324 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



I find many people who are familiar with this bird's 

 song who do not recognize him by sight because he is so 

 seldom seen, and when he is seen it is seldom while he is 

 singing. In shape he much resembles the brown thrasher 

 or the mocking bird, having the same general conforma- 

 tion of body, but a shorter tail. The color above is a cinna- 

 mon brown, becoming more of a rufous on the top of the 

 head. The rump and tail are more nearly olive, the under 

 parts are white. The breast and the belly are thickly 

 marked with sharply defined spots of a blackish color. 

 These spots never extend to the middle of the throat or 

 back to the vent, however. The sides of the head are 

 dark brown streaked with white, and there are streaks on 

 each side of the throat. He is about eight inches long 

 from the tip of the bill to the tip of the tail. His tail 

 alone is slightly over three inches long. 



This wonderful songster was fairly common in our 

 home woods when I was a boy; but I did not know him 

 by sight. I loved his wonderful voice but had no idea to 

 what bird I was listening. It remained for me to come 

 South where these birds are abundant to become acquainted 

 with them at first hand. The wood thrush reaches the 

 north later than most birds. Audubon says that males come 

 first by two or three days, but do not begin their song until 

 their female audience arrives. When they first come they 

 are usually seen in small flocks, but when the females arrive 

 and the courting begins they separate at once. 



Their favorite home is in the low bushes and underbrush 

 along streams and on the borders of the forest. If 

 there are any wild grapevines creeping over these trees 

 they are almost sure to select such a location for their 

 home. Early in the morning they come to our gardens and 



