360 DIVISION I. VERTEBRAL ANIMALS. — CLASS II. AVES. 



ORDER OSCINES (Singing Birds), 

 Family Turdid.e. Thrushes. 



Tins family comprelicnds tlie Turdiixv (tlie true tlinisltcs), wliicli may be 

 easily distinguished from the others, hy the tarsus i)cing covered by a siniTJe 

 scale, giving it the appearance of being booted. The Blhnincc (the mock- 

 ing thrushes), and the C'inclina; (the dippers), wliicli may be known from 

 tiie others by their short thick body and short, rounded, concave winn-s. Of 

 the true tlirushcs, the robin, song thrush, and hermit thrush of America, 

 and the blackbird, the song thrush, or mavis, the red-wing thrush, the missel 

 thrush, the rock tiirush of Europe, furnisli well-known examples. 



The American robin, from its distribution over this continent, and familiar 

 habits, is one of the best known, generally, of the above-mentioned birds. 

 It jienctrates to the norliicrn sections very early in the spring, and its beau- 

 tiful, liquid song is the first to gladden the ear. It nests in orchards near 

 houses oftcner than in the woods, and a given locality is the home of the 

 same birds for several years in succession. The nest is placed in the small 

 branches of a tree, and is composed first of a thick layer of straw, weeds, 

 roots, and mosses. On this is built a thick shell of mud, in which are 

 mixed pieces of grass and roots, and in this shell the nest pro[)er — which 

 is composed of soft grass and other fine material — is placed. Tlie eggs are 

 usually four in number ; their color is a beautiful greenish-blue, like the 

 color of the eggs of nearly all our true thrushes. Two, and sometimes three 

 l)roods are reared in a season. Probably none among our birds has caused 

 more discussion relative to the injury done to small fruit growers than the 

 robin, and a brief review of its habits as regards its agricultural importance, 

 will not be out of place here. 



The fict that this bird has been detected in grape-stealing, that he is a 

 universally known cherry -lover, and that strawberries, and blackberries, and 

 other small fruits pay a heavy tribute to his and his fiimily's appetites, have 

 characterized him as a thief, a pest, and nuisance, that should be sup- 

 pressed and abated on every possible occasion. " Give a dog a bad name, 

 and hang him," is unfortunately the rule which governs too many of us 

 humans ; but with our national and notorious love of justice, we should 

 see that tlie animal docs not undeservedly bear the bad name before he 

 is hung. 



No animal sliould be classed as a pest unless it is unquestionably more 

 mischievous than Ijcneficial. A rat is a pest, since he has none, or, at any 

 rate, very few redeeming rpialitics to oflset all of his very many bad ones. 



