CATBIRD— WAXWINGS 189 



ability, its near relative, the Catbird, yet has a charm- 

 ing song of its own, as well as considerable power of 

 mimicry. It is bluish-grey above, with crown and 

 tail black and under tail-coverts brownish red, some- 

 times spotted with slate colour. This bird is of a lively 

 and active disposition and very friendly and intelli- 

 gent. One of its commonest notes resembles the mew- 

 ing of a cat, and from this it derives its name. 



The Catbird is very abundant in the eastern part 

 of the United States, breeding from the Gulf States 

 to Canada. It makes a coarse nest of twigs, leaves, 

 and so on, and lays greenish-blue eggs. 



Another well-known American member of this fam- 

 ily is the Brown Thrasher, a frequenter of under- 

 growth and thickets, especially in the Southern States. 

 The upper parts are a rich reddish brown, the under 

 parts whitish, heavily streaked with dark brown, ex- 

 cept on the throat and middle of the breast. The 

 wing-coverts are tipped with white. The Brown 

 Thrasher in form closely resembles the Mocking-bird, 

 and, like it, has the ability to mimic other birds. Its 

 own song, heard during the breeding season only, is 

 loud and very melodious, and is repeated for a long 

 time. 



Wax WINGS 



A very remarkable family is that which comprises 

 the Waxwings of North America and northern 

 Europe and Asia. Numbering but few species and 

 of uncertain lineage, the birds of this family have ac- 

 quired notoriety on account of the fact that the inner 

 wing-quills and tail-feathers are tipped with horny 



