THE INVITATION. 237 



the wing, by a sudden darting or swooping move- 

 meut ; often a very audible snap of the beak may be 

 heard. 



These birds are the least elegant, both in form and 

 color, of any of our feathered neighbors. They have 

 short legs, a short neck, large heads, and broad, flat 

 beaks, with bristles at the base. They often fly with 

 a peculiar quivering movement of the wings, and 

 when at rest oscillate their tails at short intervals. 



There are found in the United States nineteen spe 

 cies. In the Middle and Eastern districts, one may 

 observe in summer, without any special search, about 

 five of them, namely, the king-bird, the phoebe-bird, 

 the wood-pewee, the great-crested fly-catcher (distin- 

 guished from all others by the bright ferruginous 

 color of its tail), and the small green-crested fly- 

 catcher. 



The thrushes are the birds of real melody, and will 

 afford one more delight perhaps than any other class. 

 The robin is the most familiar example. Their man- 

 ners, flight, and form are the same in each species. 

 See the robin hop along upon tne ground, strike an 

 attitude, scratch for a worm, fix his eye upon some- 

 thing before him or upon the beholder, flip his wings 

 suspiciously, fly straight to his perch, or sit at sun- 

 iown on some high branch caroling his sweet and 

 honest strain, and you have seen what is characteristic 

 of all the thrushes. Their carriage is preeminently 

 marked by grace, and their songs by melody. 



Beside the robin, which is in no sense a wood-bird, 



