446 FAMILY TURDIDJi ; THRUSH, BLACKBIRD, &C. 



arched and compressed bills, with a less strongly-marked tooth. 

 Their wings are usually long and pointed ; and their legs and toes 

 long and slender. Their flight is moderately rapid ; and their 



Fro. 246. HEAD OF SONG THRUSH, 



advance on the ground is by leaping. Their food usually con- 

 sists of soft animal and vegetable substances, as fruits, worms, 

 and snails ; this we might infer from the comparative weakness 

 of their bills ; but there are some divisions of the family, in 

 which the bill is stronger, and the food consists of hard-cased 

 insects and grains. This family is very universally distributed 

 over the globe; its several species being adapted to almost every 

 variety of climate. They generally frequent the fields and pas- 

 tures in search of their food ; but they nestle in thickets and 

 woods. Some species are remarkable for their power and variety 

 of song as the common Thrush and Blackbird of this country, 

 and others for their power of imitating almost any sound what- 

 ever which is the case with the Mocking-bird of America. 

 This extraordinary songster, which ranges from New England 

 to Brazil, cannot only imitate with facility the song of any other 

 Bird, with additional ornaments of its own ; but can utter almost 

 any other sound which it has heard, such as the barking of a dog, 

 the mewing of a cat, the creaking of a wheel, &c., &c. The 

 Orioles are a group of this family, chiefly distinguished by the 

 greater breadth of the bill at its base. They are mostly tropical 



