Thrasher SONG-BIRDS. 



Ellwanger, near whose window one sang early every morn- 

 ing, writes : " Nothing could be more delightful than his 

 opening matin song, begun in a dulcet undertone ; did I not 

 know from experience his long-drawn crescendo and the 

 frenzy of the finale — a perfect Hungarian ' Czardus ' ! 

 Pelting him with stones, a pile of which I keep within 

 reach, stops him, as it does my morning nap." 



Granting this even, it simply proves the wit of Nature, to 

 set this merry, rippling jester, this whirlwind of delightful 

 mockery, as a foil, a companion to the Thrushes with their 

 spiritual melodies. Was it not by the rendering of such 

 contrasts that Shakespeare mirrored Nature in every phase ? 



Brown Thrasher: Marporhynchus rufus. 



Plate 14. 



Length: 11 inches. 



Male and Female : Above reddish brown, darker on wings. Beneath 

 yellowish white, with brown, arrow-shaped spots on breast and 

 sides. Wings with two whitish bands. Tail very long. Female 

 paler. Bill black, lower mandible yellow at base ; feet light. 



Song : Bravura style, with frequent colloquial strains. 



Season : Last week in April to early October. 



Breeds : From the Gulf States northward. 



Nest : In low shrubbery or thickly leaved tree, a boldly made structure 

 of grape-vine, bark, grasses, twigs, and rootlets. In sandy 

 localities, generally on the ground. 



Eggs: 4, green, sometimes paling to white, thickly speckled with 

 brown. 



Range : Eastern United States, west to the Rocky Mountains, north 

 to southern Maine, Ontario, and Manitoba, south to the Gulf 

 States, including eastern Texas. Accidental in Europe. 



Song Thrush, Red Thrush, Brown Mockingbird, Mavis, 

 are four of the local names for this most exultant and (quan- 

 tity and quality considered) dashing of our song-birds. He 

 arrives from late April to early May, and, after a week 

 or so of almost uninterrupted music, settles down and pre- 

 pares his nest. 



It is impossible to mistake the Thrasher. The brilliant 



80 



