Chapter XI 

 THRASHERS AND WRENS 

 Catbird, Thrasher, Mockingbird, Wrens 



"Tragic, comic actor thou, 

 For thy stage an alder bough; 

 Now some borrowed joyous note 

 Pouring from thy feigning throat. 

 Now from wailing puss in sorrow, 

 Her alarm cry thou dost borrow. " 



— The Catbird, M. J. Savage. 



This family is composed of two subdivisions, 

 Thrashers and Wrens, quite unHke in nearly all 

 respects. The former is a numerous American 

 group, while the Wrens are well represented in 

 the Old World. Among the Thrashers are some 

 of our best singers, as the Catbird and Mock- 

 ingbird. Some of the Wrens, too, are very 

 musical; but the family as a whole is noted for 

 being nervous and excitable and giving utter- 

 ance to their bad tempers in rather harsh, scold- 

 ing notes. They are very interesting birds and 

 both groups will well repay careful study. 



Catbird. This is the northern Mockingbird, 

 and while less famed for his skill as a vocalist 

 than his cousin of the south, yet at his best he 

 is one of our most delightful performers. The 

 Catbird is rather an anomaly, a sort of Dr. 

 Jekyll and Mr. Hyde among birds. One can 

 scarcely imagine a more disagreeable sound than 



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