16 EVERYDAY BIRDS 



" Drop it, drop it ! Cover it up, cover it up ! " 

 Perhaps he did. It was good advice, anyhow. 



In his own way the thrasher is one of the 

 great singers of the world. He is own cousin to 

 the famous mockingbird, and at the South, where 

 he and the mocker may be heard singing side by 

 side, — and so much ahke that it is hard to tell 

 one from the other, — he is known as the " brown 

 mocking-bird." He would deserve the title but 

 for one thing — he does not mock. In that re- 

 spect he falls far short of his gray cousin, who not 

 only has all the thrasher's gift of original song, 

 but a most amazing faculty of imitation, as every 

 one knows who has heard even a caged mocking- 

 bird running over the medley of notes he has 

 picked up here and there and carefully rehearsed 

 and remembered. The thrasher's song is a med- 

 ley, but not a medley of imitations. 



I have said that the thrasher keeps near the 

 ground. Such is his habit ; but there is one 

 exception. When he sings he takes the very 

 top of a tree, although usually it is not a tall 

 one. There he stands by the half-hour together, 

 head up and tail down, pouring out a flood of 

 music ; sounds of all sorts, high notes and low 

 notes, smooth notes and rough notes, all jum- 

 bled together in the craziest fashion, as if the 

 musician were reaUy beside himself. 



