OUR WEST COAST THRUSHES. 193 



the vigorous scratching going on in the mulch- 

 ing under the trees. And it is such a striking 

 bird in colors, that it makes a pretty picture, con- 

 trasting with the orange and green of the citrus 

 orchards. 



When the farmer or orchardist mulches his 

 trees just before the first rains, he little thinks he 

 is setting a table for visiting birds. But so he is. 

 All sorts of insects thrive in warm, loose litter, 

 and the thrushes wait until it is moist and well 

 packed before they come to scratch it over. 

 Mulch, especially barn-yard litter, makes a warm 

 nest for insect eggs and larvae, as you may find 

 out for yourself if you thrust your hand far down 

 beneath it some cold day in winter, where it has 

 been spread weeks before to enrich the trees. 

 You will find the earth beneath the mulching as 

 warm as on a spring day. It is here that varied 

 thrush finds its breakfast, and he often digs a long 

 while before he gets down to the warmest spot, 

 where his quest is sure to be rewarded. 



The varied thrush spends the summer in 

 Alaska, nesting in the deep woods, in dark spruce 

 trees. The nest is felted with dead leaves and 

 fiber, like that of the russet-back, but also has a 

 mixture of mud, like the robin's. In that far 

 north home these thrushes lose their shy habits, 



W. S.R. VOL. 913 



