THINGS TO HEAR THIS SPRING 87 



quil forest, speaking to you. After the thrush (2) 

 the brown thrasher, our finest, most gifted songster, 



as great a singer, I think (and I have often heard 

 them both), as the Southern mockingbird. Then (3) 

 the operatic catbird. She sits lower down among 

 the bushes than the brown thrasher, as if she knew 

 that, compared with him, she must take a back seat; 

 but for variety of notes and length of song, she has 

 few rivals. I say she, when really I ought to say he, 

 for it is the males of most birds that sing, but the cat- 

 bird seems so long and slender, so dainty and femi- 

 nine, that I think of this singer as of some exquisite 

 operatic singer in a woman's role. Then (4) the 

 bobolink ; for his song is just like Bryant's bubbling 

 poem, only better ! Go to the meadows in. June and 



