12 SOME CANADIAN BIRDS. 



In which tho voery lovos to hido. Tlio prenent bird in more confid- 

 ing, aIho, thim (ithurH of tho group, iiiul coiiiuh rloHtT to tho hoiiHOH. 

 A pair of wood thrutihuH huvu buun kuuwu tu build thuir nest in the 

 centre of a viUago. 



All our thrunhes hnvo voicon of rich Hwoet tones, and liquid, 

 iluto-Iiku (luiility, and three of the group Ring melodies that have 

 made them famous. No one of tho three Iion the compass of voice 

 nor the volume that is ho conspicuous in the performances of the cat- 

 bird and tlie thrasher ; but the songs the thrushes sing are of a higher 

 grade as musical compositions tlwiii are the songs of their stronger- 

 voiced rivals. Of tho throe the veory has the most metallio tone 

 — suggestive of a silver horn rather than a flute — and its song is the 

 most brilliant. The hermit's voice excels in richness, and the 

 song of the hermit surpasses his cousins' in spiritual quality. 

 The voice of the wood thrush partakes of tho quality of l)oth, 

 though it is not quite so silvery as tho veery'a nor so mellow 

 as the hermit's. But the song tho wood thrush sings has a beauty 

 that is all its own, and it never fails to delight a lover of sweet 

 bird music. Wo do not always hear tho bird at his best, for 

 he frequently sings a part only of his full song — sings in a broken 

 faltering way as if trying his voice — ''tuning up," as some one 

 has written. His full song is an exquisite melody, and though not 

 so spiritual as the hermit's it is sweet and placid, and when it comes 

 to the ear during the early spring days, the days when nature is 

 awakening, it carries in its tones a sense of refreshment, of buoyant 

 hopefulness and of serene content. But like other birds' songs 

 this sweet psalm of the wood thrush must be heard to be appreciated 

 — it cannot be described. 



The thrushes are seen on the ground quite as often as on a perch, 

 for their food during most of the year consists of grubs, beetles, 

 ground worms, and other insects that gather under the fallen 

 leaves ; but when wild fruits are ripe the thrush changes his diet to 

 more dainty fare. 



When at a distance these birds appear to be much alike — 

 brown backed birds with spotted breasts — but in the hand they 

 prove to differ considerably in coloration. 



The wood thrush bears on his upper parts the tribal hue, a dull 

 russet brown, but his crown wears a rich rufous tint, and the neck and 



