OF NEW ENGLAND. 47 



than short flights, since they pass most of their time in shrub- 

 bery, when frightened, generally taking refuge in a thicket, or 

 a clump of bushes, so as to be effectually lost to sight. 

 Though not habitually bold, they are often brave in resenting 

 intrusions on their nests, giving a " warm" reception to cats, 

 driving away or killing snakes, and occasionally flying at man. 

 Two things are easily observable in the habits of these thrushes, 

 namely : When on the ground, they can move about with agil- 

 ity, and when perched, they often flirt their tails, or, when 

 singing, depress them in a peculiar manner, which renders their 

 attitude rather ludicrous. In autumn, before their departure, 

 the Cat-birds become rather reserved and shy, and I have 

 sometimes been able to detect their presence only by occasion- 

 ally hearing their characteristic cry, or seeing them fly into 

 " scrub " or other shrubbery, with their broad tails expanded 

 to their fullest extent, as they crossed some road or path and 

 dove into a thicket beyond. Their habits in the fall of the 

 year illustrate the fact, that in spring most birds can easily be 

 detected, if even carelessly sought for at the proper season, 

 because of their song, their comparatively little shyness, and 

 those bright tints, which, in the case of many birds, are 

 exchanged for duller tints, when the summer either is over 

 or draws near to its end ; whereas in autumn, on the other 

 hand, many birds quietly, and in silence seldom broken, con- 

 tinue to spend their days about us, and to migrate through 

 those places where they were conspicuous in spring, escaping 

 our observation through their greater shyness and retirement. 

 There are two other partial explanations of the actually and 

 apparently greater abundance of certain birds, when passing 

 to the North through Eastern Massachusetts than when re- 

 turning, which are, that in the autumnal migrations many 

 species for the most part choose a more inland route, and 

 that in spring, the warblers, for instance, are prompted to 

 their long journeys by a sudden outburst or a gradual ap- 

 proach of genuine warmth, such as gives life to the insects 

 on which they feed ; whereas in fall, unless startled by a sud- 

 den visitation of cold, they gradually leave their summer- 



