CAT-BIRD. 41 



pears ; and these are also particular favorites with the farmer. But the 

 Cat-bird has frequently the advantage of the farmer by snatching off 

 the first-fruits of these delicious productions ; and the farmer takes 

 revenge by shooting him down with his gun, as he finds old hats, wind- 

 mills and scarecrows are no impediments in his way to these forbidden 

 fruits ; and nothing but this resource, the ultimatum of farmers as well 

 as kings, can restrain his visits. The boys are now set to watch the 

 cherry trees with the gun ; and thus commences a train of prejudices 

 and antipathies that commonly continue through life. Perhaps, too, 

 the common note of the Cat-bird, so like the mewing of the animal 

 whose name it bears, and who itself sustains no small share of prejudice, 

 the homeliness of his plumage, and even his familiarity, so proverbially 

 known to beget contempt, may also contribute to this mean, illiberal 

 and persecuting prejudice ; but with the genei'ous and the good, the 

 lovers of nature and of rural charms, the confidence which this familiar 

 bird places in man by building in his garden, under his eye, the music 

 of his song, and the interesting playfulness of his manners, will 

 always be more than a recompense for all the little stolen morsels he 

 snatches. 



The Cat-bird measures nine inches in length ; at a small distance he 

 appears nearly black ; but on a closer examination is of a deep slate 

 color above, lightest on the edges of the primaries, and of a consider- 

 ably lighter slate color below, except the under tail coverts, which are 

 very dark red ; the tail, which is rounded, and upper part of the head, 

 as well as the legs and bill, are black. The female differs little in color 

 from the male. Latham takes notice of a bird exactly resembling this, 

 being found at Kamtschatka ; only it wanted the red under the tail : 

 probably it might have been a young bird, in which the red is scarcely 

 observable. 



This bird has been very improperly classed among the Fly-Catchers. 

 As he never seizes his prey on wing, has none of their manners, feeds 

 principally on fruit, and seems to differ so little from the Thrushes, I 

 think he more properly belongs to the latter tribe than to any other 

 genus we have. His bill, legs and feet, place and mode of building, 

 the color of the eggs, his imitative notes, food and general manners, all 

 justify me in removing him to this genus. 



The Cat-bird is one of those unfortunate victims, and indeed the 

 principal, against which credulity and ignorance have so often directed 

 the fascinating quality of the blacksnake. A multitude of marvellous 

 stories have been told me by people who have themselves seen the poor 

 Cat-birds drawn, or sucked, as they sometimes express it, from the tops 

 of the trees (which, by-the-bye, the Cat-bird rarely visits) one by one, 

 into the yawning mouth of the immovable snake. It has so happened 

 with me that in all the adventures of this kind that I have personally 



