THE CATBIRD. 



What do you think of this nest 

 of eggs? What do you suppose 

 Mrs. Catbird's thoughts are as 

 she looks at them so tenderly? 

 Don't you think she was very 

 kind to let me take the nest out 

 of the hedge where I found it, so 

 you could see the pretty greenish 

 blue eggs ? I shall place it back 

 where I got it. Catbirds usually 

 build their nests in hedges, 

 briars, or bushes, so they are 

 never very high from the ground. 



Did you ever hear the Catbird 

 sing ? He is one of the sweetest 

 singers and his song is some- 

 thing like his cousin's, the 

 Brown Thrush, only not so loud. 



He can imitate the songs of 

 other birds and the sounds of 

 many animals. He can mew like 



a cat, and it is for this 

 that he is called u Catbird." 

 sweetest song, though, is 

 and mellow and 



reason 

 ." His 



soft 

 is sung at just 



such times as this — when think- 



ing of the nest, the eggs, or the 

 young. 



The Catbird is a good neigh- 

 bor among birds. If any other 

 bird is in trouble of any sort, he 

 will do all he can to relieve it. 

 He will even feed and care for 

 little birds whose parents have 

 left them. Don't you think he 

 ought to have a prettier name ? 

 Now remember, the Catbird is a 

 Thrush. I want you to keep 

 track of all the Thrushes as they 

 appear in " Birds." I shall try 

 to show you a Thrush each 

 month. 



Next month you shall see the 

 sweetest singer of American 

 birds. He, too, is a Thrush. I 

 wonder if you know what bird I 

 mean. Ask your mamma to buy 

 you a book called " Bird WaySv" 

 It was written by a lady who 

 spent years watching and study- 

 ing birds. She tells so many 

 cute things about the Catbird. 



1S4 



