BROWN THR4SHER 



Head, back, wings and tail reddish-brown; breast and 

 under parts white with dark-brown streaks and spots; eyes 

 yellow ; tail long and spreading. Length, eleven inches. 



Nest, in low bushes or on the ground ; bulky and made of 

 twigs, rootlets, dried grass and leaves. Eggs, three to six, dull 

 white with greenish tint and covered with minute reddish-brown 

 spots, 1.10 X .80 inches. 



This beautiful song bird lives in scrubby trees along the 

 border of woods or in thickets in fields. He is an active, 

 nervous fellow, flying in and out among the bushes, and seldom 

 at rest very long. Much time is spent by him upon the ground 

 searching among the leaves for his food which consists of 

 worms and insects. 



Wintering in the states south of Virginia he reaches the 

 North early in April and spreads over the country as far as 

 Manitoba and Quebec. He brings his mate along with him, 

 which may prove that he keeps the same one year after year. 

 Early in October he leaves with his family for his winter home. 



The devotion of the Brown Thrashers to their young is 

 so great that they will attempt to defend them against all 

 enemies. The male bird is usually on the watch for intruders 

 and none can get near the nest before a battle begins. Boldly 

 the birds attack snakes, cats and dogs 'and often make them 

 hasten away. If people approach the nest, the excitement and 

 distress of the parent-birds is truly painful. 



The song is a sweet, rapid warble poured out with great 

 spirit and energy. The favorite perch for the bird while sing- 

 ing is the topmost branch of a tree in the forest or the orchard, 



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