THE THRUSHES 85 



many foreign species in this group justly famed for 

 their music, yet so far as we can gather our native 

 songsters lose nothing by comparison with them. 

 One very noteworthy characteristic of the melody of 

 many of the typical Thrushes is the curious repeti- 

 tion of the notes, most pronounced perhaps in our 

 own Song Thrush. The American " Robin " 

 {T^Lvdiis 7?iigratorius) is also especially remarkable 

 in this respect, repeating each series of notes many 

 times in succession. The Rufous Thrush {Ttirdiis 

 rufive^itris) of South America is also another 

 singer of exceptional merit ; with the same peculiar- 

 ity of repeating note after note in quick succession. 

 Some of the non-British Robins, again, are birds 

 of surpassing song. That of the Ruby-throated 

 Robin {^Erithacus camfchatkeusis) is described b\' 

 Seebohm, who heard it in the valley of the Yenesay, 

 as scarcely inferior to that of a Nightingale. Again, 

 that of the Arctic Bluethroat [Erithacus suecica) is 

 thus very accurately described by the same eminent 

 authority. Upon first arriving at its summer 

 quarters in the high north, the song is uttered in a 

 very subdued strain, but the rapid advent of summer 

 appears soon to improve the bird's voice, and it 

 becomes louder and longer until almost rivalling 

 that of the Nightingale in sweetness. Seebohm 

 writes respecting the imitative character of the 

 song : " Often we were puzzled by the mimicry of 

 this fine songster. On one occasion, after listening 



