OF NEW ENGLAND. 33 



however, to remain in the swamps and the adjacent woods, 

 during a great part of the day. They can run over the 

 ground with rapidity, but in the woods they usually poke about 

 quietly among the pine-needles and dead leaves, where they 

 can find the insects on which they feed, and in the swamps 

 walk over the decaj'ed vegetation, which has become matted 

 on the ground, or has accumulated on the stagnant pools of 

 water. When disturbed, while thus busied, they generally fly 

 to a bush near the spot, and sit there quite motionless, occa- 

 sionally uttering their chirp, until it seems to them safe to 

 return to their interrupted occupation. They also obtain much 

 of their food from trees, and arc particularly fond of pine- 

 groves, where they may often be seen, generally on the broader- 

 backed limbs. They seem, when perching, to prefer these to 

 the smaller branches, as they also do a post to a fence-rail, 

 apparently liking a broad surface to stand upon rather than 

 one which they mus-t grasp. They are rarely seen far from the 

 ground, and seldom protract their flight for more than a hun- 

 dred yards, except occasionally when conveying food to their 

 young from a comparatively remote orchard, garden, or swamp. 

 They deserve to be regarded on a cultivated estate not only 

 as sources of pleasure, but also as extremely useful. Mr. 

 Samuels, in an article on the Robin in his book entitled "Birds 

 of New England and Adjacent States," says : u In fact, the 

 Thrushes seem designed by nature to rid the surface of the 

 soil of noxious insects not often pursued by most other birds. 

 The warblers capture the insects that prey on the foliage of 

 the trees ; the flycatchers seize these insects as they fly from 

 the trees'; the swallows capture those which have escaped 

 all these ; the woodpeckers destroy them when in the larva 

 state in the wood ; the wrens, nuthatches, titmice and creepers, 

 eat the eggs and young that live on and beneath the bark ; 

 but the thrushes subsist on those that destroy the vegetation 

 on the surface of the earth." 3 



3 Many thrushes obtain much of their food from trees; the Swainson's Thrushes 

 most of it. Many sparrows feed as thrushes do. 



4 



