A SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 



111 



his tail about when he feeds on the ground, giving a 

 little warning call that sounds like ' chek ! chek ! ' 



" If you should happen to spend the summer among 

 the mountains of New York, New England, or northern 

 Michigan, and see the Hermit in his nesting home, you 

 would find him quite another character, true to his name. 

 There he is sh}^ — or perhaps cautious 

 would be a better word to describe the 

 wa}^ in which he keeps the secrets of 

 his precious nest. He loves the lit- 

 tle moist valleys betAveen 

 the pine-clad mountains, 

 where a bit of light 

 woods is made 

 an island by 

 the soft bog- 

 moss that 

 surrounds 

 it. There, 

 feeling quite 

 secure, he makes 

 nest upon the ground, 



of moss, leaves, pine- '^" — ^ -"">^— ^ 



needles, and other such litter ; and the eo^o^s that it 

 holds are very nearly the color of the Robin's, Avithout 

 any spots. 



" He goes a little way from home, a bit up the moun- 

 tain side, so that House People and squirrels, both of 

 wdiom are sometimes cruel enough to steal eggs, may 

 not know exactl}^ where he lives ; and then he begins 

 to sing. His brother Thrushes have louder voices and 

 know more brilliant songs ; but Avlien the Hermit 



Hermit Thrush. 



