6G2 MICHIGAN lURD LIFE. 



qucntly found in trees and the June and July nests often on the ground. 

 The eggs are four to six, dull white, heavily sprinkled with reddish brown 

 over the entire surface, and average 1.06 by .78 inches. The parents 

 defend the nest with much spirit and often beat off any less dangerous 

 foe than man. 



The song of the Thrasher is difficult of description, but is one of our 

 most remarkable bird performances. Nehrling says "I regard the Thrasher 

 as the finest of our American songsters. It would take the palm even 

 from the Hermit and the Mockingbird if only its period of singing were 

 longer. It is unfortunately a prominent singer for a few weeks only; 

 later in the season its voice is rarely heard. The lay is rich in quality, being 

 full of feeling — at first soft, whispering, delicately plaintive, then loud, 

 powerful and sonorous, wonderful in the variety of its notes and the manner 

 in which the strophes melt into one another. It flows along like a clear, 

 powerful stream, occasionally sinking into soft complaint as of longing, 

 then changing suddenly and becoming louder, fuller, livelier, until the 

 air fairly resounds with the bird's exultant joy. It consists entirely of 

 original notes, those of other birds never entering into the composition. 

 * * * Besides the song one often hears a melodious call-note like 

 ' Yen ' or 'Tshee-uh,' and also a sharp smacking or hissing 'Tshat,' especi- 

 ally when the nest is approached" (Our Native Birds, Vol. I, 1893, 60-61). 



The Thrasher prefers a very different territory from that selected by 

 the Catbird, for it is most often found on dry land, in sandy or gravelly 

 regions, especially along the margins of woods, and much less often in 

 swamps or about the borders of ponds and streams. It is a common bird 

 of the barren jack-pine plains and is often found in the thickets and shrubs 

 of the sand-dunes along the lake shores. Nevei'theless, it is a common 

 bird on most farms, and is perhaps as often seen while driving along country 

 roads as the really much more common Catbird. In singing it almost 

 always selects a prominent perch, most often the top of a high bush or a 

 low tree. 



It begins its southward journey in Septeml^er, but many individuals 

 linger until the first or even the second week in October, at least in Ingham 

 county. 



The food of the Thrasher, like that of the Catbird, has been thoroughly 

 investigated, but certainly does not carry so much economic interest. 

 Careful study of the diet was made by S. A. Forbes of Illinois and by 

 Sylvester Judd of the U. 8. Dejiartment of Agriculture. The former in 

 1879 reported as follows on the examination of 28 stomachs, 8 of which 

 were taken in April, 4 in May, 9 in June and 7 in July: "The most re- 

 markable fact brought out is that the bird takes a great deal of matter 

 from the excrement of other animals, not only scavenger and carrion 

 beetles of various kinds, but particles of undigested grain, largely corn. 

 In all 36 percent of its food was obtained from these disgusting sources. 

 In Ai)ril it ate, in addition to the elements just mentioned, 6 percent of 

 ants, 4 percent of caterpillars, 4 percent of carabida\ 5 percent of curculios, 

 8 percent of thousandlegs and 15 percent of cetonian beetles (Euphoria 

 inda). In May the food was similar, but with larger percentages of 

 scavenger beetles and carabids. In June 17 percent of ants, 9 percent of 

 grasshoppers, 1 percent boring ])eetles (Buprestida^), 1 percent cater- 

 pillars, and 18 percent of strawberries ancl raspberries. In July ants fell 

 to 1 percent, caterpillars increased to 13 percent, carabida' remained at 

 5 percent, and there was 3 percent of spring beetles and 5 percent of soldier 



