IN THE CAT-BIRD'S NOOK. 



65 



an object of suspicion and dislike to many per- 

 sons, the cat-bird Mimus carolinensis is one 

 of the most intelligent and interesting of our 

 native birds. No bird makes closer observa- 

 tion, or more correctly estimates one's attitude 

 toward him. As I sit motionless in his nook 

 he will circle around me, hopping from bush to 

 bush, at a distance of ten or twelve feet, look- 

 ing at me from every side, and at last slip be- 

 hind a low shrub, and come out boldly upon 

 the grass with an unconcerned air, entirely dif- 

 ferent from that with which he had kept me 

 under surveillance for the last ten minutes. 



The cat-bird has an inquiring mind ; nothing 

 escapes his eye, and everything is of interest to 

 him. Far from being satisfied to accept any- 

 thing as " mysterious," he wishes and intends 

 to know the why and the wherefore of every- 

 thing new or strange. After one has gained 

 his confidence, to induce him to show himself 

 on the grass it is only necessary to place there 

 something new a bit of paper, a small fruit, 

 or anything unusual. From behind his screen 

 of leaves he sees it, is at once seized with in- 

 tense curiosity, and if not afraid he will almost 

 instantly come down to inspect it. This he 

 does by trying to stab it with his sharp black 

 bill, jumping off the ground and pouncing on 

 it, when it happens to be hard, till one fears he 



