THE ORNITHOLOGISTS’ AND OOLOGISTS’ SEMI-ANNUAL. 43 
called by ornithologists, Wzmus polyglotios, meaning the many-tongued 
mimic. This bird needs no introduction, and we shall describe it but 
slightly, and try to bring out some of the points whereby the male 
or singing bird can be distinguished from the female. The upper 
parts of the adult male bird are ashy-gray ; lower parts soiled white; | 
wings blackish-brown, and the primaries, with the exception of the 
first, marked with a large white space, restricted on the outer quills 
usually to half or less of these feathers, but occupying nearly all of 
the inner quills. The female bird is similar to the male, but the color 
is less clear and pure ; above rather brownish than grayish-ash ;below, 
sometimes quite brownish-white, at least on the breast. In general, 
the clearer and purer are the color and the more white there is in the 
tail and wing, the more likely is the bird to be a male and prove a 
good singer. Usually, the female is smaller than the male. This 
bird lays a greenish-blue egg, spotted with brown, and builds its nest 
of twigs anywhere in trees or bushes. 
Hopping around amongst the low undergrowth in the darkest por- 
tions of our woods, will be seen flitting hither and thither a brown 
bird about the size of the ‘““Mocker,” and one which almost rivals the 
‘“Mocker” with his song. This bird is known as the Brown Thrasher, 
more commonly called Brown Thrush and by some the “French Mock- 
ingbird.” Its upper parts are uniform rich rust-red, with a bronze 
tinge ; tail same color as back ; under parts white, more or less strong- 
ly tinged, especially upon the breast and flanks, with tawny or pale 
cinnamon-brown, and throat immaculate, marked with a necklace of 
spots. This bird builds in low bushes or clusters of bushes, and 
builds a bulky nest of twigs,sticks and bits of bark and fibrous roots ; 
lined with horse hair and a few feathers. _ 
Flitting here and there from one tree to another and clinging upon 
the smallest branches of the trees, will be seen the Black-capped 
Chickadee, a small bird with the crown of its head, and its chin and 
throat black, separated by white on side of the head ; its upper parts 
brownish-ash, and under parts more or less pure white or whitish. 
This little fellow builds its nest in hollow logs. ‘The nest is composed 
of a soft mass of hair and fur, downy feathers and fine dry grasses. 
[The above is the first of a series of some fifteen or twenty papers 
by Jas. H. Rachford of Beaumont, Texas, which are now being pub- 
lished in two Texas paper, one in Beaumont and the other in Hous- 
ton. Mr. Rachtford has kindly offered us the privilege of republishing 
