196 BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. 



to those in the hole above them. The flycatchers, 

 like the crows and jays, are songless birds ; the 

 crows and jays are similar to the blackbirds and 

 orioles in build and habit ; the blackbirds and ori- 

 oles are linked with the sparrows and finches by 

 the short, conical - billed bobolink and cowbird; 

 the sparrows and finches resemble the tanagers 

 in general build ; the swallows in No. 6 seem to 

 stand alone ; but the waxwings resemble the vi- 

 reos in elegance and tone of plumage ; the vireos 

 approach the wood warblers in size and form ; and 

 while there is a natural gap between Nos. 9 and 

 10, as two families are omitted, the wrens and 

 thrashers are like the creepers in shape of bill 

 and general coloring ; and the creeper is closely 

 connected with the nuthatch of No. 12, nut- 

 hatches and titmice, while the titmice in their 

 turn show the nearness of the family to the king- 

 lets. These resemblances, however, are mostly 

 superficial, not real. 



The several thrushes are so closely allied that 

 there is difficulty in discriminating between them, 

 and I confess they puzzled me at first. I began 

 by studying the wood, the hermit, and the tawny. 

 These three all had brown backs, white speckled 

 breasts, and beautiful voices. But before long I 

 found they could be easily distinguished by varia- 

 tions in the shade of brown on their backs, by 

 size and arrangement of the speckles, and by the 

 quality of their songs. 



