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
728
brown-headed-nuthatch
Brown-Headed Nuthatch
729
pygmy-nuthatch-white-naped-nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch, White-Naped Nuthatch
730-730a
tufted-titmouse
Tufted Titmouse
731
black-crested-titmouse-sennett-titmouse
Black-Crested Titmouse, Sennett Titmouse
732-732a
plain-titmouse-gray-titmouse-ashy-titmouse
Plain Titmouse, Gray Titmouse, Ashy Titmouse
733-733a-733b
bridled-titmouse
Bridled Titmouse
734
chickadee-long-tailed-chickadee
Chickadee, Long-Tailed Chickadee
735-735a
oregon-chickadee-yukon-chickadee
Oregon Chickadee, Yukon Chickadee
735b-735c
carolina-chickadee-plumbeous-chickadee-florida-chickadee
Carolina Chickadee, Plumbeous Chickadee, Florida Chickadee
736-736a-736b
mexican-chickadee
Mexican Chickadee
737
mountain-chickadee-bailey-mountain-chickadee
Mountain Chickadee, Bailey Mountain Chickadee
738-738a
alaska-chickadee
Alaska Chickadee
739
hudsonian-chickadee-acadian-chickadee
Hudsonian Chickadee, Acadian Chickadee
740-740a
chestnut-backed-chickadee-california-chickadee-barlow-chickadee
Chestnut-Backed Chickadee, California Chickadee, Barlow Chickadee
741-741a-741b
bushtit-california-bushtit-grinda-bushtit
Bushtit, California Bushtit, Grinda Bushtit
743-743a-743b
lead-colored-bushtit-lloyds-bushtit
Lead Colored Bushtit, Lloyd Bushtit
744–745
verdin-cape-verdin
Verdin, Cape Verdin
746-746a
wrentit-pallid-wrentit
Wrentit, Pallid Wrentit
747-747a
coast-wrentit-ruddy-wrentit
Coast Wrentit, Ruddy Wrentit
747b-747c
golden-crowned-kinglet
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
748
western-goden-crowned-kinglet
Western Golden-Crowned Kinglet
748a
ruby-crowned-kinglet
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
749
sitka-kinglet
Sitka Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
749a
dusky-kinglet
Dusky Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
749b
blue-gray-gnatcatcher-western-gnatcatcher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Western Gnatcatcher
751-751a
plumbeous-gnatcatcher-black-tailed-gnatcatcher
Plumbeous Gnatcatcher, Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher
752-753
townsends-solitaire
Townsend’s Solitaire
754
wood-thrush
Wood Thrush
755
veery
Veery
756
willow-thrush
Willow Thrush
756a
gray-cheeked-thrush-bicknells-thrush
Gray-Cheeked Thrush, Bicknell’s Thrush
757-757a
russet-backed-thrush
Russet-Backed Thrush
758
olive-backed-thrush
Olive-Backed Thrush
758a
alaska-hermit-thrush
Alaska Hermit Thrush
759
audubons-hermit-thrush
Audubon’s Hermit Thrush
759a
hermit-thrush
Hermit Thrush
759b
dwarf-hermit-thrush-monterey-hermit-thrush-sierra-hermit-thrush
Dwarf Hermit Thrush, Monterey Hermit Thrush, Sierra Hermit Thrush
759c-759d-759e
robin
Robin
761
western-robin-southern-robin
Western Robin, Southern Robin
761a-761b
san-lucas-robin
San Lucas Robin
762
varied-thrush
Varied Thrush
763
northern-varied-thrush
Northern Varied Thrush
763a
wheatear-greenland-wheatear
Wheatear, Greenland Wheatear
765-765a
bluebird
Bluebird
766
azure-bluebird
Azure Bluebird
766a
western-bluebird
Western Bluebird
767
chestnut-backed-bluebird
Chestnut-Backed Bluebird
767a
san-pedro-bluebird
San Pedro Bluebird
767b
mountain-bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
768

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