68 



tude to pour out its joyous song, but rather seeks the society of mankind, and in 

 the morning and evening will sing its clear notes from the top of some tree in 

 close proximity to the dwelling house. Its food in the early part of the season 

 consists almost entirely of caterpillars and beetles, which it obtains generally from 

 the branches and leaves of trees, though sometimes after rain it seeks for cut worms 

 and other grubs from the ground. Later in the year it feeds largely upon elderberries 

 and other small wild fruits, and does occasionally levy some slight toll from the 

 garden; but for all the cultivated fruit it takes it has amply repaid the gardener 

 by its efforts in the destruction of the insect tribe. 



Brown Thrush or Thrasher. All that I have said of the Catbird applies to 

 this species, but it is not quite so familiar and confiding in its habits. It displays 

 a decided preference for thick shrubbery at some little distance from the house. 

 Here it remains in seclusion for the greater part of the day, but in the early morn- 

 ing and evening the male bird mounts to the top of some tall tree near its haunt, 

 and for an hour or so will sing his beautiful song, which is much louder, though less 

 varied, than that of tlie Catbird. 



/^:the.ashees and mockers. 



Description. 

 CATBIED. 



Crown and tail black; rest of the plumage dark slaty gray; under tail coverts 

 rich chestnut. 



L., 8.95; W., 3.75; T., 4.00. 



Nest, in thick bushes; sometimes in a brush pile. Eggs, four or five, dark 

 greenish blue. 



BROWN THRUSH— THRASHER. 



Upper parts rich rufous brown ; wing coverts tipped with whitish ; under parts 

 white, heavily streaked with black except on throat and belly. 



L., 11.25; W., 4.00; T., 5.25. 



Nest, usually on or near the ground in a low bush. Eggs, four or five, greenish 

 white, thickly speckled with minute dots of reddish brown. 



WRENS. 



This is a most interesting and useful family of very small birds. Four species 

 of them are found in this Province in the summer. Two of them, the Long-billed 

 Marsh Wren, and the Short-billed Marsh Wren, as their name implies, frequent 

 our marshes and low swampy meadows, where they assist in keeping down hordes 

 of mosquitos that are bred in such places. The Winter Wren is a more transitory 

 visitor, the great bulk of them only passing through here in the spring and fall 

 migrations. A few, however, remain through the summer, and nest in some secluded 

 ravine in the woods. 



The pert little House Wren takes up its abode right in and around the farm 

 buildings, and even in our cities it will find a resting ])lace, if it can get access 

 to sufficient garden room to give it a hunting ground, and as it is quite satisfied to 

 place its nest in a crevice or hole at no great height from the ground, it is not so 

 likely to be dispossessed of its home by the House Sparrow as are birds that prefer 



