vin. 



FLUTTERBUDGET. 



" FLUTTERBUDGET " is the one expressive 

 word that exactly characterizes a certain brown 

 thrush, or thrasher, the subject of a year's 

 study. This bird is perhaps the only restless 

 creature that bears the name of thrush, and he 

 is totally unlike the rest of his family, having 

 neither dignity, composure, nor repose of man- 

 ner. My brown thrush, however, was exceed- 

 ingly interesting in his own way, if only as a 

 study of perpetual motion, of the varieties of 

 shape and attitude possible to him, and the fan- 

 tastic tricks upon wing of which he was capa- 

 ble. One never tired of watching him, for he 

 was erratic in every movement, always invent- 

 ing some new sort of evolution, or a fresh way 

 of doing the old things, and scarcely a moment 

 at rest. A favorite exercise was flying across 

 the room, planting his feet flatly against the 

 side wall, turning instantly and flying back. 

 This he often did a dozen times in succession. 



