10 CATBIBD 



blue, and might well excite tlie pride of any 

 mother bird. 



While the Catbird's reputed power of mimicry 

 is very great, some consider its song almost 

 entirely original. Besides the song, and the mew- 

 ing call that has given the bird its name, Mr. 

 Bicknell, in his valuable paper on ' The Singing 

 of our Birds,' calls attention to another " charac- 

 teristic vocal accomplishment — a short, sharp, 

 crackling sound, like the snapping of small fag- 

 ots" — which, he adds, is heard in the dog days, 

 and is generally given hurriedl}" as the bird seeks 

 the security of some bushy patch, or darts into the 

 thick cover along the road. 



For several summers one of these friendly birds 

 was the chorister and companion of a gentle old 

 lady, a lover of birds and flowers, who lived alone 

 in a cottage hidden behind an old-fashioned gar- 

 den, whose rose-covered trellises and rich masses 

 of fragrant blooming lilacs, flowering shrubs, and 

 encircling trees made a favorite resting-place for 

 feathered travelers in spring and fall, and the 

 chosen home of many birds in summer. Of all 

 those that built in the garden, the Catbird was the 

 pet and comrade of the garden's hospitable owner. 

 When she threw open her blinds in the morning, 

 he would fly up and call till she came out and 

 answered him ; then he would seat himself con- 

 tentedly and pour out his morning song. During 

 the day he would often call her to the window or 



