296 



Trees, Stars, and Birds 



Nest and food. 

 The nest of the 

 brown thrasher is 

 placed in a bush or 

 on the ground and is 

 made of coarse ma- 

 terial. The eggs are 

 thickly speckled with 

 brown. Uttering 

 loud cries, the birds 

 sometimes fly at a 

 person approaching 

 too near their nest 

 and even strike him 

 with their beaks. 



Thrashers eat wee- 

 vils, rose beetles, 



May beetles, wireworms, caterpillars, grasshoppers, 

 crickets, and thousand legs, besides wild berries and 

 some cultivated fruit. 



Do the thrashers come from the South in the spring 

 or do you see them at all seasons ? Are they easy to ap- 

 proach ? At what time of day do they sing ? Can you 

 hear their song in any month when they are in the 

 neighborhood? Do they mimic the songs of other 

 birds ? How did the thrasher get its name ? 



THE CATBIRD 



The catbird is an inch shorter than the robin and more 

 slender. Its color is slaty gray, the crown and tail are 

 black. Catbirds are common in bushes and low trees 



FMey & Bohlman 



FIG. 1 80. Young crissal thrashers in nest. 

 This thrasher lives on the sides of rocky 

 canons of the southwestern part of the United 

 States. Its powerful song may be heard in 

 the fall as well as in the spring. 



