CA HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS. 



the bird may be in quite another part of the woods ; 

 then again, when the bird is within a few feet of you, 

 the song will appear to come from a distant locality. 



Even the familiar robin {Ilenila migratoAa) often 

 makes use of this power with good effect. When he 

 sings at mating time, or to attract attention, or from his 

 innate love of song, he will carol away with such an 

 abandon and fullness of tone that he appears to be much 

 nearer than he really is ; but when he sings exclusively 

 for his mate, or for the newly fledged young, whose 

 presence he wishes to conceal from others, the song is 

 low and tender, often half smothered, or made to appear 

 in another place. 



The cat birds, which are among the most interesting 

 as well as the most intelligent of the feathered tribe, 

 have in individual instances, probably, arrived at a 

 greater degree of proficiency in this art than any others 

 of the family. They not only imitate well many notes 

 and calls of other birds, but by modulating their tones 

 they are capable of producing great deception in regard 

 to their whereabouts. One day while watching some 

 robins and gold finches bathing together in a little creek, 

 I heard a cat bird warbling very sweetly, but apparently 

 at a great distance away. As a treeless meadow lay in 

 the direction from Avhich the song proceeded, I wondered 

 where the bird could be hidden, and sweeping a field 

 glass over the stretch of meadow, I failed to locate him. 

 To my surprise, I finally discovered the singer in a little 

 thorn bush not ten feet from the place where I was 

 standing, though the sound indicated the distance to be 



