BROWN THRASHER. 



BROWN THRUSH. 

 Harporhynchus RUFUS. 



Char. Above, bright reddish brown or rufous ; beneath, white, tinged 

 with rufous or buff; breast and side spotted with brown; bill about as 

 long as the head. Length lo^ to 12 inches. 



Nest. In a thicket or low bush, and sometimes on the ground ; bulky, 

 and loosely constructed of twigs, roots, and dried grass, sometimes lined 

 with horse-hair or feathers. 



Eggs. 3-6 (usually 4) ; dull white with buff or green tint, marked with 

 minute spots of reddish brown; i.oo X 0.80. 



This large and well-known songster, inferior to none but the 

 Mocking Bird in musical talent, is found in every part of this 

 continent, from Hudson's Bay to the shores of the Mexican 

 Gulf, breeding in all the intermediate space, though more 

 abundantly towards the North. It retires to the South early in 

 October, in the States north of the Carolinas, and probably ex- 

 tends its migrations at this season through the warmer regions 

 towards the borders of the tropics. 



From the 15 th of April to early in May these birds begin to 

 revisit the Middle and Northern States, keeping pace in some 

 measure with the progress of vegetation and the comparative 



