A BIRDS’ GALA-DAY. 143 
On the first day of April the first Bewick’s wren of 
the spring appeared, but, strange to say, not another 
wren was seen until near the end of the month. A 
single bird often goes ahead of the main body of 
migrants like a scout or outrider; while not infre- 
quently a small company precedes the approach- 
ing army in the capacity, perhaps, of an advance 
guard. 
Threading my way through the “dim vistas, 
sprinkled o’er with sun-flecked green,” to an open 
space near the border of the woods, I had the 
opportunity of listening to an improvised cat-bird 
concert, without a cent of charge for admission. 
Here some mental notes were made on the vocal 
qualities of this bird in comparison with those of 
the celebrated brown thrasher, and with some 
hesitancy I give my conclusions. Each songster 
has his special points of excellence. ‘The thrasher 
has more voice volume than his rival, his technique 
is better, he glides more smoothly from one part 
of his song to another, and executes several runs 
that for pure melody and skill in rendering go 
beyond the cat-bird’s ability; but, on the other 
hand, it must be said that the latter minstrel’s song 
contains fewer harsh, coarse, unmusical notes; his 
voice, on the whole, is of a finer quality, is pitched 
toa higher key, and his vocal performances are char- 
acterized by greater artlessness or nazvefé. ‘Though 
professing to be no connoisseur, I have never felt so 
deeply stirred by the thrasher’s as by the cat-bird’s 
minstrelsy. There does not seem to be so much 
