OF EASTERN PfeNNSYLVANlA. 4 1 



The Brown Thrasher possesses great beauty 

 and variety of song, which is uttered in a loud, 

 -clear and emphatic manner. It is never imitative, 

 and can be easily recognized when once heard. 

 It is a steady performer and sings for hours at a 

 time without cha.nging its posture. When in the 

 full glory of song, the presence of a human being 

 upon the scene, does not divert its attention one 

 tittle from the performance. The following sylla- 

 bles will express its song with as much accuracy as 

 is possible for pen to do : — iwe-twit-t'wSet, tl-weet- 

 tHr, kiill, fehtknln, twa-tUr, kctw-kaw-kaw-kwa, 

 tchkak^-ka-, twlUli-twit, keah-kl, kwSr-ku-00, ker- 

 kSr-kSr-tsl, che-che-che, tS-te-wa, pee-pee-pee, tse-tse- 

 tse, kee-'WS.-ka-te-do-te-oo, ka-iva, keou, koo-koo, t'wd- 

 weet, td-kdre-ke-wcl, pee-wee-te-tl-w&h-te, te-wah-ti, 

 tweet, &c. 



At no time is this bird gregarious in the strict 

 sense of the word. It arrives singly and departs 

 as it came. When the breeding period is over, 

 the ties which bound the sexes become dissolved, 

 and an overweening love for self, triumphs over 

 every other feeling. The period of departure 

 varies with meteorological and dietetic changes, 

 An abundance of food-stuffs prolongs its stay, 

 while a paucity, on the other hand, perceptibly 

 diminishes it. Ordinarily its retirement takes 

 place in the early part of October. 



