THE RED-BREASTED-THRUSH. 417 



to Florida. Arrives in Pennsylvania about the 20th of April, and 

 returns to the south in October. Length eight inches ; the 

 whole upper parts are a fulvous brown, brightening into 

 reddish on the head, and inclining to olive on the rump and 

 tail ; throat and breast vphite, tinged with light buflF colour, and 

 beautifully marked with dark spots running all over the belly, 

 which is white. Frequents solitary woods ; sings finely in the 

 morning and evening, and also in moist and gloomy weather: 

 the sadder the day the sweeter its song. Eggs four or five, 

 light blue, without spots ; nest, in a laurel or elder bush, com- 

 posed of beech leaves exteriorly, lined with mud, over which is 

 laid fine black fibrous roots of plants; the nest is found in 

 moist situations and the neighbourhood of brooks. This bird 

 is often heard, but rarely seen. For its Morning Songy see 

 pageSdl. 



The Turdus Migratorius, Reu-breasted-Thrush, or Robin, 

 of Wilson, is nine and a half inches long ; sings very pleasantly ; 

 frequently seen in America in cages, in one of which it has been 

 kept for seventeen years; inhabits the whole of North America, 

 from Hudson's Bay to Nootka Sound and Georgia; rarely 

 breeds on the east side of the mountains south of Virginia. See 

 page 350. 



/ 



Eve at length came, in mantle of purple array'd, 

 While the moon o'er the mountains her radiance dis- 



play'd. 

 The birds sought repose — who had journeys to take, 

 Deferr'd their return till the morning should wake ; 

 Meantime, the sweet Mocking-Bird, true to his lay. 

 Thus welcom'd the Night, thus took leave of the Day: 



T3 



