The Brown Thrasher 265 



While sin<i;in|f, it usually occupies the topmost bough of some bush or 

 tree and, although it sings mostly in the morning, it may occasionally be 

 heard at any hour of the day. Its voice is loud, clear, and far- 

 The Song reaching, but can hardly be said to possess the sweetness of 



tone so characteristic of the Wood Thrush and the Veery. 

 The bird's fame is based rather on the wide variety and clearness of notes 

 which it produces, aided perhaps by the fact that it sings much in the imme- 

 diate neighborhood of man's abode. 



Upon arriving in the spring from his winter home in the southern states, 

 this bird usually announces his presence by his voluble song, with which he 

 floods the morning air from his perch on a neighboring tree. In common with 

 many other singing birds, the worry and responsibility of domestic life which 

 shortly come upon him do not, to any notable extent, lessen the force or fre- 

 quency of his singing. 



The nest of the Brown Thrasher is, for the size of the bird, a rather bulky 

 structure. It is mainly composed of dead twigs and possesses a lining of 

 rootlets. The nest is usually placed in a bush or thick cluster 

 The Nest of vines, where it is well concealed from the eye of the passerby. 



I recall linding a nest in the main fork of an old pear tree about 

 three feet from the ground, and another which was situated on a small stump, 

 and well screened from view by the sprouts which had grown up above it. Some- 

 times the nest is even placed on the ground, but it is always well hidden by 

 vegetation. Some observers have recorded that they have seen ground nests 

 built in such wet situations that the dampness working up through the nesting- 

 material caused the eggs to addle. The parent birds, failing to recognize the 

 misfortune which had come to their treasures, would, in some instances, 

 continue to sit on them for several weeks. 



The eggs, which are usually four in number, are thickly and uniformly 

 covered with fine dots of cinnamon or rufous brown. 



When one approaches the nest of the Crow, if one of the birds is at home, 



it will usually lea\-e, and will frequently not again be observed until the intruder 



has left the neighborhood. There are some other birds that 



Habits have this same habit of deserting their nest on the approach 



of real or imaginary danger. Such, however, is not the case 



with the Brown Thrasher. 



When an enemy appears, both birds instantly become alert. If one 

 chances to be away, the scolding notes of the one on guard soon recall the 

 absent companion. Together they fly in and out of the bushes, constantly 

 voicing their alarm and disapproval, and often darting viciously at the creature 

 which has trespassed uj)on their privacy. They become especially excited and 

 annoyed upon the appearance of that most dreaded of all bird enemies — the 

 house cat; and their alarm is not without cause, for seldom is a Thrasher's nest 

 built in such a situation as to be safe from the agile activities of this marauder. 



