|Family XII. TURDINAE. THRUSHES. GENUS III. TURDUS, Linn.
THRUSH. [Hermit Thrush (see also Hermit Thrush).] The history of
our smaller Thrushes has been involved in obscurity by the
attempts which have been made to restore to some of those
described by WILSON the names supposed to have been bestowed on
them by European writers, and by changing the names given by
WILSON to such as could not satisfactorily be referred to
previous writers. The difficulties that present themselves when
we attempt to recognise species ill figured and slightly
described, are very great, and I have often thought that too
little credit had been given to WILSON with respect to the
smaller Thrushes which he has described, and which no European
writer, who has not studied their habits and procured the birds
in our woods, can correctly characterize, unless he may have a
great number of specimens, ticketed when obtained, and shewing
the differences as to size and markings that occur in old and
young individuals, males and females, and whi