Vil 
THE CAVE-DWELLING FAMILY 
SECOND BRANCH 
Tue second branch of this family is very dif- 
ferent from the first; it 1s composed of mock- 
ingbirds, catbirds, and thrashers. These birds 
were once placed with the thrushes, and by hab- 
its and manners they seem to belong there. 
But, as I told you, families in the bird world are 
made by structure, — by the way the bird is 
made. These birds have scales on the leg, and 
some other things like the wrens, so now they 
belong to the cave-dwelling family, though they 
never dwell in caves. They live in shrubbery , 
and low trees. They are larger than any wren, 
but they are like those birds in being good 
singers and dressed in plain colors. Wherever 
they are placed in the books, they are interesting 
and delightful birds to know. 
The most famous of this branch is the Mock- 
INGBIRD, found in the Southern States and Cali- 
