THE CATBIRD. 



[Galeoscoptes carolinensis. 



Few birds are better known and, per- 

 haps, few are less understood. The Cat- 

 bird is an erratic individual, presenting 

 certain characteristics one moment and 

 the very opposite the next moment. Few 

 birds have been more greatly admired; 

 none have been more greatly disliked and 

 abused. The Catbird has been called the 

 "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of birds." One 

 moment it is quietly preening its feath- 

 ers, for it is a particular bird ; then, with- 

 out warning, it launches into the air in 

 the most savage manner with feathers 

 ruffled and shrieking its unpleasant cat- 

 calls. In spite of all its unpleasant char- 

 acteristics, the Catbird is an intelligent 

 bird and enjoys the friendship of man. 

 If encouraged by kind treatment it be- 

 comes very friendly and quite tame. It 

 will willingly nest near our homes if not 

 persecuted, and it will become a delight- 

 ful bird companion. Withal, the Cat- 

 bird is a charming and useful bird and 

 should be known and protected by many 

 people, for its range is extensive. It fre- 

 quents the orchards, the woods, the pas- 

 tures and the gardens of North America 

 from the southern portions of the British 

 Possessions southward. It winters in the 

 southern states, Central America and 

 Cuba. While it is found in the Rocky 

 Mountains, it is only a casual visitor to 

 the Pacific coast. 



In the west the Catbird is common 

 from the plains up to an altitude of nearly 

 8,000 feet. While this mountain form 

 resembles its eastern relative in nearly all 

 of its habits and characteristics, it is a 



"shy, almost silent bird, that sedulously 

 hides itself from view in the thickest 

 shrubbery." The cat-like calls, so well 

 known in the east, are seldom uttered by 

 the quiet bird of the mountains, and it 

 seems rarely to attempt a song. 



The male sings not only during the 

 mating season, but quite throughout the 

 summer. While the Catbird's song is 

 not loud it is very melodious and pleasing. 

 Though its powers of mimicry are lim- 

 ited, its voice is versatile. "Many are 

 the utterances he makes, ranging from his 

 mewing call among the hedges to his 

 ecstatic love song from the top of a neigh- 

 boring tree." 



The inartistic and bulky nest of the 

 Catbird consists of loosely woven twigs, 

 sticks, dry leaves, fibrous bark and grass. 

 The nest usually is deep and lined with 

 fine grasses and hair. Not infrequently 

 the bird will use twine and rags in the 

 construction of the nest. The Catbird 

 mother is a most devoted bird and when 

 her nest is discovered, "she exhibits so 

 much distress that one sympathetic to 

 bird griefs has no heart to pursue inves- 

 tigations." 



It seems strange that there should be 

 so much antipathy to these plain sweet- 

 voiced but erratic birds. Though their 

 cat-calls may seem harsh, and during the 

 season of ripening they may partake quite 

 largely of our smaller cultivated fruits, 

 we should remember that while they par- 

 take of some fruit they are also eating 

 many insects which also forms their chief 

 diet during the remainder of the year. 



THE CATBIRD. 



Not always arias are best 



From birds in gayest plumage drest 



— Henry Nason Kinney. 



The songs that are harbored in the 

 Catbird's leaden breast, are as apples of 

 gold in pictures of heavily oxydized sil- 

 ver, and liis zeal in scattering the fruits of 

 the harvest garnered in many a vocal 



field leads to the supposition that the dark 

 grey, tailor-made lady of his choice may 

 soliloquize upon the lines, "Comfort me 

 with apples, for I am sick of love." 

 If the skylark is nearest to heaven, the 



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