84 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 
resident of the low lands, nothing inferior even 
to our boasted nightingale: its voice is heard afar 
from out the depths of the brakes. The peculi- 
arity of its song resembles the sounds of a piano; 
for, beginning in an upper key, it passes through 
the scale down to the lowest bass note, with 
the skill of an opera artiste. In its habits as in 
its appearance, it differs from the common water 
thrush. Thelatter is proverbially shy—the for- 
mer so unsuspecting as to allow of a person’s 
near approach. While the bird found in the 
eastern or northern regions wades through the 
water, that of the south merely skims over Jt. 
In flight, it glides smoothly through the air, and 
does not ever soar high, The hermit thrush, so 
called, probably from its peculiar love of secluded 
spots, is another resident in Louisiana, where it 
abounds even during the winter months. It pre- 
fers the darkest, lowest solitudes, till the floods, 
which inundate the swamps, compel it to retire 
to higher lands. Its movements resemble those 
of our red-breasted robin—after hopping a few 
steps, it raises its head and looks sagacionsly 
round, The nests of this bird are always found 
on the low branches of trees, A soft plaintive 
note is the only utterance of this aerial hermit. 
A favourite with Audubon, not only above its 
fellows, but beyond all the feathered tribes of 
the forest, was the wood thrush. As the har 
