A RARE VISITOR. 201 



screen, as well as a comfortable site for many bird 

 homes. Indeed, there seemed to be a populous 

 bird village behind the green curtain, and great 

 disturbances sometimes occurred, and I could 

 hear the excited voices of the residents till dark- 

 ness put an end to their discussions. One cool 

 October day, as I sat at my window I heard 

 a strange bird note, and my ready glass in a 

 moment revealed a rare visitor indeed, a 

 thrasher. He stood on the edge of a roof sil- 

 houetted against the sky, tossing his tail in 

 excitement, and peering eagerly into the yards 

 opened out before him. Suddenly he dashed 

 into a tall rosebush leaning on the back fence 

 of the empty lot, and busied himself a few mo- 

 ments, perhaps with the rose hips ; then finding 

 that too near the four-footed inhabitants, he re- 

 tired to the roof, looked to see that no plebeian 

 sparrows were at home in the vine, then plunged 

 into that and disappeared behind its ample foli- 

 age. Here he spent some time getting the ber- 

 ries, as I cotdd see, and during his occupancy no 

 sparrow entered, though some flew by. All day 

 he remained in the vicinity ; but at night I sup- 

 pose he resumed his journey southward, for I 

 saw him no more. 



One day a pair of juncos appeared on the 

 scene, mingling fraternally with the sparrows, 

 and sharing their usual pickings around back 



