﻿518 Canadian Record of Science. 



those months, it is evident that the birds do not live to 

 any great extent on cultivated cherries. 



Although the cherry bird is not a great insect destroyer 

 it does some good work in this way, since it probably rears 

 its young mostly upon insect food. On the other hand, 

 it does not devour nearly as much cultivated fruit as has 

 been asserted, and most, if not all, of the damage can be 

 prevented. The bird should therefore be considered a 

 useful species, and as such should be accorded all possible 

 protection. 



THE CATBIRD. 



(Galeoscoptes carolinensis. ) 



The catbird, like the thrasher, is a lover of swamps, 

 and delights to make its home in a tangle of wild 

 grapevines, grcenbriers and shrubs, where it is safe 

 from attack and can find its favorite food in abundance. 

 It is found throughout the United States west to the 

 Eocky Mountains ; occurs also in Washington, Idaho and 

 Utah, and extends northward into British America. It 

 winters in the Southern States, Cuba, Mexico and Central 

 America. 



The catbird always attracts attention, and the intruder 

 upon its haunts soon understands that he is not welcome. 

 There is no mistaking the meaning of the sneering voice 

 with which he is saluted, and there is little doubt that 

 this gave rise to the popular prejudice against the bird ; 

 but the feeling has been increased by the fact that the 

 species is sometimes a serious annoyance to fruit growers. 

 All such reports, however, seem to come from the prairie 

 country of the West. In New England, according to the 

 writer's experience, the catbird is seldom seen about gar- 

 dens or orchards ; the reason may possibly be found in the 

 fact that on the prairies fruit-bearing shrubs which afford 

 so large a part of this bird's food are conspicuously absent. 

 With the settlement of this region comes an extensive 



