204 



PERCHERS AND SINGERS 



stealing a sheep than 



killing 



Robins, either for food or 



ti 



sport. 



Let us protect the great American Robin, and all other perch- 

 ing birds, even at the point of the bayonet if it be necessary. 

 The Wood Thrush 1 is one-fifth smaller than a robin, 

 and is easily recognized anywhere by its beautifully spotted 



breast. It has about 

 fifty dark-brown spots, 

 often arranged in rows 

 up and down its breast, 

 belly and throat, on a 

 creamy- white ground- 

 color. Other thrushes 

 have dark spots on the 

 breast, but not down to 

 the legs. The head and 

 shoulders of this bird 

 are of a bright cinna- 

 mon color. 

 This graceful creature often works overtime to make the 

 woods melodious, and it is one of our sweetest singers. It 

 is not so bold and confident as the robin, and is much given 

 to following the robin's lead. Its favorite haunt is the sweet 

 seclusion of shady woods and thickets, where the half-bare 

 earth affords good hunting-grounds, and a fair degree of safety 

 from observation. Its nesting habits are very much like those 

 of the robin, and its range includes the whole eastern half of 

 the United States, to the Great Plains beyond the Mississippi. 



1 Hy-lo-ci'ckla mus-tel-i'na. Length, 8 inches. 



WOOD THRUSH. 



