6 Bird Portraits 
the hepatica surprise the visitor in spots where the late snow still 
lingers. The birds are easy to find; there is no dense foliage to 
hide them, and the number of species is still so few that their songs 
and figures are not difficult to distinguish. 
The Thrasher’s song ceases as you approach him. He slips 
down like a wren to the undergrowth, where, if you listen, you 
hear him rustling and scratching in the dry leaves. If you sit 
down near by, you will see him as he mounts again from one twig 
to the next. His white breast is heavily spotted with black, his 
head, back, and tail are of a bright rufous shade, and his yellow eye 
glitters like a snake’s. When he is alarmed, he puffs like a turtle, 
or utters a note curiously like a loud smack. The whole air of the 
bird is one of vigor and intelligence. The sexes are alike in size 
and color. By watching patiently near the spot where the male 
sings, it is often possible to surprise the pair bringing bark and 
roots to the bush among whose roots or stems the nest is woven. 
It is one of the most delightful experiences in the study of 
birds thus to watch a pair of birds building their nest, to note later 
the laying of each egg, to see the female brooding till the nestlings 
are hatched and finally leave the nest. One always heaves a sigh 
of relief at the last moment, for so many tragedies may put an 
end to the story. The female Thrasher is very bold when on the 
nest, and sits close till the visitor, if he approach quietly, is within 
a few feet of her. She gazes fixedly at him with her bright 
eye, but let him draw a step nearer and she slips off into the 
bushes. The eggs are four or five, whitish, covered with many 
light brown markings. 
The food of the Thrasher consists of insects and fruit. Many 
linger in the North till the end of October, and spend the winter in 
the Southern States, where the ground is generally free from snow. 
