THE SINGING BIRDS. 



217 



Florida. About the beginning of May he has already succeeded in building his nest. The place 

 chosen for this purpose is generally a thicket of briars or brambles, a thorn bush, thick vine, or the 

 fork of a small sapling ; no great solicitude is shown for concealment, though few birds appear more 

 interested for the safety of their nests and young. The materials employed are dry leaves, or weeds, 

 small twigs, or fine dry grass ; the interior is lined with fine black fibrous roots. The female lays 

 four, sometimes five eggs, of an uniform greenish blue colour, without any spots. Two, and 

 occasionally three broods, are raised in the year. 



" The manners of this species are lively, and at intervals border on the grotesque. It is 

 extremely sensitive, and will follow an intruder to a considerable distance, wailing and mewing as it 

 passes from one tree to another, its tail now jerked and thrown from side to side, its wings drooping, 



vjfVi 



the cat bird (Galeoscoptes Caiolineiuis) 



and its breast deeply inclined. On such occasions it would fain peck at your hand ; but these 

 exhibitions of irritated feeling seldom take place after the young have sufficiently grown to take care 

 of themselves. In some instances I have known this bird at once to recognise its friend from its 

 foe, and to suffer the former even to handle the treasure deposited in its nest with all the marked 

 assurance of the knowledge it possessed of its safety; while, on the contrary, the latter had to bear 

 all its anger. The sight of a dog seldom irritates it, but a single glance at the wily cat excites the 

 most painful paroxysms of alarm. It never neglects to attack a snake with fury, though it often 

 happens that it becomes the sufferer for its temerity. 



"The Cat Bird," continues the same author, " is one of our earliest morning songsters, beginning 

 generally before break of day, and hovering from bush to bush with great sprightliness when there 

 is scarce light sufficient to distinguish him. His notes are more remarkable for singularity than 

 for melody. They consist of short imitations of other birds and other sounds ; but his pipe being 

 rather deficient in clearness and strength of tone, his imitations fail where these qualities are requisite. 



VOL. II. — 67 



