The Birds’ Cal-ndar 

time in the thick undergrowth, and has a scared 
and hunted look when he comes out into the 
open. It is no extenuation of his manners to 
say that his voice is a very superior one, often 
showing that peculiar metallic quality conspicu- 
ous in the thrushes, of whom he is a distant 
relative; but his song is only a characterless 
medley, with an occasional fine strain among 
many inferior ones. Once in a great while he 
perches high and openly in a tree, where he 
sings so honestly and nobly that one cannot 
fail to admire the song, and to regret his evil 
thoughts concerning the singer. But as he 
chuckles away to himself deep in the bushes, 
in his wonted manner, the former distrust of 
him returns, and it is easy to imagine that he 
is at his old tricks of plotting some evil device. 
His repellent plumage, skulking manner, and 
disagreeable feline notes are quite sufficient to 
account for the popular estimate of this bird, 
even without more radical grounds for disap- 
proval. The thrasher has the same stealthy 
demeanor, and perhaps escapes the same con- 
demnation only by his more attractive plu- 
mage. (Since writing the foregoing, I have 
learned that the catbird does feloniously enter 
the nests of other species, and destroys their 
190 
