140 THE CANADIAN MOCKING-BIRD 



withdraws to the hilltops he abandons himself to the 

 sustained ectasy of song. Then he forsakes the deeper 

 shadows and comes up into the open branches, where 

 his nimble and varied antics amuse, while his song 

 sustains its melodious charm. For a moment his long 

 bill will energetically vibrate to the shrill prestissimo, 

 then it will close, and from his inflated throat will 

 come the deceptive, ventriloquial notes that seem to 

 proceed from the recesses of the woods. The cat- 

 call will follow, as if he were tuning his vocal chords, 

 and again the melody flows forth uninterrupted* 

 There are many imitations in his song, for he borrows 

 freely from the Warblers and Thrushes. But he gives 

 forth his own spirit so abundantly that all his pilferings 

 are forgiven. 



Though keeping to the low thickets, the Catbird 

 is by no means unfriendly. Once assured of the good 

 intentions of a visitor, he comes out quite freely and 

 in ready confidence. A friendly, trusting pair will 

 even nest in the vicinity of a suburban house if the 

 people are properly appreciative. The nest is a big, 

 straggling affair, and the birds seem to take delight 

 in using a number of abnormally large and unneces- 

 sary sticks and broken roots. The large mass of 

 building material fastened in a low thicket serves the 

 purpose of concealment, and is less noticeable than a 

 compact, regular nest. The three, four, or five eggs 

 resemble those of the Robin in colour, but are much 



