24 LlFE-HiSTORiES OF BIRDS 



Its diet is both vegetal and animal. The seeds 

 of grasses and the berries of the redrcedar, com- 

 mon-juniper, Rubus villosus, PrunUs serotina, Fra- 

 garia Virginiana, and Vikurmtm Lentago consti- 

 tute the former; while the latter includes such 

 insects as Harpalus compar, H. pensylvanicus, 

 Pangus caliginosus, Cratonychus cinereus, C. perti- 

 nax, Platynus cupnpennis, Rhynchosus pini, For- 

 mica sanguinea and F. subterranea. 



The song of this Thrush is quaint but not 

 unmusical; variable in character, changing from a 

 monotonous whistle to quick and shrill notes at 

 the conclusion. It consists of an indescribably 

 delicate metallic articulation of the syllables 

 ta-weel'-ah, ta-weel-ah, twil'-ah, twil'ak followed by 

 a fine trill which renders it truly enchanting. The 

 above syllables expressive of the language of its 

 melody, which are those of Mr. Ridgway* are 

 tolerbly correct representations in our judgment. 



Its nest is commonly built during the early part 

 of June in a clump of grasses, so carefully hidden 

 as to escape observation. Indeed, there would be 

 little possibility of discovery, did the female ex- 

 ercise the slightest degree of precaution. Instead 

 of maintaining silence on the approach of danger, 

 her over-solicitude betrays her, and thus reveals 

 the tale. So rare is this species of Turdus that 

 we have never discovered more than a half dozen 

 nests in three square-miles of territory. 



In compactness and also in the \'ariety of 

 materials which are utilized, considerable variation 



