A WHISPER SONG. 155 



there might be danger or a surprise ; the mo- 

 ment his feet touched he lifted one or both 

 wings quite high, dropping them at once. 



A more lithe body than that of the brown 

 thrush I have never seen in feathers ; he could 

 assume as many attitudes as he had emotions. 

 He often stood on a perch and postured for a 

 long time, as if greatly excited and meditating 

 some mad deed, and I must confess he usually 

 carried out the intention. Not only was he 

 able to put his body into all possible shapes, but 

 he had extraordinary command of his feathers. 

 He could erect them on any one part alone, on 

 the top of the head, the shoulders, the back, 

 or the chin. He often raised the feathers just 

 above the tail, letting that member hang 

 straight down, giving him the appearance of 

 being chopped square off. 



The song of this bird is well known and 

 quite celebrated ; indeed, in the Southern 

 States he is called the French mocking-bird, as 

 only second to the mocking-bird proper. My 

 bird never sang above a whisper, one may say ; 

 that is, he never opened his mouth to let out 

 the sound, though he was extremely fond of 

 singing, indulging in it by the hour. He hardly 

 paused for eating, or flying, or hopping around 

 on the floor, but dropped sweet notes in between 

 the mouthfuls, and kept up the warble through 

 all movements. 



