23tcttonarj? at mmatrtr jtature. 109 



lets ; but it soon afterwards returns to the 

 lakes. Its food appears to consist of soft in- 

 sects and minute Crustacea. In the spawning 

 season (June) it may be readily speared, or 

 even taken by the hand, in shallow streams ; j 

 but in the winter and autumn it is caught in 

 nets. It is a very soft watery fish, but devoid j 

 of any unpleasant flavour, and is excellent 

 for making soup. Like its congeners, it is | 

 singularly tenacious of life, and may be j 

 frozen and thawed again without being ' 

 killed. It is about twenty-one inches long ; 

 the head is smooth, flattened laterally, with ; 

 an obtuse snout; the depth of the body ex- j 

 ceeds its tliickness rather more than one- ; 

 half. The lateral line runs equidistant from 

 the back and belly, straight till it comes ; 

 opposite to the anal fin, when it inclines ; 

 upwards at a very obtuse angle, and passes | 

 along the middle of the tail, giving that [ 

 member a direction slightly different from ( 

 that of the body. Scales for the most part 

 broadly oval, or nearly orbicular, and of a 

 medium size. Mouth retractile, placed under : 

 the snout ; lips studded with large soft pa- | 

 pillfE ; but there are no barbels. The pectoral : 

 fins are elliptical ; the ventrals obovate ; the | 

 dorsal fin is nearly quadrangular ; the anal 

 extends to within its own length of the cau- ; 

 dal, and when it is turned backwards its tip | 

 reaches the base of the caudal, which is 

 slightly crescentic. The back and sides of , 

 this fish are bluish-grey with considerable j 

 lustre, the back being darkest, and the tint 

 of the sides gradually passing into the pearl- I 

 white of the belly. Dorsal and caudal fins | 

 bluish-grey : pectorals and ventrals ochre- i 

 yellow, tinged with red ; anal flesh-red, 

 pecies are the 

 us forsteria- 

 p (Catastomiu 



eolus) ; and the Black Sucking Carp, or 

 Shoemaker (Catastomus niffricans). These, 

 as well as the preceding, are all described by 

 Sir John Richardson, the most distinguished 

 Ichthyologist of this country, in his Fauna 

 Boreali Americana, and the Supplements to 

 different Arctic Voyages. 



The celebrated American ornithologist, 

 Wilson, has given an account of this bird in 

 a style so amusing, that we are tempted to 

 lay it almost entire before our readers. " In 

 spring or summer," says he, " on approaching 

 thickets or brambles, the first salutation you 

 receive is from the Cat-bird ; and a stranger, 

 unacquainted with its note, would instantly 

 conclude that some vagrant orphan kitten 

 had got bewildered among the briers, and 

 wanted assistance ; so exactly does the 

 call of the bird resemble the voice of that 

 animal. Unsuspicious, and extremely fami- 

 liar, he seems less apprehensive of man than 

 almost any other of our summer visitants ; 

 for whether in the woods, or in the garden, 

 where he frequently builds his nest, he 

 seldom allows you to pass without approach- 

 ing to pay his respects in his usual way. 

 This humble familiarity and deference, from 

 a stranger, too, who comes to rear his joung, 

 and spend his summer with us, ought to en- 

 j title him to a full share of our hospitality. 



CAT-BIRD. (Turdus iMirmis] fdivox.} 

 ^he celebrated American ornithologist, 



Sorry I am, however, to say, that this, in too 

 many instances, is cruelly the reverse." 



The Cat-bird generally succeeds in build- 

 ing his nest about the beginning of May. 

 The place chosen for this purpose is usu- 

 ally a thicket of briers or brambles, a thorn 

 bush, thick vine, or the fork of a small sap- 

 ling ; no great solicitude is shown for con- 

 cealment, though few birds appear more 

 interested for the safety of their nest and 

 young. The materials are dry leaves and 

 weeds, small twigs, and fine dry grass ; the 

 inside is lined with the fine black fibrous 

 roots of some plant. The female lays four, 

 sometimes five, eggs, of a uniform greenish 

 blue colour, without any spots. They gene- 

 rally raise two, and sometimes three, broods 

 in a season. 



" In passing through the woods in summer, 

 I have sometimes amused myself with imi- 

 tating the violent chirping or squeaking of 

 young birds, in order to observe what different 

 species were around me, for such sounds, 

 at such a season, in the woods, are no less 

 alarming to the feathered tenants of the 

 bushes, than the cry of fire or murder in the 

 streets is to the inhabitauts of a large and 

 populous city. On such occasions of alarm 

 and consternation, the Cat-bird is the first to 

 make his appearance, not singly, but some- 

 times half a dozen at a time, flying from 

 different quarters to the spot. At this time, 

 those who are disposed to play with his 

 feelings may almost throw him into fits, his 

 emotion and agitation are so great, at the 

 distressful cries of what he supposes to be 

 his suffering young. Other birds are vari- 

 ously affected, but none show symptoms of 

 extreme suffering. He hurries backwards 

 and forwards, with hanging wings and open 

 mouth, calling out louder and faster, and 

 actually screaming with distress, till he 

 appears hoarse with his exertions. He at- 

 tempts no offensive means ; but he bewails 

 he implores in the most pathetic terms 

 with which nature has supplied him, and 

 with an agony of feeling which is truly 

 affecting. Every feathered neighbour within 

 hearing hastens to the place, to learn the 

 cause of the alarm, peeping about with looks 

 of consternation and sympathy. But their 

 own powerful parental duties and domestic 

 concerns soon oblige each to withdraw. At 

 any other season the most perfect imitations 

 have no effect whatever on him. 



" The Cat-bird is one of our earliest morn- 

 ing songsters, beginning generally before 

 break of day, and hovering from bush to 

 bush, with great sprightliness, when there 

 is scarce light sufficient to distinguish him. 

 His notes are more remarkable for singu- 

 larity than for melody. They consist of 

 short imitations of other birds, and other 

 sounds ; but, his pipe being rather deficient 

 in clearness and strength of tone, his imita- 

 tions fail where these are requisite. Yet he 

 is not easily discouraged, but seems to study 

 certain passages with great perseverance ; 

 uttering them at first low, and, as he suc- 

 ceeds, higher and more free, nowise embar- 

 rassed by the presence of a spectator even 

 within a few yards of him. On attentively 

 listening for some time to him, one can 



