BIRDS OF KANSAS. 603 



every year by his college girl friends; and in the open seclusion 

 of an apple tree, proceeds to build his nest, and raise his little 

 family, singing through it all with keen enjoyment of the warm 

 sunshine and its own company. 



"To the trio the Catbird is at once the most interesting and 

 most exasperating of birds. Like some people, he seems to 

 give up his time to the pleasure of hearing himself talk. A first 

 cousin of the Mockingbird — whom he resembles in person much 

 more than in voice — perhaps the relationship accounts for his 

 overweening confidence in his vocal powers. As a matter of 

 fact his jerky utterance is so harsh that it has been aptly termed 

 asthmatic. 



"The Catbird is unmistakably a Bohemian. He is exquisitely 

 formed, and has a beautiful slate gray coat, set off by his black 

 head and tail. By nature he is peculiarly graceful, and, when 

 he chooses, can pass for the most polished of the Philistine aris- 

 tocracy. But he cares nothing for all this. With lazy self- 

 indulgence, he sits by the hour with relaxed muscles, and 

 listless, drooping wings and tail. If he were a man, you feel 

 confident that he would sit in shirt sleeves at home and go on 

 the street without a collar. 



"And his occupation? His cousin is an artist, but he — is 

 he a wag as well as a caricaturist, or is he in sober earnest when 

 he tries to mimic the inimitable Wilson's Thrush? If a wag, 

 he is a success, for he deceives the unguarded into believing him 

 a Eobin, a cat, and 'a bird new to science.' How he must 

 chuckle over the enthusiasm which hails his various notes, and 

 the bewilderment and chagrin that come to the diligent ob- 

 server who finally catches a glimpse of the garrulous mimic ! 



"The Catbird builds his nest as he does everything else. 

 The loose mass of coarse twigs, patched up with leaves, pieces 

 of newspaper, or anything he happens to fancy, looks as if it 

 would hardly bear his weight. He lines it, however, with fine 

 bits of brown and black roots, and when the beautiful dark 

 bluish green eggs are laid in it, you feel sure that such an artist- 

 looking bird must enjoy the contrasting colors." 



Eggs three to five, usually four, .94x.69; in form, oval. 



