THE WOOD THRUSH 85 



near a tree in which a wood thrush had concluded 

 to build. She came with a piece of paper nearly 

 as large as my hand, placed it upon the branch, 

 stood upon it a moment, and then flew down to the 

 ground. A little puff of wind caused the paper 

 to leave the branch a moment afterward. The 

 thrush watched it eddy slowly down to the 

 ground, when she seized it and carried it back. 

 She placed it in position as before, stood upon it 

 again for a moment, and then flew away. Again 

 the paper left the branch, and sailed away slowly 

 to the ground. The bird seized it again, jerking 

 it about rather spitefully, I thought ; she turned 

 it round two or three times, then labored back 

 to the branch with it, upon which she shifted it 

 about as if to hit upon some position in which it 

 would lie more securely. This time she sat down 

 upon it for a moment, and then went away, 

 doubtless with the thought in her head that she 

 ■would bring something to hold it down. The 

 perverse paper followed her in a few seconds. 

 She seized it again, and hustled it about more 

 than before. As she rose with it toward the nest, 

 it in some way impeded her flight, and she was 

 compelled to return to the ground with it. But 

 she kept her temper remarkably well. She turned 

 the paper over and took it up in her beak several 

 times before she was satisfied with her hold, and 



