with claw and beak compel it to beat a hasty retreat from its 

 nest. 



The song of the Catbird is sweet and varied. Whether 

 this is an original song or one learned from other birds is a 

 disputed question. Surely it has in it many tones peculiar to 

 other bird-songs, which it pours out with a rapidity confusing 

 to the ear. It is often blamed for helping itself to some of the 

 small fruits of the garden, but it pays back many fold by 

 destroying hosts of insects during the early part of the season. 



BIRD NOTES 



117 



