MY PET WOOD THRUSHES. 203 



I had a theory which I often broached to my wife concern- 

 ing this branch of the family TurdinaB. It was, that the 

 Wood Thrush constituted the feathered incarnation of the 

 Affectional Sentiment in Mankind that in its mellow, clear 

 and wonderfully liquid notes, we heard the natural language 

 of tenderness, pity, charity and hope, and that therefore, the 

 fact of Brownie's feeding the poor Kelpie was no accident, but 

 that the same sympathetic benevolence would be found to 

 characterize the specimens quite generally, and without regard 

 to sex. Now, this bird, (Turdus HusicusJ) the Song Thrush of 

 Europe, is so nearly allied to (Turdus Melodus) the American 

 variety, that the two were for a long time confounded among 

 the Old World Naturalists ; and indeed, Wilson was the first 

 who drew the clear line of distinction between the two, and 

 established ours as a distinct species. This bird was pre- 

 sented to us in the fall of the year, and as I had ventured 

 to predict, that with the return of spring our new English 

 friend would exhibit the same traits as his late American 

 kinsman poor Brownie in feeding the first young bird of 

 the family Turdinse presented to it, I was all eagerness to 

 have the spring come, that we might test the question 

 fully. 



It happened that a nearly fatal illness overtook me this 

 winter, and I was compelled to seek for restoration in the 

 South. 



We arrived at Charleston very early in the spring, and by 

 the time the mocking birds began to breed, I was able to 

 travel far enough by railroad to reach Columbia, the lovely 

 capital of the State, where, under the care of that distin- 

 guished naturalist, physician and gentleman, Professor Rob- 

 ert AY. Gibbs, I was soon so far relieved as to be strong 

 enough to get out on short excursions occasionally. My wife 

 was then engaged in making the drawings of birds which, 

 are presented in this volume. 



We had, in addition to our pet Englishman, alluded to, a 

 fine male Southern mocking bird, which was not quite old 



