40 CAT-BIRD. 



The Cat-bird is one of our earliest morning songsters, beginning 

 generally before break of day, and hovering from bush to bush, with 

 great sprightliness, when there is scarce light sufficient to distinguish 

 him. His notes are more remarkable for singularity than for melody. 

 They consist of short imitations of other birds, and other sounds ; but 

 his pipe being rather deficient in clearness and strength of tone, his 

 imitations fail where these are requisite. Yet he is not easily discour- 

 aged, but seems to study certain passages with great perseverance; 

 uttering them at first low, and as he succeeds, higher and more free ; no 

 ways embarrassed by the presence of a spectator even within a few yards 

 of him. On attentively listening for some time to him one can perceive 

 considerable variety in his performance, in which he seems to introduce 

 all the odd sounds and quaint passages he has been able to collect. 

 Upon the whole, though we cannot arrange him with the grand leaders 

 of our vernal choristers, he well merits a place among the most agree- 

 able general performers. 



This bird, as has been before observed, is very numerous in summer, 

 in the Middle States. Scarcely a thicket in the country is without its 

 Cat-birds ; and were they to fly in flocks, like many other birds, they 

 would darken the air with their numbers. But their migrations are 

 seldom observed, owing to their gradual progress and recession, in 

 spring and autumn, to and from their breeding places. They enter 

 Georgia late in February ; and reach New England about the beginning 

 of May. In their migrations they keep pace with the progress of agri- 

 culture ; and the first settlers in many parts of the Genesee country 

 have told me, that it was several years after they removed there before 

 the Cat-bird made his appearance among them. With all these amiable 

 qualities to recommend him few people in the country respect the Cat- 

 bird. On the contrary, it is generally the object of dislike ; and the 

 boys of the United States entertain the same prejudice and contempt 

 for this bird, its nest and young, as those of Britain do fpr the Yellow 

 Hammer and its nest, eggs and young. I am at a loss to account for 

 this cruel prejudice. Even those by whom it is entertained, can scarcely 

 tell you why ; only they "hate Cat-birds;" as some persons tell you 

 they hate Frenchmen, they hate Dutchmen, &c., expressions that 

 bespeak their own narrowness of understanding, and want of liberality. 

 Yet, after ruminating over in my own mind all the probable causes, I 

 think I have at last hit on some of them ; the principal of which seems 

 to me to be a certain similarity of taste, and clashing of interest, be- 

 tween the Cat-bird and the farmer. The Cat-bird is fond of large ripe 

 garden strawberries ; so is the farmer, for the good price they bring in 

 market. The Cat-bird loves the best and richest early cherries; so 

 does the farmer, for they are sometimes the most profitable of his early 

 fruit. The Cat-bird has a particular partiality for the finest ripe mellow 



