20 MINUS CAROLINENSIS. 



But, if it thinks its eggs or young are in peril, it loses its quiet demeanor, and flits rapidly 

 around the disturber; then, if he approaches too near the nest, it dashes into his very face, 

 uttering the alarm note in a quick nervous manner, occasionally raising it to a sudden scream 

 of rage, or now and then giving an angry cackle. It persists in these frantic efforts to repel the 

 iuvader until he leaves the locality. This feline-like note is not very agreeable to the ear, 

 but the song is quite lively and pleasant. It is somewhat hurried, and consists of a series of 

 of rather inaccurate imitations of the songs of the Kobin, Blue Bird, and of a few other species, 

 mingled harmoniously with some finer snatches of its own. While singing, the bird is perched 

 in some elevated situation, and, as it renders some of the more difficult parts, the wings are 

 fluttered, the head thrown back, and the bird gives undivided attention to its lay; but 

 during other measures of the song it often hops from place to place, in a careless, though 

 restless manner. 



It sings well in confinement, and I knew of one, that was kept by a friend, which 

 particularly excelled in this respect. It was very tame, seeming to enjoy the caresses of the 

 various members of the family, and lived a long and contented life ; but at last met its fate in 

 a singular manner, for a bird. It possessed an immoderate liking for mince-pie and ate all that 

 was presented to it ; but unfortunately this unnatural food did not agree with it, for if it took 

 a large quantity it would almost immediately be thrown into convulsions ; therefore it was 

 seldom indulged in this luxury. But one day it escaped from its cage, when no one was by, 

 and finding one of its favorite pies upon a table, ate its fill. When its owner entered the 

 room it was insensible, and as all efforts to restore it to consciousness failed it soon died, 

 falling a victim to its appetite. 



The Cat Bird is in full song just before the season of incubation and continues to sing while 

 the female is sitting. The time for nesting, in New England, is about the first week in June, 

 and by the middle of July the young are fully fledged. The situation chosen for a summer 

 home is usually some thicket by the side of fence rows, often at no great distance from 

 a dwelling. The nest is commonly placed in a barberry bush, but a few feet above the ground. 

 After rearing its young, it retires to the swamps to moult. This occurs during the latter part 

 of July, and about the second week in October it takes its departure for the South. I found it 

 very abundant at Key West in the first part of November after which the majority disappeared. 

 At this time it moved in large flocks, and fed, with the preceding species, on the fruit of the 

 prickly pear. It did not, however, subsist wholly upon this food, but varied its diet by eating 

 insects. It lives entirely upon insectivorous food from the time of its arrival in Xew England, 

 May 1st, until July ; after which it eats greedily of the smaller fruits ; but as the beetles, larvae 

 of the lepidoptera, etc., destroyed by it, earlier in the season, are generally injurious to 

 vegetation, we may justly pardon it if it does help itself liberally to our cherries and 

 strawberries. This poor bird, however, has a bad reputation among farmers, owing partly to 

 its annoying note, and partly to its supposed propensity to dine upon the eggs of other birds. 

 Of this latter charge it is innocent, and, moreover, as we have shown, does a great deal of good 

 and if it were to be banished from the land the husbandman would find his crops far lighter 

 when the time of harvest came. 



