170 BIRDS OF THE PASTURE AND FOREST. 



erate singer. He seldom makes music his sole employ- 

 ment ; though at any hour of the day, from dawn till 

 evening twilight, he may occasionally be heard singing 

 and complaining. 



Though I have been all my life familiar with the notes 

 and manners of the Catbird, I have not been able to 

 discover that in his native woods he is a mocker. He 

 seems to me to have a definite song, unlike that of any 

 other songster, except the Eed-Thrush. It is not made 

 up from the notes of other birds, but is as unique and 

 original as the song of the Eobin or the Linnet. In the 

 song of any bird we may detect occasional strains that 

 resemble those of some other species ; but the Catbird 

 gives no more of these imitations than we might rea- 

 sonably regard as accidental. The truth is, that the 

 Thrushes, though delightful songsters, have inferior pow- 

 ers of execution, and cannot equal the Finches in learn- 

 ing and performing the notes of other birds. Even the 

 Mocking-Bird, compared with many other species, is a 

 very imperfect imitator of any notes which are rapid 

 and difficult of execution. He cannot give the song of 

 the Canary ; yet I have heard a caged Bobolink do this 

 to perfection. 



The modulation of the Catbird's song is somewhat 

 similar to that of the Eed-Thrush, and I have found it 

 sometimes difficult to determine, from the. first few notes, 

 whether I was listening to the one or the other; but after 

 a moment I detected one of those quaint utterances that 

 distinguish the notes of the Catbird. I am confident that 

 no man would mistake this song for that of any other 

 species except the Eed-Thrush ; and in this case his mis- 

 take would soon be corrected by longer listening. The 

 Eed-Thrush has a louder and fuller intonation, more notes 

 that resemble speech, or that may be likened to it, and 

 some fine guttural tones which the other never utters. 



