Chap. 3. 



BIRDS OF VERMONT. 



79 



THE KOBIN. 



Wilson's thrush. 



NEW YORK THRUSH. 



eggrs are 4 or 5, of a bluish green color, 

 and without spots. Like the Mocking 

 Bird, the Cat Bird is often known to im- 

 itate the notes of other birds, and sounds 

 of various kinds. The food of the Cat 

 Bird is similar to that of the preceding 

 species, being made up of worms, beetles, 

 cherries, and various other insects, fruits 

 and berries. 



THE AMERICAN ROBIN. 



Turdus migratorius. — LiNN5;ns. 

 Description. — Color of the head, back 

 of the neck and tail brownish black ; the 

 back and rump dark ash ; breast dark red- 

 dish orange ; belly and vent white ; chin 

 white, spotted with brownish black; wings 

 blackish brown; the exterior edges of the 

 feathers faded and grayish ; exterior tail 

 feathers white at their inner tip ; three 

 white spots margin the eye. The bill is 

 lemon j^ellow, with a brownish tip ; legs 

 and feet dark brown. The young, during 

 the first season, spotted with white and 

 dusky on the breast. Length 9 inches. 



History. — This universal favorite is 

 found, during the summer, throughout 

 nearly the whole of North America, 

 They retire to the south late in autumn, 

 where they pass the colder part of the 

 winter ; but, returning early to the north, 

 reach Vermont usually about the 20th of 

 March ;"* and their arrival is always hail- 

 ed with joy, as the unerring harbinger of 

 approaching spring. While the snow con- 

 tinues upon the ground, the Robin sub- 

 sists principally upon the berries which 

 remain upon the sumach, mountain ash 

 and red cedar. The Robin, as is well 

 known, is a very familiar bird, and seems 

 to seek to place its nest where it shall be 

 under man's protection. And hence we 

 find its nest most frequently in gardens 

 and orchards. The nest is sometimes 

 built upon a fence, a wall, or a stump, 

 but more commonly in the fork of an ap- 

 ple-tree or other small tree. It is con- 

 structed with grass and mud firmly bed- 

 ded together, and lined with fine straw 



* See page 13. 



and blades of grass. The eggs, usually 

 5, are of a bluish green color and unspot- 

 ted. During the summer their food con- 

 sists of worms, insects, and various kinds 

 of berries. The Robin is easily tamed, 

 and in the domesticated state may be 

 taught to imitate not only the notes of 

 other birds, but various strains of music. 



WILSON'S THRUSH. 

 Turdus IVilsonii. — Bonaparte. 

 Description. --Upper parts uniform light 

 reddish-brown, a little deeper on the head ; 

 (luill and tail-coverts light olive-brown, 

 the outer webs of the former like the 

 back ; lower parts grayish-wiiite, the sides 

 and lower part of the neck, and a small 

 portion of the breast tinged with pale yel- 

 lowish brown, and marked with small, 

 faint and undecided triangular brown 

 spots; wings with the '3d quill longest; 

 the 4th scarcely shorter, and slightly ex- 

 ceeding the second. Length,?; spread 

 12. — Jiuduhon. 



History. — This species arrives from 

 the south in the early part of May, and 

 immediately commence the construction 

 of tiieir nests. These are built in low, 

 thick bushes, in the dark parts of the for- 

 ests, sometimes upon the ground, but 

 more commonly from 1 to 3 feet above it. 

 The eggs, 4 or 5 in number, are of an eme- 

 rald green without spots, and differ very 

 little from those of the Cat Bird, with the 

 exception of being a little smaller. They 

 usually raise two broods in a season. 



THE NEW YORK THRUSH. 



Turdus novchoraccnsis . — Nuttai,!,. 

 Description. — Color of the whole up- 

 per plumage a uniform deep hair brown ; 

 stripe over the eye and whole under sur- 

 face pale primrose yellow, marked with 

 pencil-shaped spots of the color of the up- 

 per plumage ; inner wing coverts yellow- 

 ish gray, spotted with brown near the 

 edge of the wing; bill dark umber brown 

 above, paler beneath ; legs brownish flesh 

 color. The three first quills nearly equal 

 and longest ; tail nearly even ; lateral 

 toes nearly equal; nails small and of the 

 color of the bill. Length .5^ inches; 

 tail 2.^; folded wing 3; bill from the an- 

 gle of the mouth \ inch. 



History. — The Aquatic Thrush is 

 quite a common bird in Vermont, but is 

 of retiring habits and therefore seldom 

 seen except in the thickest parts of the 

 forests. Its nest is built upon the ground 

 and is constructed of leaves and moss, and 

 lined with fine roots and sometimes with 

 hair. The eggs are 4 or 5, of a yellow- 



