THE BIRD AS A TRAVELLER 71 



about every bushy garden from the east coast to the 

 west, and from the cotton plantation to the hind of 

 snow." 



" Please tell me the names of some winter visitors," 

 said Rap. " Isn't the Great White Owl one of these ? " 



" Yes, the Snowy Owl is one of them ; so is the Snow- 

 flake, who comes to us on the wings of the storm ; the 

 tiny Winter Wren, the Great Northern Shrike, and many 

 others, who arrive when snow-tide is upon us in the 

 temperate part of the country, after our song birds 

 have flown to the warmer south. You shall hear of 

 all these, and learn where each one lives, in the bird 

 stories I am going to write for you. But now let us 

 go down by the river and see what some of these newly 

 arrived birds are doing after their long journey. 



" Hark ! I hear the notes of a Thrasher in those 

 bushes, and the Red-winged Blackbirds are calling all 

 through the marsh meadow. When I was a boy the 

 alder bushes were always full of nests." 



^' They have nests there now," said Rap eagerly ; 

 " a great many nests, and they are very pretty. Ah ! 

 There is the big brown bird that you call a Thrasher, 

 with his striped breast and long tail that spreads like 

 a fan. I see him — he is building in that barberry 

 bush ! " 



" Then the nest comes pretty soon after the up-jour- 

 ney," said Nat. 



" Yes," answered the Doctor, as he watched the antics 

 of the Thrasher ; "right after the journey the mate, 

 and next the nest. Do not forget the mate, Nat, for 

 it is Mrs. Bird who usually makes the nest and ahvays 

 lays the eggs, besides working in the guilds with her 



