THE PERCHING BIRDS. 25 



cup of sticks and grass, that has little merit beyond 

 strength. 



" The nest of this thrush is nearly as bulky as the robin's, but gen- 

 erally has little or no mud in its composition. It is placed upon the 

 horizontal branch of a forest-tree, anywhere from six to forty feet 

 above the ground, or in the forks of a sapling. The materials are 

 twigs, coarse grasses, and dried leaves, of which latter, in damp 

 situations, there is often a great thickness underneath, well com- 

 bined, and lined with fine roots and grasses." ERNEST INGERSOLL. 



The early writers appear to have overlooked the 

 sociable side of this bird, or else a change has come 

 about in its habits during recent years. Nuttall 

 speaks of it as " this solitary and retiring songster." 

 As the country has been very much settled up since 

 that author wrote, and solitudes are far less exten- 

 sive, it might be claimed that the wood-thrush was 

 more sociable now from necessity and not choice, 

 but I do not think this the case. The bird will 

 freely enter villages and remain throughout the 

 season. A suitable nesting-place, if found, is very 

 likely to be occupied, and all goes well unless the 

 singing attracts some inhuman cur, who sets bird- 

 lime or trap and captures the unfortunate thrush. I 

 have known this to happen and no one willing to 

 protest against the outrage. 



Another tuneful thrush is known in New England 

 as the " Veery." 



" This beautiful singer breeds from the latitude of Pennsylvania 

 and /owa, north-ward to Quebec, westward along the Upper Missouri, 

 and in the valleys of Utah and Colorado. 



" The veery makes its appearance in New England, from the south, 

 early in May, and begins to build during the third week of that 

 month ; but in the centre of Maine the date is a fortnight later. At 

 B 3 



