The Brown Thrasher 



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By CHARLES E. HEIL, Needham. Mass. 



THE Brown Thrasher is a common, every-day bird, from May to Septem- 

 ber, in West Roxbury, Roslindale, and Needham, Massachusetts. It 

 arrives in this vicinity about the first week in May; a few may sometimes 

 be seen during the last week of April, but so far as I have observed, this is 

 unusual. They generally arrive in pairs, and, when first seen among the under- 

 growth of pasture and roadside, are very shy and suspicious, and show no 

 sign of that bravery which some of them later display in defense of their voung. 

 As they flit across the road, from thicket to thicket, at this time of the year, 

 they frequently make me think of a reddish wind-blown leaf. 



Some of the birds begin housekeeping a few days after their arrival, as I have 

 found a bird sitting on four eggs on May 10. Nests are composed of coarse twigs, 

 bark and dead leaves, and, at times, dry grass is used; the lining is generally 

 fine roots; rarely, it is a combination of fine roots and fine twigs, and one nest 

 I examined was lined with bark and dry grass. As a rule, the structures are 

 well made, but some of the ground nests, when taken up, do not retain their 

 shape. The favorite nesting localities are neglected, overgrown pastures and the 

 borders of woods. Most of the nests I have found were placed on the ground, 

 but they are frequently built in bushes and tangles of vines, and, on rare occa- 

 sions, a nest may be found in a tree. Nests in bushes are not difficult to find, 

 but those placed on the ground are very well concealed. A good way to find the 

 latter is to pick out a likely looking pasture, beat over it, and, in this way, flush 

 the bird, which is a close sitter, from the nest. 



The eggs are whitish, with profuse and even specks of reddish brown; but, 

 when seen from a distance, strongly resemble ovoids of some plain brown wood. 

 I have never found more than five eggs in a nest; four are usually laid and de- 

 position occurs daily. Incubation usually commences before the last egg is laid, 

 and in each of three instances under my observation, lasted about thirteen 

 days. In localities where enemies abound, the young leave the nest at the end 

 of ten or twelve days, and conceal themselves in the underbrush until able to 

 fly. At this period, they are much like the parents in color, but do not have the 

 yellow iris, this coming about the time of the August molt. Usually, two broods 

 are reared during the season, which, beginning in early May, continues until 

 well into July. While the young are in the nest, the parents generally are very 

 brave, flying at and, sometimes, hitting the intruder, and they look fierce enough 

 with their staring yellow eyes and sharp curving bills, to frighten away many small 

 boys who would, otherwise, rob their homes. Nuttall says: " One of the parents, 

 usually the male, seems almost continually occupied in guarding against any 

 dangerous intruder." The appearance of the human intruder is heralded by 

 the whistled Wheeu, which is followed by the loud kissing note if the person 

 continues to advance. If an enemy gets close to some nests, the owners seem 



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