23



THE


Avicultural Magazine,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF

THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.


Third Series .— Vol. VI.—No. 1. —All rights reserved. NOVEMBER, 1914.



THE BROWN THRASHER, OR THRUSH.


Harporliynchus rufus.


By Hubert D. Astley.


Range. Eastern North America : breeds from the Gulf States to

Manitoba, Maine, and Montreal: winters from Virginia south¬

ward.


Nest, of twigs, coarse rootlets, and leaves, lined with finer rootlets,

in bushes, thickets, or on the ground.


Eggs, three to six, bluish white or greyish white ; thickly, evenly,

and minutely speckled with cinnamon or rufous-brown.


1.08 X .80. [Chapman : “ Birds of Eastern North America.”]

Mr. Chapman writes that this bird “ is generally speaking an

“ inhabitant of the undergrowth, where it passes much time on the

“ground, foraging among the fallen leaves.”


“ He is an active suspicious bird, who does not like to be

“ watched, and expresses his annoyance with an unpleasant kissing

“ note, or sharply whistled wheeu.”


But he seeks an exposed position when singing.


“ Morning and evening he mounts his favourite perch—

“ generally in the upper branches of a tree—and deliberately gives

“ his entire attention to his song. He is a finished musician, and

“ although his repertoire is limited to one air, he rivals the Mocking -

“ bird in the richness of his tones and execution.”


Audubon was greatly impressed by the Brown Thrasher’s

song, for he wrote : “No sooner has the bird reached its destined



