THRUSHES. 29 



those trees has frequently been spoken of as coincident with 

 the arrival of these birds from their winter homes in the South. 

 Their first appearance is in those haunts where they pass the 

 summer ; and in the swamps three or four sometimes collect 

 and engage in the quarrels entailed by courtship, previous to 

 mating. The Wilson's Thrushes, though not so fond of soli- 

 tude as the Wood Thrush, are rather shy, and yet they often 

 wander in quest of food to the orchard, garden, and the im- 

 mediate neighborhood of man or his dwellings. They prefer, 

 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 decayed vegetation, which has become 

 matted on the ground, or has gathered 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, oc- 

 casionally uttering their chirp, until it seems safe to return 

 to their interrupted occupation. They also obtain much of 

 their food from trees, and are particularly fond of pine groves, 

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

 limbs. When perching, they prefer these to the smaller 

 branches, and a post to a fence-rail, apparently liking a broad 

 surface to stand upon rather than one which they must grasp. 

 They are rarely seen far from the ground, and seldom pro- 

 tract their flight for more than a hundred yards, except occa- 

 sionally when conveying food to their young from a compara- 

 tively 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 : " In 

 fact, the Thrushes seem designed by nature to rid the sur- 

 face 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 



