436 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



■jBS stz -,^. 



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THE CAT BIHD AND CHEWINK. 



Of all the birds which inhabit our woods and 

 pastures none are better known than the Cat Bird 

 and Chewink, or Towhee, as the latter is often 

 culled. The Cat Bird had a bad name with the 

 associates of our boyhood. It was accused of kill- 

 ing bees and robbing other bird's nests, and was 

 consequently persecuted and abused by us as an 

 inemy and outlaw. We believe that this treat- 

 ment was unjust, and that this poor bird was the 

 victim of calumny, suspicion and slander, — a mis- 

 fortune which is by no means confined to birds. 

 We now regard him as a friend to the farmer, and 

 his kitten-like mew is more musical to our ears 

 than when we regarded it as the cry of an ad- 

 versary that challecged our slings and shot-guns. 



Mr. E. A. Samuels, who has carefully watched 

 this bird and studied its peculiarities, makes no 



allusion to these vicious habits, and we presume 

 that it has been wrongfully accused. 



That the boys of the present day may better un- 

 derstand the habits and character of the birds that 

 sing such songs and pipe such notes as their Crea- 

 tor has fitted them for, and which feed on insects 

 injurious to vegetation, we present the above illus- 

 tration of the Cat Bird and Chewink, with a de- 

 scription of both, copied by permission from Sam- 

 uels' "Birds of New i^ngland." 



Of the Cat Bird he says :— 



This very common and well-known bird 

 arrives in New England about the first week 

 in May, — in Maine, perhaps about the 15th of 

 that month. It is distributed abundantly 

 thrcughout these States, and its habits are 

 well known. During the mating season, and 



